Pacifica Quartet - American Portraits (2026) [Hi-Res]

The multi-Grammy award-winning Pacifica Quartet continues its highly acclaimed series of recordings exploring the sounds of America with an album of string quartets featuring elements of American folk music and spirituals by Anton Dvorák, Florence Price and Louis Gruenberg, as well as a new work by James Lee III.

Pacifica has been praised by The Telegraph as "nothing short of phenomenal" and is known for its "remarkable breadth of expression and beauty of sound" (New York Times). With a career spanning nearly three decades, Pacifica has established itself as the embodiment of the leading American quartet sound.

Dvorák's String Quartet in F Major, Op. 96, "American" is influenced by the colorful soundscape of his American experiences; from the American spirituals, native folk songs to sounds reminiscent of American songbirds and rhythms reminiscent of American trains.

Florence Price was inspired by Dvorák's focus on American folk music in his "New World" Symphony, and although her String Quartet No. 1 in G Major does not explicitly reference specific folk influences, the origins of many of her original melodies and musical colors can be traced directly to the folk songs she heard in her hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.

Louis Gruenberg, influenced by his time as a student in New York City when Dvorák was director of the National Conservatory, wrote Four Diversions for String Quartet, Op. 32, which infuses the traditional string quartet with the typical sounds and style of Prohibition-era America.

James Lee III's Pitch In for quartet and children's choir, praised by the Washington Post for its "bright, pure music" and receiving its world premiere here, features Chicago's Uniting Voices conducted by Josephine Lee. The work features American folk motifs and pentatonic scales that reflect the essence of American Spirituals and Dvorák's "American" Quartet; Pitch In is based on Sylvia Dianne Beverly's poem of the same name, which addresses global poverty and food insecurity and urges listeners to take action.

In recognition of the theme of James Lee III's work, 25% of the proceeds from Cedille's first year of direct CD sales (i.e. through the Cedille Records website) of American Voices will be donated to the Greater Chicago Food Depository.