Miranda Cuckson

Dai Fujikura’s newest Minabel Records release is named after his daughter Mina, who was born just before he began composing the title piece on the recording, written for five soloists from the International Contemporary Ensemble. Fujikura brings his sense of wonder at the birth of his child to his compositional process in several of these pieces, exploring previously unexamined territory while continuing to rely on his interest in natural phenomenon for inspiration.

Composer Louis Karchin releases a collection of chamber works, featuring violinist Miranda Cuckson, pianist Steven Beck, and oboist Jacqueline Leclair. Partially inspired by the iconic romance of Venice, Karchin marries a fascination with the intricacies of subtle hybrid instrumental timbres with a penchant for elegantly articulated structures. Over a career spanning more than four decades, composer Louis Karchin has amassed a portfolio of more than 90 compositions, appeared as conductor with numerous ensembles, and co-founded new music groups including the Chamber Players of the League-ISCM, the Orchestra of the League of Composers, the Washington Square Ensemble, and the Harvard Group for New Music.