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Artist Spotlight: Stacy Garrop on “Terra Nostra”
Hi, my name is Stacy Garrop, and I’m the composer of Terra Nostra. The movement that’s most special to me is number 15, which is “The Want of Peace” by Wendell Berry. This is special to me because I had originally thought I was going with a different text, and very late in the process of composing the oratorio, it became apparent that there were too many rights issues to use that particular text. At the moment, I asked Jim Ginsburg if he had any ideas of a poem that might fit the needs of the moment, and he suggested Wendell Berry. Now, Wendell Berry is someone I’d checked out earlier in the process of writing the oratorio, but it wasn’t until Jim suggested him again I realized that “The Want of Peace” fit the mood of the moment perfectly, and, more than that, it became the heart and soul of the oratorio. We have put together a fabulous recording with the singers, choirs, and musicians for this CD. Please check it out and enjoy Terra Nostra.
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Commissioned by Cedille Records specially for our 2025 Emerging Artist Competition winner, oboist Oliver Talukder, as a companion for his Briefly Gorgeous album, Powder is a two-track single of Two Songs for voice, oboe/English horn, and piano by Delfin Demiray, who was Talukder’s classmate at the Curtis Institute of Music. The first song features Chicago mezzo, Sophia Maekawa, while Talukder performs the second song’s special effect and extended technique-infused vocal line himself (as an “overdub”), demonstrating yet another facet of his artistry.
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.
With the new month comes a new featured playlist on Spotify — or, in this case, a refresh of our Artist Debuts on Cedille playlist, originally created in 2022 to celebrate the inaugural album by the first Emerging Artist Competition winner, saxophonist Julian Velasco.
The update is to celebrate oboist Oliver Talukder, winner of Cedille’s second competition, as well as other artists who have made their Cedille debus since 2022. (Oliver’s track will be added on Friday when his album, Briefly Gorgeous, is released.)
Enjoy Cedille’s Weekly Featured Release.