July: we're recording your requests

Back at Fantasy Studios for a second day. We've done Lesur, Whitacre, Byrd, Bates, and Cui because you've asked for them. We'll be releasing them as singles for download starting in the fall. As you may have noticed, we have also started releasing live performances - right now you can download "For Thy Soul's Salvation" which we did in June. To record "Stelle" by Mason Bates (part of the cycle "Sirens" which he wrote for us in 2008) we decided to move into the adjacent studio. It doesn't have a resident piano, so Jace and Gregory experimented with getting pitches from the I-Phone. In the end, the electronic piano was moved out of the control booth.

There are short breaks every few hours, and an hour for dinner, calling upon our inner resources to pass the time. We all have hidden talents. One of Adam's is the ability to create the map of the US and all the states from memory. Something about time spent at his grandmother's house as a child. Given the amount of time we spend together, we've all seen this trick before, but Don Fraser, our recording producer, hadn't.

Cui's Magnificat was the longest and most complicated piece of the day - challenging for most everybody, particularly the sopranos - we did that after a lovely dinner of Mediterranean food. Matt and Don came up with a way of achieving balance between the soloists and the choir which is going to sound awesome!!! You'll see.