Review: On their new recording Samuel Barber - An American Romantic, Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare honor the great composer with a selection of some of his finest choral works. Barber's lyrical melodies and unabashed romanticism have earned him a cherished place in the pantheon of 20th-century composers. Featured here are the beloved Agnus Dei (choral version of the famous Adagio for Strings) and other favorites such as Reincarnations and Sure on this Shining Night. The recording also presents two world premieres. Barber's Easter Chorale and the sensual, passionate the Lovers on poetry by Pablo Neruda are heard here in new versions for chamber ensemble and choir prepared especially for Conspirare by composer Robert Kyr.

Songlist: Twelfth Night, To Be Sung on the Water, The Virgin Martyrs, Let Down the Bars, O Death, The Coolin, A Stopwatch and An Ordnance Map, Sure on This Shining Night, Agnus Dei, Prelude, Body of a Woman, Little Girl, Brown Girl, In the Hot Depth of This Summer, Close Your Eyes, The Fortunate Isles, Sometimes, We Have Lost Even This Twilight, Tonight I Can Write, Cemetery of Kisses, Easter Chorale

Review: To understand and partake of the "Sacred Spirit of Russia" requires one, first and foremost, to experience the beauty and splendor of the Russian Orthodox liturgy, which has been an integral part of the Eastern Slav identity for over a thousand years. The sacred music of the "New Russian Choral School" features sublime settings of the liturgy that draw on a rich history of Orthodox chants and native traditions, creating music of unprecedented color and textural richness. Following the lead of Tchaikovsky, composers such as Kastalsky, Gretchaninov, Tchesnokov, Rachmaninov and a host of others have left US a treasure-trove of musical delights. Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare (featuring the astounding basso profundo Glenn Miller) present a glorious sampling of some of their finest works in this genre.

Songlist: The Great Doxology, Bless the Lord, O My Soul, Glory - Only Begotten Son, The Beatitudes, Come, Let Us Worship, Christmas Troparion, Today the Virgin, As Many Have Been Baptized, Cherubic Hymn, The Creed, A Mercy of Peace, Hymn to the Mother of God, Our Father, Praise the Lord from the Heavens, A Wondrous Birth, We Should Choose to Love Silence, Now the Powers of Heaven, Do Not Cast Me Off in My Old Age, Let Our Mouths Be Filled, Blessed Be the Name of the Lord, Preserve, O Lord, for Many Year, Our Father

Review: One of the seminal American musical traditions, the spiritual is dramatic, powerful, and profoundly beautiful - the bedrock for much of American music that was to follow. Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare explore here the genre's wide range of expression and its eloquence in speaking to universal aspects of the human condition.

Songlist: Motherless Child, A City Called Heaven, Soon Ah Will Be Done / I Wanna Die Easy, Soon Ah Will Be Done, Hard Trials, Hold On, Been In De Storm / Wayfaring Stranger, Oh Graveyard, Ain'-a That Good News!, Steal Away, Walk Together, Children, I Got A Home In-a Dat Rock, Lily Of The Valley, Plenty Good Room, My God Is A Rock, Freedom Song, Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

Review: This CD captures the exquisite sound of the choral ensemble Conspirare, as heard on a live national television broadcast. In this one-hour concert, contemporary music blends seamlessly with classical favorites, taking the listener and viewer on a journey of innovative sound, vibrant images and thought-provoking ideas.

Songlist: Sure on This Shining Night, Let the River Run, The Water is Wide, Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel, Will There Really Be a "Morning"?, Light of a Clear Blue Morning, Collage, Agnus Dei, Deep River, Gabriel's Oboe, Soneto de la Noche, When I Fall in Love, What If, Requiem, 1000 Beautiful Things, Triptych, I Love You, The First of My Lovers

Review: Conspirare's second studio recording, Requiem, was recorded at The Bank Music Hall in Troy, New York in October 2005, and the CD has already received rave reviews most recently the 2005 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, presented by Chorus America. The album includes Howells' and Pizzetti's Requiems and some lovely, forlorn songs. Also a requiem from Austin's Eliza Gilkyson. "This is simply gorgeous choral singing - The Choir achieves near-perfect interpretive consensus and vocal enaemble, with stiletto-sharp intonation and unearthly tonal beauty." - American Rocoed Guide. "Sublime. Conspirare's "Requiem: We are so lightly here" flies on the wings of perfection.

Songlist: Requiem, Salvatore Mundi, Psalm 23, Requiem Aeternam, Psalm 121, Requiem Aeternam, I Heard A Voice From Heaven, Three Songs Of Faith, I Will Wade Out, Hope, Faith, Life, Love, I Thank You God For Most This Amazing Day, We Remember hem, Be Music, Night, Requiem, Dies Sanctus, Agnus Dei, Libera Me, The Road Home, Requiem

Review: In the 2007 season, Conspirare captivated audiences with concerts of works by the phenomenally gifted (and award-winning) young composer Tarik O'Regan. Now the Grammy-nominated choral ensemble is set to captivate audiences across the globe with a recording of those same works by O'Regan. This is a recording worthy of attention. A single listen confirms the impression from last year's concerts that this choir and composer are exquisitely matched. Conductor Craig Hella Johnson and his company of voices have the skill to voice all the colors in O'Regan's richly varied musical palette: the densely clustered voices that pull at one another in tense dissonance here and resolve in sumptuous harmonies there, the rhythms that rocket a song along or ease it into a blissful peace. Moreover, they have a feel for the material, for its drama and intensity and the deep spiritual dimension at its foundation. O'Regan, a 30-year-old British composer now living in New York, crafts his own truly original style. Yes, this music is essentially tonal, but hardly could you characterize it as traditionally melodic. O'Regan's music layers voices with brilliant intricacy. Voices cluster seamlessly in full choir, then emerge in delicate solos. He deftly combines airy melodies with only short moments of subtle dissonance to a powerful effect.

Songlist: Had I Not Seen The Sun, The Ecstasies Above, Threshold Of Night, Tal Vez Tenemos Tiempo, Care Charminge Sleepe, Triptych 1. Threnody, Triptych 2. As We Remember Them, Triptych 3. From Heaven Distilled a Clemency, I Had No Time To Hate