October breezed by with sessions overseas at Prague’s Studio Martínek and Brno’s Janáček Theatre Recording Studio, bringing together celebrated ensembles and contemporary composers to record new classical music. Read on for an inside look at productions with several longtime PARMA artists.
Joseph Summer and Brno Contemporary Orchestra
Sessions kicked off in the Czech Republic in Brno’s Janáček Theatre Recording Studio with the Brno Contemporary Orchestra and composer Joseph Summer, Executive Director of The Shakespeare Concerts.
The orchestra performed with French horn soloist Radek Baborák, principal hornist of the Berlin philharmonic and collaborator of several other international ensembles of note. Together the performers recorded two works by Summer, The Silver Swan and The Waltz of the Thirteenth Bee, each to be included in an upcoming album release from Navona Records.
Baborák is expected to perform several more of Summer’s works, alongside violinist Josef Špaček and pianist Miroslav Sekera, live in concert at Carnegie Hall in early 2026.
“The Waltz of the Thirteenth Bee sounds unbelievably great. The musicality of the ensemble is stunning.”
– Joseph Summer, composer
Joseph Summer
Joseph Summer’s operatic music has been praised as “comfortably tonal but sophisticated, ceaselessly inventive, and often gripping; he’s a vivid musical storyteller;” (Opera News) and his work for voice and chamber ensembles has been described as a “21st-century world of kaleidoscopic influences like a beautifully transformed Schubert” (Gramaphone).
Joseph Spaniola and NdBrass
Productions continued in Prague at Studio Martínek where recordings for a compilation album of brass works were underway with composer Joseph Spaniola and NdBrass. Spaniola, who made note of his Czech heritage, likened the session to a “homecoming” of sorts.
“I am an American with Czech and Italian heritage,” said Spaniola. “All three influence my work as all three are a part of me. Working in Prague with musicians from Brno (my maternal grandfather’s family is from this area) was a special honor.
The team recorded two ceremonial works by Spaniola, Joy and Celebration and Wedding Suite. Spaniola shared the personal meaning behind the latter piece.
“The Wedding Suite is some of the music I wrote for my wedding, so it is particularly meaningful. For me, the music is about how my wife and I met and became a couple. For others, it is about paying attention to the guidance life presents so that every day can be a wondrous adventure.”
While the piece is undoubtedly tied to the personal experiences of its composer, Spaniola emphasized the universal connections that can be made within the music.
“Composing allows me to examine the human condition, to hear and be heard, and to engage the hearts and minds of performers and audiences. So, I hope listeners can approach music with an open mind and to actively listen. I hope they come away having an engaging experience that is personal and unique on one level, and common and universal on another.”
– Joseph T. Spaniola, composer
