The Book of Spells
Clarice Assad composer
Nicole Chamberlain composer
Jennifer Higdon composer
Mary Kouyoumdjian composer
Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti composer
Soon Hee Newbold composer
Kimberly R. Osberg composer
Lynne Plowman composer
The Merian Ensemble
Christina Smith flute
Emily Brebach oboe/English horn
Marci Gurnow clarinet/bass clarinet
Jessica Oudin viola
Elisabeth Remy Johnson harp
Passion and intellect meld in THE BOOK OF SPELLS, the Merian Ensemble’s hotly anticipated debut album. The album is comprised entirely of world premiere recordings, with works by Clarice Assad, Nicole Chamberlain, Jennifer Higdon, Mary Kouyoumdjian, Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti, Soon Hee Newbold, Kimberly R. Osberg, and Lynne Plowman, each but one* commissioned by the Merian Ensemble. The Book of Spells offers a gripping and intimate portrait of modern chamber music, performed with brilliance and precision by an ensemble of world-class soloists who are dedicated to the elevation of women’s voices in classical music.
Clarice Assad’s titular composition, The Book of Spells, opens the recording with three movements “inspired by rituals that deal with magic, which is done to achieve a particular goal, righteous or wicked” (Assad). The album continues, weaving together elements of folklore, faith, and science, with Nicole Chamberlain’s Atalanta, Lynne Plowman’s Small World, Jennifer Higdon’s The Sound of Light, Mary Kouyoumdjian’s A Boy and a Makeshift Toy*, Kimberly Osberg’s Just Another Climb, Soon Hee Newbold’s Alis Volat Propriis (She Flies With Her Own Wings), and Clarice Assad’s Solais. And in meridian, Leilehua Lanzilotti explores the themes of metamorphosis, inspired by the Merian Ensemble’s namesake, Maria Sibylla Merian (1647–1717), a German entomologist, naturalist, and scientific illustrator, whose work is featured on the album’s cover and book.
Taken as a whole, The Book of Spells offers a finely-drawn portrait of 21st century chamber music — the compelling repertoire, composers, and performers — while also highlighting the still-underrepresented voices of women in classical music.
*Mary Kouyoumdjian’s A Boy and a Makeshift Toy was originally commissioned by Michael Hall as a piece for viola and piano; it is presented here in a new Merian Ensemble arrangement.
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Track Listing & Credits
# | Title | Composer | Performer | |
---|---|---|---|---|
01 | The Book of Spells: Chapter I: Love and Relationships; The Siren’s Seduction | Clarice Assad | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, oboe; Marci Gurnow, bass clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 4:11 |
02 | The Book of Spells: Chapter II: Wealth and Prosperity; Spell of Summon Greed | Clarice Assad | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, English horn; Marci Gurnow, bass clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 3:44 |
03 | The Book of Spells: Chapter III: Health and Well-Being; A Spell for Global Healing | Clarice Assad | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, English horn; Marci Gurnow, bass clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 3:22 |
04 | The Sound of Light | Jennifer Higdon | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, oboe; Marci Gurnow, bass clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 6:37 |
05 | Small World | Lynne Plowman | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, English horn; Marci Gurnow, bass clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 10:44 |
06 | Atalanta | Nicole Chamberlain | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, oboe; Marci Gurnow, bass clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 6:25 |
07 | meridian | Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, alto flute; Emily Brebach, English horn; Marci Gurnow, clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 7:37 |
08 | A Boy and a Makeshift Toy | Mary Kouyoumdjian, arr. Elisabeth Remy Johnson | Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 8:29 |
09 | Solais | Clarice Assad | Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 5:24 |
10 | Alis Volat Propriis (“She Flies With Her Own Wings”) | Soon Hee Newbold | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, oboe; Marci Gurnow, bass clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 5:43 |
11 | Just Another Climb | Kimberly R. Osberg | The Merian Ensemble | Christina Smith, flute; Emily Brebach, oboe; Marci Gurnow, clarinet; Jessica Oudin, viola; Elisabeth Remy Johnson, harp | 4:18 |
All Tracks World Premiere Recordings
The Book of Spells, The Sound of Light, Small World, Atalanta, meridian, Alis Volat Propriis, and Just Another Climb commissioned by the Merian Ensemble
Solais commissioned by Elisabeth Remy Johnson
A Boy and a Makeshift Toy commissioned by Michael Hall (new arrangement by The Merian Ensemble)
Recorded January 3-5, 2024 at Morgan Hall, Bailey Performance Center at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw GA
Recording Producer Elaine Martone, Sonarc Music
Recording Engineer Robert Friedrich, Five/Four Productions, LLC.
