Sept 12: Ember Releases New Album Birds of Paradise - Music by Henriette Renié, Reena Esmail, Angélica Negrón - Azica Records
Photos by Dario Acosta, and album cover, available in high resolution here.
Ember Announces Debut Album
Birds of Paradise on Azica Records
A Bold New Recording Celebrating Women Composers & Performers
Featuring music by Henriette Renié, Reena Esmail, Angélica Negrón, and highlighting artistic voices of women across generations
Ember is Emily Levin, harp; Julia Choi, violin; Christine Lamprea, cello
Worldwide Release Date: September 12, 2025
Photos, and CDs available to press on request
www.emilylevinharp.com/ensembles | www.azica.com
Ember, the acclaimed ensemble of Emily Levin (harp), Julia Choi (violin), and Christine Lamprea (cello), will release its debut album Birds of Paradise on Azica Records on September 12, 2025. This bold new recording celebrates both historical and contemporary women composers while addressing the cultural significance of the contributions of women in classical music.
Ember is an ensemble of modern trailblazers championing new works by living composers and forging paths of connection and community through intimate, personalized concert experiences. The trio’s debut album showcases three compelling works: French harpist and composer Henriette Renié's groundbreaking Trio in B-flat Major (1901), the first major composition written for harp, violin, and cello; the world premiere recording of Angélica Negrón’s Ave del paraíso (2023); and the first recording of Reena Esmail’s Saans (2017) in this new arrangement for harp, violin, and cello created for Ember.
Birds of Paradise directly confronts the historical stereotyping of the harp as a "feminine" domestic instrument. As Emily Levin explains in the album notes, while the harp was once "considered suitable for the domestic sphere,” its transition to the concert hall was largely championed by male performers playing works by male composers, often overlooking the revolutionary contributions of women performers and composers.
Henriette Renié (1875-1956) was a transformative figure who redefined the harp through her virtuosic performance, teaching, and compositions. A child prodigy who won the Premier Prix at age 11, she expanded the instrument's technical and expressive possibilities. Her 1901 Trio, written when she was just 26, is a tour de force for the players and showcases the rich sound world of late 19th century France.
Ember’s Emily Levin represents a pedagogical lineage that traces directly back to Renié. Levin explains, “I had the privilege of studying with Susann McDonald for my undergraduate degree at Indiana University. As a teenager, Miss McDonald traveled from Illinois to Paris to study with Mademoiselle Renié, and she became her prized pupil. In my lessons, Miss McDonald would often reference Renié, and some of my favorite memories come from learning Renié's music with her. We timed the album release to celebrate Renié's birthday, September 18. Miss McDonald passed away in May, at age 90, and this album is a testament to her legacy.”
Human connections are woven throughout Birds of Paradise. In 2021, Levin founded the ambitious GroundWork(s) initiative, through which she is commissioning 52 American composers – one from each state, plus Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico – to create new works centered on the harp. Levin commissioned Puerto Rican composer Angélica Negrón in 2023, who wrote Ave del paraíso, inspired by the tropical bird of paradise flower and incorporating field recordings of Puerto Rican birds. In her notes on the piece, Negrón writes that it reflects on “utopian and idyllic views of places that have deeply complicated histories.” Ember gave the world premiere performance of Ave del paraíso in Negrón's home city of San Juan. Negrón writes, “Ave del paraíso is dedicated to my family and friends in Puerto Rico and to Emily Levin, for making it possible for them to be the first to hear this piece.”
The piece Saans by Indian-American composer Reena Esmail carries a touching backstory that exemplifies the composer's belief in writing music inspired by the people in her life. “I've always found the story of the Franck Violin Sonata as incredibly moving and romantic as the music itself,” Esmail explains. “Franck wrote the sonata for Ysaÿe and his wife as a wedding present, and they premiered it at the wedding, sight reading through the score.” Saans began as the slow movement of Esmail's Clarinet Concerto, which she transformed into a piano trio as a wedding gift for Suzana Bartal and her husband Eric. As the only two women in their Yale DMA program year, Esmail writes she and Bartal “supported each other unconditionally through some of the toughest moments of our lives, celebrated our accomplishments with each other, and developed a deep and lasting friendship.” Birds of Paradise includes Ember’s world premiere recording of Esmail's new version of this piece, arranged for harp, violin, and cello.
The three musicians of Ember bring exceptional credentials to this project. Emily Levin, the only American to win top prizes at both the USA International Harp Competition and the International Harp Contest in Israel, is currently Principal Harp of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra and has served as guest principal with the Boston and Chicago Symphony Orchestras, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Houston Symphony. Praised for her “intense, emotionally communicatively intense expression,” (Jerusalem Post), as a soloist and chamber musician, she has performed at leading venues throughout North America and Europe, including Carnegie Hall, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, LA Phil’s Green Umbrella, the Ojai Festival, Bravo! Vail Music Festival, and Newport Classical. Julia Choi, praised for her “delightful idiosyncrasy” and “involving performances,” (The Classical Source) is a member of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra's First Violin section and has appeared as a guest musician with leading ensembles including the New York Philharmonic, Philadelphia Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, as well as the Atlanta, Detroit, New Jersey, and San Diego Symphonies. A prizewinner in several national competitions including the LISMA, Caprio, and New York Competitions, she was recently featured on the cover of Real Woman magazine for her inspiring musical journey. Cellist Christine Lamprea, noted for her “supreme panache” (The Boston Musical Intelligencer), is a winner of the Sphinx Medal of Excellence, made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013, and has performed with major orchestras nationwide. Her soloist debut recording with the Detroit Symphony was released on Albany Records, featuring a concerto written for her by Jeffrey Mumford. Her Songs of Colombia Suite includes arrangements of traditional South American tunes and has been performed at the Colombian Embassy and the U.S. Supreme Court.
“Birds of Paradise celebrates the artistic voices of women as both performers and creators,” the musicians note. “Listeners are invited to experience this dynamic sound world, full of color and warmth, created and performed by women.”
Birds of Paradise | Ember
Emily Levin, harp; Julia Choi, violin; and Christine Lamprea, cello
Azica Records | September 12, 2025
[1-4] Henriette Renié: Trio in B-flat Major (29:50)
[5] Reena Esmail: Saans (8:59)
[6] Angélica Negrón: Ave del paraíso (9:09)
Producers: Alan Bise & Emily Levin
Recording Engineer: Alan Bise
Mastering: Alan Bise
Photography: Dario Acosta & Vanessa Brice
Graphic Design: Danielle Reeves
Creative Editor: Vannesa Nates
Recorded March 13-15 2024, Van Cliburn Concert Hall, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX
