In the field of program music, stories from Greek myths are especially popular. French composer Augusta Holmès (1847–1903), was born in Paris, but was not permitted to attend the Paris Conservatoire because she was not a citizen of France (she

Welsh composer Grace Williams (1906–1977) grew up in a Welsh-speaking household that had music at its core. Williams’ father, William, was a schoolteacher and also conductor of the Romily Boys’ Choir, for which Grace was accompanist. The choir appeared not

Doing transcriptions, particularly for the piano, is more than just writing the same notes for a different instrument. Each instrument has its idiosyncratic elements, be it only being able to play one or two notes at the same time or

Antonín Dvořák’s time in America (1892–1895) was brief but important, not only helping him break into a more modern style but also helping American composers look inward for inspiration and not towards Europe. His String Quartet No. 12, nicknamed the

British composer Gavin Higgins (b. 1983) credits his youth in the Forest of Dean for his unique sound of music, combining nature and music. The Forest of Dean occupies the borderland between Wales and England, so as much as the

Icelandic violinist Sif Margrét Tulinius commissioned three works in 2020 and presents them on this new recording from Ulysses Arts. The three composers, Hjálmar H. Ragnarsson, Hugi Guðmundsson, and Viktor Orri Árnason, had their works presented in the concert series

Following the commissioning of his first string quartet in 2014, English composer Joseph Phibbs (b. 1974) continued to explore the genre, resulting in his String Quartet No. 2 in 2015, No. 3 in 2018, and now No. 4 in 2024,

Robert Blocker, Dean of the Yale School of Music from 1995 to 2023, is an internationally acclaimed concert pianist. He asked his faculty friends and colleagues for contemporary character pieces and was rewarded with an outstanding collection of works by