Assistant Engineer William Friedrich, Five/Four Productions, LLC.
Mixing & Mastering Robert Friedrich, Five/Four Productions, LLC.
Cover art of various works by Maria Sibylla Merian
Executive Producer Bob Lord
VP of A&R Brandon MacNeil
A&R Jeff LeRoy
VP of Production Jan Košulič
Audio Director Lucas Paquette
VP, Design & Marketing Brett Picknell
Art Director Ryan Harrison
Design Edward A. Fleming, Morgan Hauber
Publicity Chelsea Kornago
Digital Marketing Manager Brett Iannucci
Artist Information
![](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/The-Merian-Ensemble-300x300.jpg)
The Merian Ensemble
The Merian Ensemble is a chamber music group dedicated to promoting the standard of an inclusive repertoire. The group was formed in 2018 by five women musicians from the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, determined to counteract the striking dearth of women composers programmed in classical music settings. Even today, research shows that of 111 major orchestras across 31 countries, only 7.7% of works played were written by women. (Donne – Women in Music, 2022). Through their “Listen: Works by Women” initiatives, the Merian Ensemble performs the abundant repertoire of music by women and commissions a new work each year.
![Clarice-Assad](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Clarice-Assad.jpg)
Clarice Assad
A powerful communicator renowned for her musical scope and versatility, Brazilian-American Clarice Assad is a significant artistic voice in the classical, world music, pop, and jazz genres and is acclaimed for her evocative colors, rich textures, and diverse stylistic range. A prolific GRAMMY® Award–nominated composer with more than 70 works to her credit, she has been commissioned by internationally renowned organizations, festivals, and artists and is published in France (Editions Lemoine), Germany (Trekel), Brazil (Criadores do Brasil), and the United States (Virtual Artists Collective Publishing).
![Jennifer-Higdon](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Jennifer-Higdon.jpg)
Jennifer Higdon
Jennifer Higdon considers one of the best aspects of her bio to be the great fortune of having had the opportunity to work with the musicians of the Atlanta Symphony, for pretty much the length of her career. This honor has provided a wealth of learning that has led to the opportunity for her to compose for extraordinary musicians and ensembles from around the world. And while there have been a few notable prizes awarded to her works, Higdon considers the greatest gift to have been the chance to share that knowledge, through notes on a page, with performers who inspire all of us daily.
![Lynne-Plowman](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Lynne-Plowman.jpg)
Lynne Plowman
Described as “thrilling,” “highly original,” and “immediately appealing,” Lynne Plowman’s music ranges from delicate instrumental miniatures, to bold, theatrical large-scale works. She is perhaps best known for her award-winning chamber operas for young audiences, created with the writer, Martin Riley. 2023 saw two new opera productions — The Face in the Mirror (commissioned in 2011 by Welsh National Opera) in a new French translation, by Opéra-Théâtre Junior in Geneva, and Captain Blood’s Revenge (a 2012 Glyndebourne commission) at the Norfolk Into Opera Festival.
![Nicole-Chamberlain](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Nicole-Chamberlain.jpg)
Nicole Chamberlain
Composer and flutist Nicole Chamberlain (b. 1977) has a varied career in the arts, acquiring simultaneous bachelor degrees in Music Composition and Digital Media at the University of Georgia. Her original compositions are influenced by storytelling and visual imagery from her former day job as a web animator and designer. Chamberlain’s music “heavily utilizes extended techniques [that] play into the theme or story of each piece to sonically enhance its meaning” (The Flute View). “Being a virtuoso flautist herself has informed her ability to write for the instrument with thrilling facility and endearing charm.” (Gramophone Magazine).
