Double Star

Award-winning composer David Gillingham's music has long been a staple of the concert band repertoire. In this new release, recorded live at Central Michigan University, the focus is on his works for soloists and band. CMU's Symphonic Wind Ensemble, directed by John E. Williamson, is joined by faculty and alumni artists. These dynamic works show the Gillingham trademarks of rhythmic energy and soaring melodic lines, and Double Star will appeal to all fans of the concert band....more

The Arcos Trio - Big Sky

Chamber Music of American Women Composers

The contributions of women composers to the classical literature have often been overlooked, but in the twentieth century, original voices such as Joan Tower and Ellen Taafe Zwilich have taken their rightful place in the repertoire. On this disc the Arcos Trio presents compositions by these modern masters, along with a major work by nineteenth-century composer Amy Beach. These compositions explore the variety of sounds and textures available within the...more

Elena Urioste

Featured on the cover of Symphony magazine as an emerging artist to watch, violinist Elena Urioste is featured here on her debut recording. With pianist Hugh Sung, Urioste presents a recital of works showcasing her subtle musicianship and confident technique. Music from different centuries and different countries weaves from lyrical beauty and subtle colors to soaring emotion and dazzling passage work. Sonatas by Beethoven and Janáček anchor the disc, along with smaller works by Hubay...more

Crescent Duo & Eclectic Trio - Woodwind Echoes

The Eclectic Trio and the Crescent Duo, with percussionist Andrew Spencer, present this collection of newly-minted chamber music for woodwinds. Every track is a premiere, and each composer has addressed this musical combination in their own language. With influences ranging from South American dance to the masters of jazz, these works are valuable additions to the chamber music catalog. The Eclectic Trio and the Crescent Duo are faculty ensembles at the Central Michigan University School of Music, and...more

The Harlem Quartet: Take the ‘A’ Train

”These are fine, fresh, exciting performances by an excellent ensemble that has the chops to pull off the technical challenges and enough interpretive skill to truly inhabit the music.”
- Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The Harlem Quartet plays the music of Wynton Marsalis, Billy Strayhorn and more.

The Harlem Quartet's debut recording, Take the 'A' Train, was released on September 25th at Carnegie Hall in New York. The recording features the works of Wyton Marsalis, Billy...more

CMU Faculty Jazz Ensemble - Caught in the Act

This recording features eight original compositions for jazz sextet, representing a variety of influences.

Central Michigan University Jazz

Jazz is alive and well at Central Michigan University. Every February, high school students from all over the State of Michigan participate in the Central Michigan University/Phi Mu Alpha sponsored Jazz Weekend. Jack Saunders started this annual event in 1974 and the first contracted artist was Duke Ellington and his fabulous orchestra. Since that time...more

CMU Faculty Jazz Ensemble - Caught in the Act

Cabezas & Hernandez: Moyugba Orisha

Every year the Sphinx Competition, held in Detroit, offers young Black and Latino classical string players a chance to compete under the guidance of an internationally renowned panel of judges and to perform with established professional musicians in an encouraging setting.

Cabezas, a cellist from the Chicago area, is the First Prize Laureate of the Junior Division of the 2006 Sphinx National Competition. Hernandez, the Gold Achievement winner of the Senior Division, is a native of...more

Freshwater

Combine a few fiddle tunes, a new take on some old songs, and you will get one of the freshest sounding folk bands to come out of Michigan. The famed dancers Nic Gareiss and Nellie Schrantz, show not only their dancing skills, but also their vocal and instrument chops along with bandmates Bud Greenman and Bill Weigandt. Traditional music is meant to be played live, and that is the way this recording was made. Most of the tracks were...more

Steven Egler - The Organ Music of Gerald Near

Composer Gerald Near is one of the foremost living composers of church music. This recording presents, for the first time, his complete set of Twenty-Eight Chorales on Hymn Tunes for Organ, along with his Organ Sonata and other works. Organist and CMU faculty member Steven Egler presents these works on the 56-rank Casavant organ in Central Michigan University's Staples Family Concert Hall. He is joined on some selections by Frances Shelly on flute. The multimedia portion of...more

Adrienne Wiley - Prelude

Music for Piano, One Hand

When it comes to playing the piano, it's usually "both hands on deck." Sometimes, though, because of injury or by choice, performers have just one hand to work with. Pianist Adrienne Wiley has made a study of the performance and teaching of music for piano, one hand, and on this disc she performs a range of pieces from this literature. Some are well known, such as Brahms' masterful transcription of J. S...more

Wheatland - At This Stage...

30 Years of the Wheatland Music Festival

The Wheatland Music Festival is a staple of the folk music scene in Michigan and the entire midwest region. Through a partnership with the Wheatland Music Organization, we have been able to put together a compilation album of live performances over the past 30 years on the Wheatland grounds. The album contains a baker's dozen of selections from the Festival's archives, along with a bonus sound collage that gives a...more

Norman Dietz - Legacy

The Norman Dietz Legacy, represented in this collection of recorded work, is a very real part of American musical culture. Many of his former students now are in positions of artistic leadership nationwide. This man, whose standards were very high and whose professionalism was unsurpassed changed their lives forever.

This compilation of recordings contains both transcriptions and original works for band. Programs from the Central Michigan University Symphonic Wind Ensemble archives reveal that Dietz made a gradual...more

Onward With Banners Bold

The 2004 CMU Chippewa Marching Band has released "Onward with Banners Bold," a follow-up CD to the 2001 release of "Fire Up Chips!" The CD features the traditional CMU pre-game show including the "Oo-Wah!" chant, "Hail to the Chippewa," "The Fighting Chippewa," "Alma Mater, Hear Us Now," "America," "The Star-Spangled Banner," and new this season, “You’re a Grand Old Flag.” The CD also contains selections from the first halftime show of the 2004 season featuring...more