Coleman: Angels for Mezzo-Soprano, Clarinet, and Piano
Valerie Coleman: Angels for Mezzo-Soprano, Clarinet, and Piano (CMS Co-Commission, World Premiere) (2025)
Colossus
Human Family
Prayer
Recorded live in the Daniel and Joanna S. Rose Studio on November 6, 2025.
Directed by Tristan Cook
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Trio Afiori
Fleur Barron
Gloria Chien
Anthony McGill
The boundary-defying Trio Afiori brings together three of today’s most dynamic artists—clarinetist Anthony McGill, mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron, and pianist Gloria Chien—in a vivid exploration of bold storytelling, collaboration, music, and cultural heritage. The trio actively commissions and premieres works by today’s leading composers, including Valerie Coleman, Gabriel Kahane, Julia Adolphe, Alex Ho, and Kian Ravaei. Blending classical traditions with folk, jazz, and contemporary influences, the trio creates performances that are both intimate and daring, where new voices and timeless influences meet in conversation. Highlights of their 2025–26 season include a week-long residency and concerts at CMS, and performances at Apex Concerts at the University of Nevada, Reno; Chamber Music Northwest; and Chamber Music at Beall at the University of Oregon. Future seasons include extensive North American touring and a debut disc recording.
Anthony McGill, principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, is celebrated for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (New York Times). A two-time Avery Fisher honoree and 2024 Musical America Instrumentalist of the Year, McGill has appeared as soloist with leading orchestras including the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics and the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra. Deeply committed to music education and social equity, he serves on the faculties of the Juilliard School and the Curtis Institute of Music.
Grammy Award–winning mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron is acclaimed for her magnetic stage presence and deeply communicative artistry. Known for her genre-spanning repertoire, she regularly appears with leading orchestras and opera houses, including the New York Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, London Symphony Orchestra, Salzburg Festival and Aix-en-Provence Festival. A passionate curator and advocate for cross-cultural dialogue, the Singaporean-British artist draws on her multicultural upbringing across Asia, Europe, and North America to craft performances that bridge languages, eras, and traditions.
Gloria Chien, a Taiwanese-born pianist whose artistry and entrepreneurial spirit have earned her acclaim as both performer and leader. She has appeared as soloist and chamber musician at major venues including Alice Tully Hall, the Library of Congress, and Taipei’s National Concert Hall. Chien serves as co-artistic of Chamber Music Northwest and Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and is Artist-in-Residence at Lee University, combining her performance career with a deep commitment to fostering community through music.
Fleur Barron won a 2025 Grammy Award for Best Opera Recording, in which she sang the title role in Saariaho’s Adriana Mater with the San Francisco Symphony under Esa-Pekka Salonen. A passionate interpreter of opera, symphonic works and chamber music ranging from the baroque to the contemporary, she is mentored by Barbara Hannigan. The 2025–26 season brings her to many of the world’s premier presenters including the Salzburg Festival, Teatro dell’Opera di Roma, Barbican Centre, New York Philharmonic, Berlin Philharmonic, Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, and Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Her recording catalogue extends from Hasse to Brahms and Purcell to Ravel with labels including Deutsche Grammophon and Pentatone. She is committed to the way music facilitates cross-cultural dialogue and healing and she is passionate about curating inclusive chamber music programming that amplifies the voices of diverse communities. Born in Northern Ireland to a Singaporean mother and British father, she grew up in Hong Kong and later New York and holds degrees from Columbia University and Manhattan School of Music.
Pianist Gloria Chien has a diverse musical life as a performer, concert presenter, and educator. She made her orchestral debut at age 16 with the Boston Symphony Orchestra under Thomas Dausgaard. In 2009 she launched String Theory, a chamber music series in Chattanooga, and the following year was appointed Director of the Chamber Music Institute at Music@Menlo. In 2017, she joined her husband, violinist Soovin Kim, as Co-Artistic Director of the Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, Vermont. The duo became Artistic Directors at Chamber Music Northwest in 2020, and were named the recipients of the 2021 Award for Extraordinary Service to Chamber Music from CMS. Ms. Chien received her bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degrees from New England Conservatory, where she was named the Advisor for the prestigious Institute for Concert Artists in 2024. She is an artist-in-residence at Lee University in Cleveland, Tennessee; a Steinway Artist; and an alum of CMS’s Bowers Program.
Clarinetist Anthony McGill, Principal Clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, is one of classical music’s most celebrated performers and advocates. Hailed by the New York Times for his “brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character,” McGill was named Musical America’s 2024 Instrumentalist of the Year and received the 2020 Avery Fisher Prize. As a soloist, McGill performs with major orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, BBC Scottish Symphony, and Chicago Symphony. He is a sought-after chamber musician and recording artist, collaborating with the Pacifica Quartet and pianist Gloria Chien on acclaimed albums like American Stories and Here With You. An advocate for equity in classical music, McGill founded the #TakeTwoKnees movement and collaborates with the Equal Justice Initiative. He directs Juilliard’s Music Advancement Program and teaches at Curtis. A Curtis graduate himself, McGill serves on several arts organization boards and is a Backun Artist.