Now Playing Winter 2026
Selected New Releases from CMA Members.
This special sponsored section was originally published in the Winter 2026 issue of Chamber Music.
Duo Aster
Nostos
LEAF MUSIC • FEBRUARY 27
Nostos, the title of this album from saxophonist Clio Theodoridis and pianist Jonathan Nemtanu, who perform as Duo Aster, is an ancient Greek word that translates as “homecoming” or “return.” The album features works by an international cast of contemporary composers: Ocres Rouges by French composer Alexis Ciesla, who draws inspiration from klezmer music; Suite for Alto Saxophone and Piano, op. 55, by Turkish composer Fazil Say; Récit et Lied, op. 31, by Canadian composer Mathieu Lussier; and Suite Hellénique, a major work by the late Spanish composer Pedro Iturralde. Born in Athens, Theodoris performs regularly as a saxophonist in Quebec, where she lives, and on renowned stages across Europe, Asia, and North America. Since 2020, she has been teaching saxophone at the Saguenay Conservatory of Music. Jonathan Nemtanu performs regularly as a chamber musician in Canada, China, Greece, the United States, and France. He is widely praised for the finesse of his playing and his gift for musical dialogue.
Ménestrel
Ménestrel
LEAF MUSIC • MARCH 6
Ménestrel—the Canadian early music ensemble of soprano-violinist Janelle Lucyk and tenor-lutenist Kerry Bursey— mix ancient repertoire with Canadian oral folk traditions. In an age defined by acceleration and artifice, their debut album, Ménestrel, reaches backward—not to escape the modern world, but to examine its emotional roots. They gather songs drawn from several centuries and traditions, from the luminous melancholy of John Dowland to the ardent intimacy of Barbara Strozzi, from the refined contours of French Renaissance chanson to the rugged sincerity of Celtic and English folk ballads. Formed in 2019, Ménestrel has given performances and collaborated with singers and choirs in all of Canada’s 13 provinces and territories. Their concerts aim to demystify early music, juxtaposing it next to folk songs, which are songs of the people.
Opus Two
Celebrates Stephen Sondheim: New Chamber Music Arrangements
BRIDGE RECORDS • AVAILABLE NOW
The award-winning duo Opus Two (violinist William Terwilliger and pianist Andrew Cooperstock) has been internationally recognized for its “divine phrases, impelling rhythm…and stunning sounds” and its commitment to expanding the violin-piano duo repertoire. Its latest recording features world-premiere recordings of Stephen Sondheim’s music, including “Not While I’m Around” from Sweeney Todd, “Broadway Baby” from Follies, and others. They were arranged by Eric Stern, a Sondheim collaborator whose work with the late Broadway legend includes co-music directing the first production
of Into the Woods. “My last conversation with him was about the A Little Night Music suite, which you’ll find on this album,” Stern said of Sondheim. “We were all extremely grateful for his enthusiastic endorsement of the arrangement and performance, muted only by our sorrow that the rest were written after his passing.” Opus Two’s release of the A Little Night Music suite was praised by Take Effect as “[illuminating] Sondheim’s vision with a radiance that does justice to the classic musical.”
Peter Paulsen
Turks Head Knot Quintet
Would’a…Could’a…Should’a
SQUAREPEGWORKS • AVAILABLE NOW
Turks Head Knot Quintet, led by bassist and composer Peter Paulsen, incorporates the discipline and precision of modern classical composition with the expressive flow of jazz improvisation, forging a sound all its own. Their repertoire includes newly commissioned works as well as compelling arrangements drawn from a wide range of material. On Would’a…Could’a…Should’a, Paulsen is joined by drummer Chris Hanning, pianist Ron Stabinsky, saxophonist Jonathan Ragonese, and EVI (electronic valve instrument) player John Swana. They perform several of Paulsen’s original compositions along with one by Ragonese and an arrangement of Thelonious Monk’s “Ask Me Now.” Paulsen is an assistant professor of double bass and jazz studies at West Chester University in Pennsylvania, an active member of the Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra, principal bass of the Allentown Symphony Orchestra, and has been principal bass of the Spoleto Festival Orchestra in Spoleto, Italy. As a jazz bassist, he performs regularly with his own groups and with many of Philadelphia’s top players.
Tacamis Trio
J.S. Bach: Goldberg Variations
for Double Reed Trio
LEAF MUSIC • AVAILABLE NOW
One of history’s most profound musical creations, Bach’s Goldberg Variations was composed for harpsichord around 1741. With its steady 32-bar ground bass and expansive emotional range—from tranquil to complex and fast-paced—Bach’s monumental work is highly adaptable to re-instrumentation. Its unparalleled counterpoint, harmony, and expressivity have inspired many new interpretations in the centuries since its composition. This timeless masterpiece comes through with renewed warmth and transparency in a new arrangement by Caitlin Broms-Jacobs for the Tacamis Trio, featuring Broms-Jacobs on oboe, Tracy Wright on English horn, and Allen Harrington on bassoon. Conceived during the pandemic, the project emerged from isolation as a celebration of resilience and collaboration. The trio’s performances of the Goldberg Variations have been featured several times on the Manitoba Chamber Orchestra’s main concert series. Tacamis has been praised by the Winnipeg Free Press as “a tightly knit ensemble… each of these players is a fine soloist in their own right.”
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