Ariana Kim - Routes of Evanescence: Music for Solo Violin and Viola +1 By American Women Composers (2026) [Hi-Res]

The Moon In The Sand (Jennifer Curtis)
Sonata for Violin and Piano (Ruth Crawford Seeger)
Incantation (Augusta Read Thomas)
Still Life Crumbles (Tonia Ko)
Pulsar (Ellen Taafe Zwilich)
Sonata in Three Movements (Ellen Taafe Zwilich)
Wheel Hoss (Bill Monroe)

The title of this record, “Routes of Evanescence,” is borrowed from a poem by the great American poet, Emily Dickinson. As this album is a celebration of American women artists, this unusually beautiful poem by Dickinson became a guiding light for my work in the recording hall. Each piece on this disc contains elements of evanescence, both in the musical language of each composer, and also in that the experience of hearing music is - in essence, an evanescent event - except when that music is preserved on a recording.

As Dickinson describes a hummingbird’s morning flight, I found inspiring parallels with each precious and fleeting take under the microphones; not one exactly like any other, passing by like the tiny bird’s flitting wings.

The extraordinary women represented here all took different paths - or routes - to arrive at their artistic identities. From the pioneering days of Ruth Crawford Seeger during women’s suffrage when female composers were entirely rare, to the brilliant and thoughtful new voice of Tonia Ko, this album is a collection of music spanning three generations. Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s fiery and impassioned writing earned her the first Pulitzer Prize ever awarded to a woman, which pairs exceptionally well with the captivating solo works of the Grammy Award-winning Augusta Read Thomas. Jennifer Curtis, who discovered our mutual bluegrass roots as classmates at Juilliard (we both grew up attending country fiddle camps every summer as children), sets the program in motion with a dazzling journey through the many languages of the violin and mandolin. The final, bonus track on the record was in fact originally written by a great American man and bluegrass banjo player, Bill Monroe, but was transcribed and arranged by Jen and I for two dueling fiddles; it is a tribute to our folk music pasts and a fabulous bookend.

This album represents nearly a decade of my musical exploration into this literature, and I shall forever be grateful for the women who blazed an artistic trail for all those who follow. With deep gratitude,

Ariana