Harmonium, Persichetti s Opus 50, is one of the earliest of these song cycles and one of the most demanding, not only for its difficult vocal part but also in terms of a keyboard part that demands a virtuoso pianist with both soul and brains. The composer s selection of some of the most difficult and impenetrable poetry of the twentieth century is itself of note. Stevens, who was very attracted to the visual arts, was influenced by the work and theories of modernist painting, cubism in particular. One of the theoretical ideas behind cubism was the idea that the artist could show images from several points of view simultaneously, a notion translated into poetry in Stevens Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird, still one of his most famous poems. The setting of this poem, almost symphonic in scope all by itself, provides the cornerstone finale of Persichetti s cycle (and one of the earliest musical versions of this poem which has subsequently been a favorite with various other composers). At thirteen minutes, it is almost twice as long as any of the other songs in the set and its thirteen verses are separated by substantial piano interludes which provide a running musical commentary on this deeply abstract poem and also provide a kind of summing up of the whole cycle. The opaqueness of Stevens writing seems to have suited the abstractness and range of Persichetti s style at the time, always subtly expressive in its clarity and formality and in the way it evokes the various domains of musical modernism. Sherry Overholt maintains a busy schedule as a performer and teacher. She gained a special affinity for contemporary song through her studies with Phyllis Curtin, a noted soprano with the Metropolitan Opera in New York and a champion in that genre. Curtin mentored Overholt as a fellow artist at the Tanglewood Festival for two seasons and as a Master s and Doctoral student at Yale University. As an operatic recitalist, Overholt has performed in more than 300 concerts spanning 10 seasons as part of Columbia Artists Community Concerts series. Her orchestral highlights include performances with the Philadelphia Virtuosi chamber orchestra and Portland Symphony Orchestra, and five seasons with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. As a song recitalist, she specializes in Neo- Romantic and contemporary repertoire, with performances of music by composers including George Crumb, Joseph Marx, Benjamin Britten, Dominick Argento and Ned Rorem. Highly regarded as a chamber musician and collaborative pianist, Joshua Pierce studied with Bernard Greenhouse of the Beaux Arts Trio and Jascha Silberstein, as well as with Arthur Loesser, Josef Seiger and Artur Balsam. He has performed with a host of chamber ensembles, including the Leontovich String Quartet, Chamber Players International, Pierce-Aomori Duo, and with violinist Misha Vitenson and cellist Jeffrey Solow; and at the Music Mountain Chamber Music Festival and Phillips Collection. Pierce has several Grammy nominations to his credit, as well as a Diapason Award, Fono Forum Award, and citations of excellence from Downbeat Magazine, CD Review, Billboard, Turok s Choice and Keyboard Magazine, among others. A recipient of a 2004 IBLA Foundation Award for Contemporary Music, he is an adjudicator of piano competitions and has served on the board of the International Fulbright Commission.