Adam Ewing/Courtesy of the artist
Will Liverman is a young baritone and a new, exciting voice in the opera world. He is also on something of a mission.
In school, the artist was rarely introduced to Black composers. It was a cumulative interest, patched together by YouTube clips and introductions from colleagues. Now, he wants to expose listeners to music that he feels doesn't get programmed enough in concert halls or receive enough airplay on classical radio stations.
Liverman's new album,
Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers, is "a collection of just some of the pieces that I was really drawn to, and to highlight black composers who are significant," he says. "And, of course ... I'm a big believer and supporter of new works in the classical field." One of the pieces featured is
Will Liverman 'Dreams Of A New Day' For Black Composers
Adam Ewing / Courtesy of the artist
Will Liverman is a young baritone and a new, exciting voice in the opera world. He is also on something of a mission.
In school, the artist was rarely introduced to Black composers. It was a cumulative interest, patched together by YouTube clips and introductions from colleagues. Now, he wants to expose listeners to music that he feels doesn't get programmed enough in concert halls or receive enough airplay on classical radio stations.
Liverman's new album,
Dreams of a New Day: Songs by Black Composers, is "a collection of just some of the pieces that I was really drawn to, and to highlight black composers who are significant," he says. "And, of course ... I'm a big believer and supporter of new works in the classical field." One of the pieces featured is
Molly Ledford has spent much of the past 15 years making âkidâs musicâ out of indie folk-rock, with a bittersweet beauty and open-hearted wisdom that belies that pejorative-seeming subcategory. In Pears 4 Bears, she finds a deeply sympathetic and complementary partner in Aaron Graves, the Those Lavender Whales frontman who died last year. Hearing them shout at each other about peanut butter sandwiches over a gloriously grungy bridge and the indelible final image of Graves on his cherished skateboard will leave you with all the feels, whether youâre 5 or 65.
KYLE PETERSEN
Find It: Available via Amazon, Apple and Spotify
This smooth record was exactly the escape I needed from the overwhelming anxieties of this year. It slowed me down in the best way possible and, like a meditation, let me breathe through the stress and put on pause the racing thoughts I typically use to fill the silences. Charlestonâs STEPHAN reminds us, in interesting but subdued layers of soft-synth, mellow guitar and laid-back jazzy beats, that sometimes itâs okay to be still and find relaxation, love and magic in the lazy moments.