Ginger L Reynolds - Let Music Fill the Air (2020)

Exquisite melodies interpreted by extraordinary artists characterize Let Music Fill the Air, a collection of works by Ginger Reynolds – the Twin Cities-based musician known for decades as a piano teacher and lecturer, and now revealed also as a composer with a lovely and distinctive voice.

Ginger Reynolds was visiting the Jeffers Petroglyphs in southwestern Minnesota when she first felt the urge to compose: she sensed that bits of tunes were floating high in the air, and perhaps she should reach up and gather them into song. She has been doing exactly that ever since, creating an array of works inspired by both personal and universal experiences.

Many of the vocal offerings in this collection are built on Reynolds’ own lyrics, while the verses of others were penned by poets as famous as William Blake. Many works bring to mind folk songs, including those of Reynolds’ childhood home near Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains. Others speak to the ideals of art, learning and community, the values that can transform humanity.

The superb performers of these chamber works include, first and foremost, the celebrated Twin Cities-based pianist Ruth Palmer, who has collaborated far and wide with stars of the world of art song; and mezzo-soprano Clara Osowski – co-founder and co-director of the Source Song Festival – who continues to draw international recognition as she performs and wins awards both in the U.S. and abroad. Laura Sewell, Bob Adney, Marc Anderson, Sarah Boyle Carmack, the Lumina ensemble and the First Readings Project, with J. David Moore, also make notable contributions, as does Reynolds herself at the keyboard.

These works and performances reflect the refreshing optimism, sense of play, thoughtfulness and creative spark with which Ginger Reynolds approaches life – gifts captured here that will bring delight many times over.