Dear Friends,

As Baltimore braces for a blizzard, I am delighted to report that my promotional copies of Vanderbilt Virtuosi have just arrived! As someone who is very committed to the physical medium when it comes to music (in fact, this year has me exploring *vinyl* as I delve into the obscure regions of Japanese 80s-90s pop), I deeply appreciate having a physical CD (a jewel-case no less!) of this collection of marvelous works and performances by friends, colleagues, and mentors. I hope you will join me in tuning in to the livestream concert that kicks off the release of this album, which is happening on Monday, February 8th, starting at 9pm EST. I'm sure that a distraction or engagement with beauty will be especially important at the end of what is likely to be an otherwise ugly or frustrating day (certainly based upon the predictably unconscionable behavior of elected Republicans). Use this link to go to the landing page for the event. It includes the link to the livestream when the time comes.

And I also wanted to highlight for my faithful readers and fellow new music-lovers that my dear colleague Lavena Johanson (who you can hear gloriously shredding the cello on my album Notes to Loved Ones) is releasing an album of contemporary pieces for solo cello called In Your Hands. This album explores music by some fantastic living composers, including Judah Adashi, Gemma Peacocke, Jesse Montgomery, and more. I have already pre-ordered several copies for myself and some family, and I encourage everyone who enjoys cello music to pre-order as well. Having released now two albums myself, I can testify to the care and struggle that goes into bringing these musical experiences from a nice idea to a solid, finished reality. Lavena is a consummate musician and I have no doubt this is an album that reflects her exquisite playing and brilliant musical curation. In Your Hands is where this album should end up!