An album of opera excerpts and rarely heard standalone orchestral works by the Italian operatic master.

Kyle Werner’s String Quartet No. 2 “In Memory” was commissioned by Cincinnati’s Rod McFaull in memory of his son, Jordan who passed away, far too soon, in 2015). Jordan grew up in the Cincinnati area, studied viola at CCM Prep, and his former teacher connected Jordan’s father with the composer Werner. Rod says, “Jordan’s compassion and passion for life is beautifully portrayed in Kyle’s work. Jordan is represented by the cello.” Listen Wednesday at 12:00 to hear this remarkable piece, New at Noon on WGUC.

Danish jazz trumpeter and composer Palle Mikkelborg was commissioned by the Danish Radio to compose his Bill Evans Suite for the Bill Evans Trio in 1969, using themes from famous pieces by Bill Evans.

It’s Cincinnati made and Cincinnati played this week.

“I have tremendous respect for renewable energy initiatives and their commitment to creating a new, better reality for us all. Re(new)al is a percussion quartet concerto similarly devoted to breathing new life into traditional ideas…”

TRIO BARCLAY to release Beyond the Pacific: three never-before-recorded works by living composers – Sheridan Seyfried, John Wineglass and Michael Fine – on the Orchid Classics label, produced by the Grammy-winning Michael Fine.

Composer Avril Coleridge-Taylor was frustrated by her lack of success in England. It was the beginning of the age of jet plane travel and so, in 1952, she hopped aboard the first-ever commercial flight from Britain to Sout Africa to accept a job offer from the South African Broadcast Corporation. It was aboard that plane where she began work on her Comet Prelude. Listen Wednesdays at 12:00pm to hear the new recording of the piece, John Andrews conducting the BBC Philharmonic New at Noon on 90.9 WGUC.

Grammy-award-winning violinist and new mom, Nicola Benedetti is back to work following the birth of her first child in 2024. Her new album, “Violin Café,”

Dr. Samantha Ege’s new record with the BBC Philharmonic and conductor John Andrews is an album of Avril Coleridge-Taylor’s orchestral music.

The Lithuanian word for “Sea” is “Jūra.” The nautical term reflects the country’s maritime culture and long coastline along the Baltic Sea. Lithuanian Composer/Painter/Poet Mikolajus Ciurlionis drew inspiration from the Sea when creating his second symphonic poem in 1903. Lithuanian-born conductor Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of Čiurlionis on her new album Back to Nature, which combines music, nature and mythology in her unique fascinating artistic vision. Listen Wednesday at 12:00 to hear “JURA (The SEA)” New at Noon on 90.9 WGUC.