Oliver Talukder continues work on his debut album with a new commission

Cedille 2025 Emerging Artist Competition winner, oboist Oliver Talukder, just returned to the studio to continue recording his debut album — his prize for winning the Competition.

His recording, slated for release in fall 2026, centers around themes of identity, love, and family — drawing on his multicultural heritage and upbringing in Chicago. The program features emotionally resonant works by living and historically underrepresented composers.

Oliver recorded most of his debut album in sessions following his performance at Cedille’s annual Soirée Cedille benefit. The final work to be recorded is a new piece that Cedille Records commissioned for Oliver, which adds voice to the mix. Composed by Delfin Demiray, Oliver’s Curtis Institute of Music classmate, it’s scored for oboe/English horn, mezzo-soprano (Sophia Maekawa), and piano (Moriah Trenk). It will be recorded over two sessions: first at Curtis in Philadelphia, and later this spring in Chicago. Chicagoans will recognize mezzo Sophia Maekawa from her time in Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Ryan Opera Center program and, most recently, in Chicago Opera Theater’s production of Kurt Weill’s Der Silbersee.

Oliver’s album draws its intriguing title, “Briefly Gorgeous,” from Ocean Vuong’s On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, a coming-of-age story told in the form of a letter from a young Vietnamese man to his mother. The novel, which informed the song texts, portrays the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son alongside a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity.

Oliver’s debut album promises to be a deeply personal artistic statement, highlighting both his distinctive voice as a performer and Cedille’s commitment to championing emerging artists and new music. We look forward to sharing Briefly Gorgeous with audiences when the album is released in fall 2026.