Rising Sun Music, pianist Lara Downes’ transformative series of monthly digital EPs featuring music by Black composers spanning nearly 200 years, releases the series’ first album-length recording, New Day Begun. With music by fifteen composers performed by Downes and special guests including violinist Regina Carter, bass-baritone Davóne Tines, and PUBLIQuartet, the album brings together newly recorded music with selections from the four EPs released since the February 2021 launch of the series. Downes says, “New Day Begun features works by Black American composers whose music resounds as a celebration of heritage, a cry for freedom, a call to action, and a promise to the next generation. This collection embraces a reawakening, as we emerge from the darkness of pandemic to craft a new American era.”
Lara Downes & Friends: New Day Begun
