The all-women a capella ensemble Lyyra (the only one of its kind based in the United States) presents their debut album with a genre-defying program that showcases the multifaceted beauty of upper voices. Created by VOCES 8, Lyyra’s members are Anna Crumley, MaryRuth Miller, Elizabeth Tait, Ingrid Johnson, Aryssa Leigh Burrs and Cecille Elliott, representing a wide range of specialisms …

Romanian pianist Alexandra Dariescu’s new album is a personal reflection of her journey in the music world, from some of the very first pieces she played as a child to significant milestones such as her concerto debut at age 9. The repertoire centers Mozart’s Rondo in D, K. 382, performed with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields. The …

Pianist Claire Huangci’s new album celebrates women composers and the struggles they’ve endured, with a collection of works by Clara Schumann, Amy Beach, Fanny Hensel, and Florence Price. Clara Wieck (who became Schumann after her marriage to Robert in 1840) was a mother of eight and the main breadwinner, constantly on tour. Fanny Hensel composed largely in private, often publishing …

The “American dream” is the thread that connects two works for two pianos and orchestra with a third piece for piano duo, presented by pianists Ludmilla Berlinskaya and Arthur Ancelle with the Victor Hugo Orchestra. Dana Suesse was born in Kansas City in 1909. She played her own compositions on the radio from the age of thirteen and composed hit …

Chicago-based Duo FAE (violinist Charlene Kluegel and pianist Katherine Petersen) pay tribute to three pioneering women composers whose work and lives defied the social confines of their time. Featuring Cécile Chaminade’s Trois Morceaux, and sonatas by Dame Ethel Smyth and Amy Beach, these chamber works for violin and piano stand as acts of bold artistic and political expression. Anchored in …

The latest album from English flutist Lisa Friend — who has performed as a soloist with the Philharmonia Orchestra, the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, and the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra — is a collection of American works for flute and piano, featuring composers such as Copland, Price, Bernstein, Beach, and Griffes. Joined by pianist Rohan de Silva, Friend explores …

Violinist Kristin Lee’s debut solo album offers a distinct and recognizable sound of American music and its rich history, encapsulating both Lee’s journey as an American, as well as the journeys of the composers in the United States. A native of Seoul, Korea, Lee was compelled to select repertoire that expresses her pride in the country she now calls her …

Cellist Juliana Soltis and pianist Ruoting Li champion women composers Mary Howe, Amy Beach, Margaret Bonds, Helen Crane, Dorothy Rudd Moore, and Florence Price.  The new album sheds light on a treasure trove of rarely heard gems of cello-piano literature. Helen Crane’s Six Idylls is of particular interest, and new to WFMT. Written in 1918, the Six Idylls for Cello …

Violinist Augustin Hadelich and pianist Orion Weiss perform works by a melting pot of American Composers from the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries drawing on a diversity of idioms, influences, and inspirations. Included are beloved classics like Copland’s “Hoe-down” and Bernstein’s “Somewhere,” as well as modern classics like Adams’s “Road Movies” and Beach’s Romance. New music on the album include …