With a release timed to celebrate the United States Semiquincentennial, America/Beautiful is a five-volume collection conceived, commissioned, and performed by pianist and arts advocate Min Kwon, comprising 76 new piano works by American composers inspired by “America the Beautiful.” Kwon brings together a sweeping range of individual voices into a unified musical vision that invites listeners to experience the United …

Lara Downes’s latest album is a deeply personal collection of American music she is subtitling as “A Path to Hope.” An artist renowned for her musical explorations off the beaten path, Downes celebrates the beauty of the American experiment while offering an unflinching acknowledgement of its flaws and failings, ultimately embracing the power of hope and humanity. The centerpiece work …