Discover
A Musical Portrait of America
In conjunction with the United States’ coming 250th anniversary celebration, Cedille Records is proud to support the Pacifica Quartet as it completes its bold and timely trilogy of recordings reflecting on our nation. Pacifica Quartet cellist, Brandon Vamos, reflects:
“The interesting thing about making a recording, and why it’s so relevant, is it shows a piece of time.”
A recording is an artist or ensemble’s permanent document for future generations. American Portraits, scheduled for release in October 2026, will be the final album in a three-part series (and eventual boxed set) that captures the diversity, complexity, and richness of American musical voices.
This culminating volume will feature newly commissioned works for narrator and string quartet by two of America’s most celebrated composers: Jennifer Higdon’s tribute to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (Steps for Justice) and Gabriela Lena Frank’s portrait of environmental activist Rachel Carson (The Edge of Everything).
Each work is rooted in its respective subjects’ words, brought to life by award-winning NPR legal affairs correspondent — and longtime friend of Justice Ginsburg — Nina Totenberg. The Pacifica and narrator Totenberg recently premiered the works at Washington Performing Arts’ fourth annual Ruth Bader Ginsburg Memorial Recital.
American Portraits completes the Pacifica’s American Collections trilogy, which began with their Grammy-nominated American Stories. Featuring clarinetist Anthony McGill, the album illuminates experiences that have shaped America through works by Richard Danielpour, James Lee III, Ben Shirley (all world-premiere recordings), and Valerie Coleman. Stephanie Zelnick of the International Clarinet Association declared, “American Stories… is storytelling at its finest, both in regard to composition and performance. These are the stories of tragedy and triumph; of pain and beauty blended into an exquisite masterpiece.”
The second album, American Voices, explored the sounds of America with works by Antonín Dvořák, Florence Price, and Louis Gruenberg, string quartets that incorporate elements of American folk music and spirituals, plus a new piece by James Lee III that also featured Chicago’s Uniting Voices conducted by Josephine Lee.
With the addition of American Portraits, this trilogy will endure as a document of our nation at a pivotal moment — one that brings together composers, performers, and storytellers who grapple with the ideals, people, and complexities that shape American life. Made possible through the support of the National Endowment for the Arts and Cedille’s community of donors, this project reflects a shared commitment to preserving these distinctive voices with clarity and care, ensuring that future listeners can enjoy a richly layered portrait of America through music.
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.
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.