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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
Pacifica Quartet’s final album in the American Collections trilogy – American Portraits. Bringing together touchstones of the American repertoire, American Portraits features some of the most canonical American chamber works alongside world premiere recordings of two newly commissioned works.
Winner of Cedille Records’ 2025 Emerging Artist Competition, Chicago-born oboist Oliver Talukder makes his solo recording debut with Briefly Gorgeous. Joined by pianist Moriah Trenk, Talukder presents an album inspired by themes of identity, love, family, and belonging. Drawing on his Mexican and Bengali heritage and his Chicago upbringing, the program explores where classical music intersects with Latino and South Asian traditions, creating a musical portrait shaped by Talukder’s unique story.
To celebrate the Oct. 9 release of American Portraits, the Pacifica Quartet‘s 18th album for Cedille, a playlist with a track from each of its Cedille albums, in chronological order, starting with its very first CD in 1999.