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Artist Spotlight | Mark Holloway
In celebration of Cedille’s upcoming album release, American Stories we are proud to feature violist Mark Holloway of the Pacifica Quartet in our Artist Spotlight series, where Chicago’s classical artists discuss the music important to them.
From Mark:
One of the terrific pieces we were so happy to record is James Lee III’s Quintet for clarinet and string quartet. It was an honor to premiere it on video with Anthony McGill early on in the pandemic, in a beautiful and remote barn in the Indiana countryside. We jumped at the chance to include it on American Stories and take inspiration from the history and photographs that inspired the composition, which examines identity, specifically the complex and profound cultures of Black and Native Americans, and their intersections in our history. We loved this piece from the beginning, and now play it often, discovering more layers in the music each time we perform it. (James’s language and style spoke to us so deeply that we recently commissioned and premiered his “A Double Standard” with the incredible soprano Karen Slack!). We hope you will enjoy this special music, which we think is a superb and meaningful addition to the repertoire.
American Stories is now available for pre-order. To learn more about the project and purchase, click below.
Recommended
From Chicago-based composter Stacy Garrop comes INVICTUS, Latin for “unconquered.” The work unfolds across four movements and an interlude, moving between lyrical introspection, fierce determination, and triumphant resolve, with Grammy-nominated pianist Marta Aznavoorian and the Chicago Philharmonic under the direction of Artistic Director Scott Speck. Available 5/8.
Haymarket Opera Company presents early-18th-century master Leonardo Vinci’s rare operatic gem, Artaserse (1730). A prominent figure of the Neapolitan School of opera, whose work influenced composers such as Johann Adolph Hasse and Giovanni Battista Pergolesi, Vinci’s three-act opera seria centers on the Persian prince, Artaserse, who must bring his father’s murderer to justice amidst betrayal, deceit, and mistaken identity.
To celebrate Stacy Garrop‘s piano concerto, INVICTUS (5/8 release), based on a poem about perseverance and resilience in adversity, a playlist of Cedille tracks that represent struggle against prohibitive odds — explicitly in words or as program music, or inherently in their musical nature.
Enjoy 25% off Cedille’s Weekly Featured Release.