20th / 21st Century Song Collections

The poetry of Emily Dickinson is especially appealing due to the wide range of topics, diversity of mood, and peculiar imagination of the poet. The writings are reflective, passionate, witty, sensuous,

The title of the song cycle A World Turned Upside Down comes from an entry in "The Diary of a Young Girl" by Anne Frank, reflecting the sense she felt of her world being upturned when suddenly the

Letters from Edna presents eight letters sent by the great American poet Edna St. Vincent Millay to members of her family, friends, and business associates. The letters describe the people Millay

Originally conceived as a set, this collection of songs is based on the writings of Willa Cather and Carl Sandburg. The Sandberg texts are all excerpted from the poem Prairie and fill in the

Emily Dickinson has her tongue firmly in her cheek in these three poems. There is serious purpose under the lyrics, but the surface is pure wordplay. She juggles the terms “forgetting” and

A short song cycle using an unaccompanied solo soprano to vocalize the fanciful and magical poems of E.E. Cummings with glissandi, whistling, ghostly whispered notes and long melismas drawing out the sounds

"Mother to Son" is based on the powerful poem by Langston Hughes. The mother (voice) is a strong woman, one who has persevered and is still climbing, still surviving: "Well, son, I'll tell you: / Life for

A cycle of songs for mezzo-soprano and piano set on texts by Marilyn Kallet. Also included in Cipullo's collection Songs for Mezzo-Soprano. Titles include: Why I Wear My Hair Long; Saying

This song cycle is, in part, a mediation on what it means to be a mortal being who exists in time. The first and last movements each present a different take on looking back, and the cycle moves backward in

Emily Dickinson's nature–inspired text has sparked the creativity of many song writers. This newly engraved 2020 version of Perera song cycle is available for mezzo-soprano with piano or with

Renowned pianist, opera coach, conductor, teacher, and writer Kathleen Kelly commissioned composer Juliana Hall to set her poem "Tornado" as an art song, which was premiered by soprano Caitlin Lynch with

Art song composer Juliana Hall wrote this monodrama as a gift for admired English mezzo-soprano Kitty Whately. Godiva is based on the legendary Lady Godiva and sets a libretto by Caitlin Vincent.

From the song cycle The Land of Nod, this stand-out selection makes a fabulous showpiece for mezzo-soprano and piano. Poet Alice Wirth Gray provides a quirky commentary on this fairy tale,

Patti's unexpected and often humorous experiences riding the DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) were chronicled online and eventually discovered by the composer. Inspired by Patti's pithy, sarcastic, and

A solo art song for mezzo-soprano and piano on a poem by John Boyle O'Reilly. Also included in Cipullo's collection Songs for Mezzo-Soprano. 

A stand-alone art song for mezzo-soprano and piano on a text by Linda Pastan. Also included in Cipullo's collection Songs for Mezzo-Soprano.

Comprising six short movements, this setting of Caitlin Vincent's text expresses raw and shifting emotions in a dramatic setting for soprano that allows direct communication from singer to audience without

Commissioned by musicians Richard Lee and Karen Lerner as a gift for their daughter, soprano Katherine Lerner Lee, this art song was premiered in Katherine's master's degree recital at the Bard College

A comedic poem by Vachel Lindsay set in a delightful and spirited manner offers much fun for the singer (and pianist!) and audience alike. In a similar manner to Rossini's Comic Duet for Two Cats,

This work consists of three Latin texts from the Requiem Mass. The first, Exaudi, is in larghetto tempo and serves as a prelude. The composition is based on a plaintive three-note descending

William Carpenter's prose poem expresses the longing of a group of widows as they reunite with their husbands in memory. This musical setting for soprano and baritone duet with flute, viola, and piano

Set on texts of love by Elie H. Haddad, this song cycle explores the the love story of the writer and his wife during their courtship. The composer sets the lyrics with artistry, playfulness and emotion to

Here's a charming duet (or duel!) between a woman who loves music and a man who loves poetry, from a text by Richard Barnfield written in 1598. The battle begins with a flourish of alternating lines traded

A set of seven songs based on texts by Polish poet Agata Tuszynska for mezzo-soprano and piano. Also included in Cipullo's collection Songs for Mezzo-Soprano. Titles include: Echo; Impossible;