2023 marked PARMA’s 15th year in music, and while our quindecennial anniversary was a significant milestone, there were countless other occurrences and causes for celebration that made this year one to remember.
Before we dive in, join us as we reflect on and celebrate the 15 years of music and media that brought us to the present day.
BORN from The Crossing and Navona Records Receives Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance
As we transitioned into the new year, November 2022’s Grammy nominations were still fresh on our mind, in which three Navona Records releases were in contention across three separate categories. On February 5, PARMA was delighted to see that BORN from The Crossing and Navona Records received the Grammy award for “Best Choral Performance.”
Having received two Grammy Awards for Best Choral Performance in 2018 and 2019, this came as the third win for the ensemble in this category. Following the release of CLAY JUG and EVOLUTIONARY SPIRITS, BORN marks the third Navona Records collaboration between PARMA artists Edie Hill and The Crossing.
2023 Nominations
PARMA was pleased to see its artists nominated in major music award ceremonies on a global scale in 2023, from Canada’s JUNO Awards to the Latin Grammys.
In March, composer Vincent Ho and pianist Vicky Chow received the nomination for Classical “Composition of the Year” in the 2023 Juno Awards for their recording of Supervillain Études on SANDMAN’S CASTLE from Navona Records.
Following the release of the Grammy-nominated single El País Invisible, José Antonio Zayas Cabán’s full Navona Records album ROMANCE AL CAMPESINO PORTEÑO received the nomination for “Best Instrumental Album” in the 24th annual Latin Grammy Awards.
Learn about each of the albums here:
World Premiere Recordings
2023 will go down in history for many reasons, but the release of world premiere recordings by compositional legends will be especially remembered in the classical music community.
Read about the world premiere recording and release of Leonard Bernstein’s Music for String Quartet and Chick Corea’s Concerto for Trombone from Navona Records here.
In the Studio
Boston, Las Vegas, London, Glasgow, Paris, and beyond. PARMA’s production team traveled far and wide in 2023 to capture the music of today’s leading classical artists. As views changed from large-scale productions in famed concert halls to intimate chamber music sessions and video shoots in a historic mine, the vision remained the same, and the results spoke for themselves.
Follow our team around the world through PARMA’s Production Recap archive.
Music and Media Collaborations with Major Orchestras
Following the release of SPARKS: EYE OF LONDON with the London Symphony Orchestra in October 2022, PARMA continued collaborations with the celebrated ensemble with the release of two Navona Records albums.
The first, LONDON CELLO CONNECTION, united the LSO, cellist Ovidiu Marinescu, and several contemporary composers in a captivating program showcasing the heights to which modern classical music can soar.
Get an inside look at the inner workings of this Navona Records release here.
“Marinescu has a rich tone, especially in the low register, that is successfully exploited by several of the composers, and Miran Vaupotić, leading the London Symphony Orchestra, achieves clarity and confidence… an attractive collection.” – AllMusic
Collaborations with the LSO continued into the spring with the release of SYMPHONIC CHRONICLES VOL. 1, a diverse compendium of orchestral works that also features the acclaimed Royal Scottish National Orchestra. With several accomplished composers and two legendary orchestras, SYMPHONIC CHRONICLES VOL. 1 is hailed as “an impressive CD for lovers of descriptive and evocative contemporary classical music” (Kathodik).
PARMA/Sphinx Equitable Recording Project Released on Navona Records
An equitable recording project born from a Sphinx Call for Scores came to fruition this year with the release of OUR STORIES from cellist Thomas Mesa and pianist Michelle Cann on Navona Records.
Made possible by PARMA Recordings and a Sphinx MPower Grant, this album explores the intricacies and curiosities of human communication, fear-inducing information prevalent in the media, and reflections on the acceptance of life’s inevitable changes and losses.
Created to raise the voices of musicians from backgrounds traditionally underrepresented in classical music, OUR STORIES features the works of five modern composers.
The Latest from PARMA Creative
Web design, custom artwork and animation, video production, digital marketing, and more. These components are part and parcel in supporting the arts, and PARMA Creative brought a finely-tuned artistic approach to each.
What’s New in Web Design?
The PARMA Creative web team worked with several artists to create custom websites that showcase their artistic identity and legacy. All completed in 2023, these websites feature full catalogs of recorded works, videos, interactive webstores that house compositions, events calendars, and intuitive features like translation, filters, and more.
Read more about the latest projects from PARMA Creative in this story.
Putting Things in Motion
PARMA’s design team turned up the dial with animated covers this year, giving the art that represents our artists’ music a new layer of flair and originality.
The Toy Factory: John Wineglass
As we neared the end of 2024 and plunged into the holiday season, the PARMA Creative team unveiled an extended version of The Toy Factory, an animated short film featuring the music of Emmy-winning composer John Wineglass. The Toy Factory follows Santa around the world as he delivers presents and encounters various fantastical creatures along the way.
Created by PARMA Senior Graphic Designer Edward Fleming, the production is based off of Wineglass’ orchestral release of the same name on DASHING VOL. 3 from Navona Records.
EARMOVIE II: Jeffrey Hall
Music videos are a multi-dimensional experience, and when animation comes into the mix, the possibilities are endless. Our recent work with “The Temple of Oblivion” from composer Jeffrey Hall’s Earmovie II visually fuses the electronic and natural influences that make the piece unique.
In Living Color
One may expect to spot a sea of musicians, microphones, and mixers in a standard recording session. If you attended a PARMA production this year, you might’ve found a few cameras in the picture as well.
From in-studio performances to multimedia presentations for visual albums and documentary shorts on sessions with the London Symphony Orchestra, PARMA’s video team captured a spectrum of musical moments.
Worldwide with Wild Symphony
New York Times bestselling author Dan Brown’s Wild Symphony touched down on stages across the globe in 2023, from the charming city of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina to the majestic landscapes of Iceland, several major cities in the United States, and beyond.
New ensembles are taking the critically-acclaimed production to the concert hall every day, and performances with the Seattle Symphony, Toronto Symphony, Calgary Philharmonic, and many more are already on the horizon for 2024.
Dive into the newly-updated Wild Symphony website to see the full list of upcoming performances.
Live Performances
Nothing beats the thrill of a high-octane live performance. This year, we witnessed many PARMA artists return to stages around the world to share the one-of-a-kind experience of live classical music. From New York’s historic Carnegie Hall to new digital performances, 2023 was a great year to see music created in real time.
Award-winning PARMA Artists
We’re honored to see our artists honored, and this year many received recognition and awards in several international competitions. See the full lists of PARMA artists recognized in the 2023 American Prize and Global Music Awards here.
In the News:
Browse our press log to see more reactions to PARMA, our releases, and our artists.
In Memoriam
We’re sad to say that we lost some monumental members of the PARMA family in 2023. We’re honored to have worked with these artists, who leave us with a legacy that will play on and continue to inspire us for years to come. Join us in celebrating their lives and contributions to our artistic ethos.
