The Kansas City Symphony under the direction of Michael Stern joined by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and the Sphinx Organization’s vocal ensemble EXIGENCE (Dr. Eugene Rogers, director) present a landmark recording—the first commercial release devoted exclusively to the music of Joel Thompson.  The career of composer Joel Thompson has risen rapidly since the premiere of his breakthrough choral work Seven Last Words of the Unarmed in 2015. Each of its seven movements sets to music the final words spoken by an unarmed Black man before his death. Since then, Thompson has received numerous prestigious awards, earned commissions from many of America’s leading orchestras and ensembles, and became the first Composer-in-Residence at Houston Grand Opera. Today, his compositional voice is widely recognized as one of the most compelling and socially engaged in American music, giving expression to the experiences and aspirations of historically marginalized communities. With Seven Last Words of the Unarmed as the centerpiece, the album also includes To Awaken the Sleeper for orchestra and narrator (Joel Thompson), The Places We Leave featuring Joyce DiDonato, and breathe / burn: an elegy featuring Yo-Yo Ma. The album concludes with The Caged Bird Sings for Freedom, a work for choir, piano (Ruben Reyes), and clarinet (Raymond Santos).