![Anne-Leilehua-Lanzilotti](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Anne-Leilehua-Lanzilotti.jpg)
Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti
Leilehua Lanzilotti (b. 1983) is a Kanaka Maoli composer / sound artist. A “leading composer-performer” (New York Times), Lanzilotti’s work is characterized by expansive explorations of timbre. Lanzilotti’s practice explores radical indigenous contemporaneity, integrating community engagement into the heart of projects. By world-building through multimedia installation works and nontraditional concert experiences/musical interventions, Lanzilotti’s works activate imagination around new paths forward in language sovereignty, water sovereignty, land stewardship, and respect. Uplifting others by crafting projects that support both local communities and the economy, the work inspires hope to continue.
![Mary-Kouyoumdjian](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Mary-Kouyoumdjian.jpg)
Mary Kouyoumdjian
Mary Kouyoumdjian is a composer and documentarian with projects ranging from concert works to multimedia collaborations and film scores. As a first generation Armenian-American and having come from a family directly affected by the Lebanese Civil War and Armenian Genocide, she uses a sonic palette that draws on her heritage, interest in music as documentary, and background in experimental composition to progressively blend the old with the new. A strong believer in freedom of speech and the arts as an amplifier of expression, her compositional work often integrates recorded testimonies with resilient individuals and field recordings of place to invite empathy by humanizing complex experiences around social and political conflict.
![Soon-Hee-Newbold](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Soon-Hee-Newbold.jpg)
Soon Hee Newbold
Soon Hee Newbold is an internationally acclaimed composer and conductor known for incorporating differing cultural and ethnic styles in her writing inspired by her experiences and travel. She started her musical journey at the age of 5 on piano and violin at age 7 and performed as a concert artist in professional ensembles around the world.
![Kimberly-R-Osberg](https://www.navonarecords.com/nv/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/Kimberly-R-Osberg.jpg)
Kimberly R. Osberg
Kimberly R. Osberg (b. 1992) is a Portland-based composer from Eau Claire WI who specializes in interdisciplinary collaboration. Her projects have included dance, film, environmental sound installations, instrumental theater, plays, opera, visual art, award ceremonies, and stage combat. Her music has been described as “brilliant,” “highly-engaging,” “wonderfully suspenseful,” “wonderfully humorous and witty,” and “intensely colorful,” and has received acclaim from academic, commercial, and public audiences alike. Her collaborations have been hailed as “ambitious” and “pioneering,” and have even inspired collaborators to launch annual opportunities for composers (including the Exponential Ensemble’s Fordham Composers Program).
Notes
With our commissions, we aim to support the composers creating works today, expand the platform for these pieces, and hopefully inspire others to commission and create. It has been a joy to collaborate with these composers, and an honor to bring their works to life.
The Merian Ensemble commissions on this album have been supported by the American Harp Society, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, the PRS Foundation, the Arts Council of Wales, Agnes Scott College’s Kirk Fund, New Music USA’s Creator Development Fund, and private individuals. The original viola/piano version of the Kouyoumdjian was commissioned by Michael Hall.
The Merian Ensemble gratefully acknowledges the transformative support of The Gable Foundation, without which this recording project would not have been possible. Additionally, we acknowledge The John and Rosemary Brown Foundation, the Atlanta Foundation, and the Vaughan Williams Foundation for their generous support of this album, and New Music USA for their support of our 2023–2024 season. We are also deeply grateful for the generous support of the following individuals: John Blatz, Mark Hackner, Carolyn and Ken Meltzer, Suzanne Shull, and Christie Woodfin.
Our deepest thanks to the wonderful team of Producer Elaine Martone, Sonarc Music and Robert Friedrich, Five/Four Productions.