Church of Beethoven, Oak Park Illinois
Artist Recordings
At Church of Beethoven, Oak Park, we pride ourselves in bringing world-class musicians to our local venues at affordable prices. We firmly want to support the life's work of our beloved artists that share their talents with our audiences.
Many of our artists have recordings for sale, and we are privileged to showcase these CD's for your enjoyment. Please review this page and support our Church of Beethoven musicians. Click on the links below to purchase recordings from our talented artists.
Help keep the Arts a vital part of our community! Thank you for your support.
Ben and Winnie of Cuarteto Tanguero - "Guapeando"
Act Fast This Offer Is FOR A LIMITED TIME ONLY - We're giving away our Billboard-Top 10 album for free. Maybe we've gone crazy. Or maybe we believe that new recordings of tango music is vital. We're betting that if we can get this CD into your hands you'll become a life long fan.
Ian Maksin - "Sempre - A New Dimension"
Ian Maksin's unique way style, bringing together classical, jazz and world music has gained him recognition on stages around the world. He has shared the stage with such artists Andrea Bocelli, Smokey Robinson, Barry Gibb, Mstislav Rostropovich and has opened for Sting and his guitarist Dominic Miller.
Original music composed and performed by Ian Maksin (cello)
Andrew Mitran - (percussion on tracks 3, 8 & 9)
Brandon J. Acker & Ryan de Ryke - "Franz Schubert: A Wanderer's Guitar"
The CD resurrects the once common practice in 19th century Vienna of performing Schubert Lieder (songs) with Voice & Guitar rather than, the original, Voice & Piano. The CD was recorded with the wonderful Schubertian baritone, Ryan de Ryke in 2014 and recorded by Brandon's own record label: Jester Recordings.
Folias Duo - "Delicate Omens"
Delicate Omens, the duo's seventh album and sophomore release on their own Folias Music label, comprises five world premiere recordings of compositions all written in rustic cabins during the duo's travels in the United States and Canada. Bergeron's Emerson, is a mysterious three movement work for alto flute and guitar inspired by essays of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Maret's Creole Ballet, a set of six stylized dances, reflect the duo's experience as tango dancers and their love of Argentine folk music. Bergeron's Uncompahgre, a three movement work inspired by the area of the same name in Southern Colorado, showcases both Bergeron and Maret's virtuosity on their respective instruments. To end the album, Bergeron performs his solo guitar composition that musically depicts the duality of fantasy and reality of "Don Quixote" which is followed by Maret's jazz-influenced, Angel Forever for alto flute and guitar, that she describes as, "if Pat Metheny and Astor Piazzolla walked into a bar together."
Michael Kent Smith - "La Esperanza Sigue"
Solo nylon string guitar bringing together the plaintive sounds of southern Spain with the earthy Appalachian/Celtic flavors.
Zvonimir Tot's Jazz Stringtet - "Sarabande Blue"
Zvonimir Tot is a Chicago-based jazz guitarist, composer and arranger with a style deeply rooted in the jazz tradition but flavored by his European origin. He has performed in the United States, Belgium, Croatia, