Composer Danaë Xanthe Vlasse recently received a Grammy nomination for her album Mythologies featuring sopranos Hila Plitmann and Sangeeta Kaur. The album is a collection of works inspired by Ancient Greek myths. Danaë’s father Marcus (née Vlassopoulos) grew up on the island of Ithaca, once ruled by Homer’s legendary hero, Odysseus. Centered on vocal works, Mythologies celebrates some of the most lasting myths of history and invites listeners to ponder long-standing cultural concepts, such as idolized heroism, divine power, crisis of faith and morality, and the junction of fate and free-will.

New York-based violinist Curtis Stewart released his post-classical coming of age album “Of Power” on June 18. Inspired by Black Lives Matter and featuring songs of resistance and resilience for violin, voice, and electronics. “Of Power” features original compositions as well as reimagined works by Charlie Parker, J.S. Bach, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, Childish Gambino, John Coltrane, Paganini, Elektra Kurtis, Ysaÿe, and Stevie Wonder. Created entirely during the COVID-19 lockdown releasing on the Bright Shiny Things label with five tracks mastered by Prince’s sound engineer Derek Linzy from Paisley Park.

The Slovenian-born, Los Angeles–based guitarist Mak Grgic is an avid explorer of the guitar and all its possibilities. In addition to core repertoire, he performs Balkan music and flamenco. He plays new music, with Daniel Lippel, of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), JACK Quartet, and others. He’s working on an homage to Ligeti using gamelan-inspired arrangements. He composes his own works.

The COVID-19 pandemic perhaps all but demands an artistic response. A commission from the Oregon Bach Festival, Richard Danielpour’s An American Mosaic provides just that in an expansive piano work written for Simone Dinnerstein that at its core reflects upon the various segments of American society united by the shared experience of the pandemic.

While listening to soprano Laura Strickling’s latest album Confessions, I was reminded of a phrase she has said countless times in rehearsals, interviews, and performances: “Song matters.”