'Songs for The Soul: Chamber Music by African-American Composers,' Troy 1190

[Songs for The Soul: Chamber Music by African-American Composers; Mallarmé Chamber Players; Nnenna Freelon, vocalist; Albany Records Troy 1190 (2010)]

Press Release

ALBANY RECORDS ANNOUNCES RELEASE OF

SONGS FOR THE SOUL

CHAMBER MUSIC BY AFRICAN-AMERICAN COMPOSERS

Albany Records is proud to announce the release of Songs for The Soul: Chamber Music by African-American Composers. Repertoire includes Undine Smith Moore’s Afro-American Suite; Thomas Jefferson Anderson’s Spirit Songs; William Banfield’s Soul Goes Home; and Anthony Kelley’s Grist for the Mill. The music is performed by Nnenna Freelon, vocalist and Mallarmé Chamber Players.

This program consists of chamber music by some of the 20th and 21st centuries’ leading African-American composers, including Thomas Jefferson Anderson, whose Spirit Songs received its world premiere performance by the Mallarmé Chamber Players in 2004. Mallarmé also commissioned William Banfield’s Soul Goes Home, which is based on a one-act play by Langston Hughes. These pieces are bookended by works by Undine Smith Moore, a prominent scholar and composer of the early 20th century, and Anthony Kelley, one of the rising stars on the contemporary classical music scene.

The Mallarmé Chamber Players is a flexible ensemble of professional musicians based in Durham, North Carolina that is noted for its innovative educational programs, its commitment to creative collaboration with other organizations, its creation of significant new work, and its dedication to serve a diverse population. Founded in 1984, the ensemble regularly programs rarely heard works from the traditional chamber music repertoire and new music by composers from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. Mallarmé has commissioned more than 25 new works and has created new contours in the landscape of chamber music through partnerships with artists from a number of other disciplines.

Nnenna Freelon is a compelling and captivating performer who has worked with Jessye Norman, Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, Take 6, Al Jarreau, the Count Basie Orchestra, and other distinguished artists and ensembles. She has given performances at distinguished venues and festivals throughout the United States, including Carnegie Hall, and the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals. In addition to her live performances, Ms. Freelon has been featured on a number of radio and television programs including Melrose Place, Mad Men, and Jerry Lewis’ Muscular Dystrophy telethon. She has made a number of recordings and has been nominated six times for the Grammy Award.

SONGS FOR THE SOUL (TROY1190) is available online at http://www.albanyrecords.com/, at fine record stores or from Albany Music Distributors, 915 Broadway, Albany, NY 12207 • 1.518.436.8814