Waters of Babylon (2024): Music by Jeff Junkinsmith
Byrd Ensemble, directed by Markdavin Obenza
SRCD13
Release Date: July 26, 2024 (Digital Only)
iTunes, Spotify
 
THE BYRD ENSEMBLE
Markdavin Obenza, director
Jeff Junkinsmith, composer
 
01 Drop, Drop Slow Tears
02 Lazarus
03 Sanctus
04 Agnus Dei
05 Super flumina
 
Singers
Soprano: Margaret Obenza, Ruth Schauble, Christina Siemens
Alto: Sarra S. Doyle, Haley Gabler, Joshua Haberman, Lauren Kastanas, Jessica Martin
Tenor: Orrin Doyle, Sam Faustine, David Hendrix
Bass: Clayton Moser, Patrick Schneider, Robin Wyatt-Stone
 
Audio and Graphics produced by Markdavin Obenza for Scribe Records.
Recorded on April 29, 2024 at Holy Rosary Catholic Church, Seattle, WA
 
ABOUT THE MUSIC
 
Five unaccompanied motets for choir by Jeff Junkinsmith.
 
"One of the most unique and distinctive compositional voices of our time, the writing of American composer Jeff Junkinsmith is inspired by counterpoint. With a commitment to musical line, we are met with a sound that is liquid in texture and a harmonic language that is only his." - Markdavin Obenza, Director of the Byrd Ensemble
 
"Jeff’s eminently singable choral works, always featuring sensitively chosen texts, reveal a unique compositional voice that deserves to be more widely known." - Doug Fullington, Director of the Tudor Choir
 
"Jeff’s music captivates both singers and listeners with its pristine clarity of text and innate sensitivity to natural rhythms and inflections of language. Each musical line seems meticulously designed to resonate with the poetic essence of the words. What sets Jeff apart is the unmistakable integrity of his musical language—a mystical blending of crisp harmonies and fluid counterpoint, eliciting feelings of familiarity and newness." - Jason Anderson, Director of the Compline Choir at St. Mark's Cathedral, Seattle WA.
 
"Jeff’s music is fearless. The continual oscillation between dissonance and consonance is an aural thrill." - Daniel Schmunk, Director of Choral Music, Park Street Church BOSTON, MA
 
"A thrilling collaboration between The Byrd Ensemble and Jeff Junkinsmith. All five new works by Junkinsmith are lovingly recorded here, with an attention to detail that equals Junkinsmith’s meticulous craft. The Byrd Ensemble spotlights Junkinsmith’s lyrical style and delightfully kaleidoscopic harmonic language and sings with a flowing ease and control that tricks you into thinking that the Byrds have been singing these new works for decades." - Kevin Siegfried, Composer