For Birds, Planes & Cello A continuous field recording with cello. Composed by: Miya Masaoka Performed by: Joan Jeanrenaud "This is an engaging concept--the cello acts as a link between the birds and industrial sounds, which in turn creates a relationship between the cello and field recording. Thus, a double counterpoint: birds/planes and cello/field recording."    -Norbert Schnell, researcher in sound and music, IRCAM. "This requires patient listening to appreciate, but those who take the time will marvel at how ingeniously Masaoka can challenge and change perceptions of what is, and isn't, music. By the album's conclusion, Jeanrenaud's piercing extended cello techniques are almost indistinguishable from the bird calls and jet roars they accompany. It's a potent reminder that what matters most in Masaoka's visionary work is the whole, not the individual components, and that intriguing music may be as close as the next hillside or canyon."    -George Varga, San Diego Union Tribune Total time: 54:25

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While I was walking I heard a sound... For Three choirs and nine soloists spatialized in balconies. Boy sopranos, male falsettos and operatic singers join forces in a total of three choirs and nine solosits consisting of one humdred and twenty singers. While I Was Walking, I Heard a Sound is scored for up to 42 voices and explores the boundaries of vocal art. It was recorded in a large, resonant cathedral with a natural 2.5 second reverberation. Volti Conductor, Robert Geary San Francisco Choral Society Ensemble of the Piedmont Choirs Sound Color Ensemble: Kevin Baum Dina Emmerson, Anne Hege, Cheryl Keller, Richard Mix, Tina Osinski, Amy X Neuberg, Gary Ruschman, Randall Wong "It is unequivocally the most mesmerizing, haunting and wrenching piece of music I have heard in a long time...While I Was Walking is a non-negotiable item on my desert island list."    -Margaret Leng Tan Total time: 31:12

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