Today's recordings include works by the following composers:

James MacMillan was born in 1959 in Kilwinning in North Ayrshire in Scotland. He studied at the University of Edinburgh and Durham University, after which he lectured at the Victoria University of Manchester from 1986 to 1988. He then returned to his native Scotland, where he was named Associate Composer with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He first achieved international acclaim with the opera The Confession of Isobel Gowdie in 1990, the story of one of many women executed for witchcraft in 17th century Scotland. A prolific composer, James was awarded the British Composer Award for Liturgical Music in 2008 for his composition Strathclyde Motets.

Joan Tower was born in 1938 in New Rochelle, NY. Her family moved to La Paz, Bolivia, when she was 9 years old. While living in South America, she absorbed much of the native feel for percussion. Joan founded the award-winning chamber group De Capo Players, in 1969 to promote contemporary music and to allow her more time for composition. Her Violin Concerto reached the final round for the Pulitzer Prize in Music.

Adolphus Hailstork is an award-winning composer who is a "vibrant communicator whose music speaks directly and subtly." He has served as professor at several colleges, and is currently named as Eminent Scholar and Professor of Music at Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. Today a recording of his Symphony No. 1 will be played, which was commissioned for a summer festival in Ocean Grove, N. J. It shows the lyrical and vivid qualities for which his music is known.

Russ Salk will bring his collection of recordings by contemporary composers for your listening pleasure. Enjoy musical excerpts and learn a bit about selected contemporary composers. Registration is appreciated.