Various Composers - Contemporary Voices (Aspen Contemporary Ensemble)

Information

• Sarah Gibson - Soak Stain
• Lotta Wennakoski - Hele
• Samuel Adams - First Work
• Christopher Stark - Prehistoric Songs and Dances That Never Existed

Aspen Contemporary Ensemble

Donald Crockett, conductor

Timothy Weiss, conductor

Date: 2026

Label: Arlos Records

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Recorded live at Harris Concert Hall during the 2025 season, Contemporary Voices features the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble in a vibrant celebration of 21st-century music presented by the Aspen Music Festival and School. The album highlights the festival’s dedication to advancing classical repertoire through bold, rarely recorded works by Sarah Gibson, Lotta Wennäkoski, Samuel Adams, and Christopher Stark. Featured selections include Gibson’s Soak Stain, Wennäkoski’s Hele, and two AMFS co-commissioned world premieres: Adams’ First Work and Stark’s Prehistoric Songs and Dances That Never Existed. Exceptional live performances capture the ensemble's precision, embodying Aspen's vital role in championing contemporary compositional voices.

Directed by conductor Timothy Weiss, the Aspen Contemporary Ensemble (ACE) is a premiere chamber group featured at the Aspen Music Festival and School, specializing in challenging contemporary works by world-renowned and emerging composers. A crucial incubator for new music, ACE partners with the Susan and Ford Schumann Center for Composition Studies to give young composers essential live performance experiences. Weiss, a GRAMMY-nominated conductor, Oberlin professor, and recipient of the 2025 Ditson Conductor’s Award, brings vast repertoire expertise and adventurous programming to the ensemble, leveraging his distinguished track record of artistic excellence and mentorship to champion the future of American classical music.

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