Tom Cipullo (b. 1956) is an American composer, best known for his vocal art song and opera. The most frequently performed of his four opera, Glory Denied, is based on a true story of an American prisoner of war. Late Summer (2001) is a song cycle comprising of three pieces: "Crickets," "...Summer Into Autumn Slips," and "Touch Me." "Crickets" is a sensitive and poignant setting of poetry by William Heyen (b. 1940). "...Summer Into Autumn Slips" features the poetry of Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) in a romantic, sweeping musical flurry. The second piece gently transitions "attacca" into the final piece: "Touch Me." "Touch Me" is a sensitive, reflective musical setting of text by Stanley Kunitz (1905-2006). The composer guides the performers' musical interpretation through detailed instruction, with directions such as "whispered, with fervor, ecstatic," "almost a whisper," and "free so gently hushed," and notes such as "Not louder! Sacrifice tone, if necessary for this volume!" The three pieces are linked by the brief emergence of a familiar lyrics (such as "cricket" and "summer") and highlight themes of confronting the passage of time, the changing seasons of life, and appreciating the little things. 

Joseph Marx (1882-1964) was a well-known composer, philosopher, and pedagogue from Graz, Austria. He was well-appreciated during his lifetime and his pupils traveled from all over the world to study with him. In addition to teaching, he held many influential leadership positions within cultural organizations and institutions before and after World War II. Some of his known influences were composers Max Reger, Claude Debussy, and Alexander Scriabin. His more thatn 150 Lider were written during his first compositional period, and he later focused on choral and orchestral works. These three selections demonstrate Marx's compositional style and affinity for nature. "Nocture," one of Marx's most highly regarded works, showcases the role of the Lieder pianist through its technically challenging and whimsical virtuosity. "Nachtgebet" and "Selige Nacht" were published as part of a three-volume collection of songs titled "Lieder Und Gesänge." The composer later created chamber and orchestral arrangements for twenty of his more than 150 Lieder, including both "Selige Nacht" and "Nachtgebet." The first to sing Marx's Lieder was the love of his life and muse: Anna Hansa.

Published in 2022, 12 Chanson Folkloriques Acadiennes is a collection of Acadian folk songs imagined for the voice of Christina Haldane (b. 1978) with her cousin and collaborative partner, Carl Phillippe Gionet (b. 1978). They selected familiar Acadian folk songs and focused on preserving the oral tradition of each tune, with the added objective of creating a valuable educational resource for developing singers. Haldane states that she believes "everyone can find a small part of themselves within these stories" as they explore the relatable themes of humanity including love, loss, conflict, parting, and journeying through life. Acadians are descendents of French settlers who established colonies along the North American Atlantic coast in the areas that are now known as the Canadian Maritime Provinces and the Kennebec River in southern Maine in the United States. Six significant colonial wars greatly affected the Acadian settlers, resulting in the death, deportation, or indenture of many Acadians. Some of these folks migrated to Louisiana, where their culture has evolved and become known as Cajun). In the 19th century, Acadians were able to participate in the "Acadian Renaissance," which saw the return of Acadian people and culture in Canada. This book of songs was gifted to me by Christina, who was delighted to learn that we share Acadian heritage. 

Cecilia Livingston (b. 1984) is a Canadian composer known for operatic, orchestral, and vocal works. The composer has been composer-in-residence at the Canadian Opera Company and Glyndebourne Opera. Salt Air is a song cycle comprised of three works: I. "Kalypso" (2015), II. "Penelope" (2014), III. "Circe" (2014). The text for "Penelope" was written by the composer and the text for the other two pieces were written by Duncan McFarlane. You may recognize the names of these three woman as being characters from Homer's Odyssey. 

The following adapted from the composer's program notes:

The composer imagines the perspective of Kalypso, the nymph/demi-god, whose names shares roots with apocalypse (meaning: to cover, conceal, hide, deceive). After a storm ship-wrecked him on his way home from Troy to Ithaca, Odysseus was swept onto Kalypso's island. She held him there (against his will but not really) for seven years, with some combination of seduction, timely bad weather that prevented sailing, and general relaxation and good times. Eventually the greater gods grew frustrated sent Odysseus on his way home to Penelope. Both torch and art song, Kalypso's plea is set in a warm, tender, jazz-rich, Chopin-esque language with decorative vocal lines and strange Monteverdian speech-stammer breakdown. This piece is also an homage to Harold Arlen's "Stormy Weather."

The perspective of Circe is imagined through a song loosely inspired by Cy Coleman and Dortohy Fields "Big Spender" from the musical "Sweet Charity." When Odysseus and his crew arriveon the enchantress Circe's island, they are greeted first by the animals she had already made from men. After consuming one of the man-turned-animals, Odysseus and his crew follow smoke to Circe's woodland hall. There, she seduces them with song, food, and wine, and turns them into pigs. Ultimately, Odysseus resists Circe's charms and saves his crew. They remain with her for a year, in which she teaches them how to survive the journey home to Ithaca. In this song—representing a "welcome" toast—we hear what Circe thinks of these men and get a sense of her seductive powers in the song's gentle, caressing ending, along with a hint of her own resignation and loneliness. 

The composer imagines the perspective of Odysseus' wife Penelope as she wanders the drafty, echoing spaces of the fortress or palace that protected and imprisoned her as she awaited the return of her husband and son. The image of a woman waiting is common in literature and depicts an act of endurance, loyalty, hope, bravery, and even defiance. The woman who waits suffers most often silently. She is alone, perhaps vulnerable or seen to be so, and always she is fighting depression and despair. In her day, Penelope was just as modern as we are now, so here she sings music that is modern in its hybridity: classical, minimalist, jazz, pop-art song, and torch song, for lover and loved. We still know war, always have, and always it has taken a quiet and dreadful toll against those left behind. We always wait for those we love, the heartstrings stretched taut to breaking point across miles and years, oceans and continents, stronger than any deep sea cable, but oh so frayed by worry, loneliness, and fear.