Child Composers

William Grant Still (1895-1978) is celebrated as the “Dean of African American Composers.” He was the first African American to conduct a major American symphony orchestra, the first to have a symphony performed by a leading orchestra and the first to have an opera performed by a major opera company. Summerland is the second piece of his Three Visions set.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine, “an exciting, boundary-defying performer” (Washington Post) known for her “bravura technique and soulful musicianship” (New York Times), headlines a groundbreaking album of blues-influenced classical works for solo violin and violin and piano by 20th and 21st century composers of African descent.

Fast-rising American operatic baritone Will Liverman, tapped for major roles at principal opera houses across the country, makes his Cedille Records debut as a featured artist with Dreams of a New Day, an intimate, heartfelt recital he calls “a passion project . . . years in the making.”

Fast-rising American operatic baritone Will Liverman, tapped for major roles at principal opera houses across the country, makes his Cedille Records debut as a featured artist with Dreams of a New Day, an intimate, heartfelt recital he calls “a passion project . . . years in the making.”Praised for his “unique combination of eloquence and unpretentiousness” (Opera News), Liverman has assembled a program of songs that portray the trials, tribulations, and triumphs of the African American experience through poignant texts and expressive musical settings.His new album, with pianist Paul Sánchez, highlights Black composers across generations, from early 20th-century pioneers Henry Burleigh, Margaret Bonds, and Thomas Kerr to Robert Owens, Leslie Adams, and contemporary composers Damien Sneed and Shawn E. Okpebholo.Liverman commissioned Okpebholo’s Two Black Churches, which he recently performed to great acclaim at his Kennedy Center recital in conjunction with his winning the 2020 Marian Anderson Vocal Award. The Washington Post review called the set “absolutely devastating, and one of the most beautiful pieces of music I’ve heard all year.” This is its world-premiere recording.

La-La Land Records presents, in association with Paramount Pictures and Capitol Records, the premiere release of both John Barry’s unused score and Michel Colombier’s score to the 1986 Paramount Pictures action/adventure motion picture THE GOLDEN CHILD, starring Eddie Murphy, Charlotte Lewis, Charles Dance and directed by Michael Ritchie. Mr. Barry’s (FROM RUSSIA WITH LOVE, BODY HEAT, A VIEW TO A KILL, DANCES WITH WOLVES) unused orchestral score is simply put, wondrous – a powerful, majestic work brimming with action, suspense and romance that strongly recalls the recently departed composer’s 80s Bond period while still retaining its own robust identity. Composer Michel Colombier’s (RUTHLESS PEOPLE, THE MONEY PIT, AGAINST ALL ODDS) score, only a portion of which has been previously released, is finally given its proper due here as well, showcasing the composer’s knack for traditional action scoring blended with the era’s contemporary, synth-based pop sound.