Discover
Shawn Okpebholo Soars to New Heights with Songs in Flight
Cedille Records is thrilled to celebrate the early success of Songs in Flight, the latest album by acclaimed composer Shawn Okpebholo. This powerful album, released February 14 and produced by Okpebholo himself, has resonated deeply with audiences and critics alike, showcasing Okpebholo’s evocative musical storytelling. Joined by pianist Paul Sánchez, the album features stunning performances by world-renowned artists, including superstar Rhiannon Giddens, soprano Karen Slack, countertenor Reginald Mobley, and baritone Will Liverman, whose voices bring the music’s themes of resilience and freedom to life. Rave reviews are already pouring in, including one from BBC Music Magazine, which proclaimed the album its Editors’ Choral & Song Choice, with a double 5-star rating.
We hope the attention Songs in Flight is generating will add even more fuel to Okpebholo’s meteoric rise in the classical world as he earns widespread recognition for his unique compositional voice that bridges history, culture, and contemporary expression. Shawn was named a Chicagoan of the Year in Classical Music by the Chicago Tribune in December 2024. Later this year, he will receive a Goddard Lieberson Fellowship ― his second major award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters!
We hope this album will help generate more visibility, additional performances, and new commissions for Shawn Okpebholo and his work. We are grateful to those who helped make this album a reality including an Anonymous donor; the Robert and Isabelle Bass Foundation, Inc.; the Aaron Copland Fund for Music; Wheaton College Aldeen and Global Research Grants; and the Ruth Bader Ginsburg Fund for Vocal Recordings at Cedille Records, with additional support from Queta and Ron Bauer, Linda and Owen Youngman, Dave Miller, and Maria and Peter Lagios.
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 Cedille’s Weekly Featured Release.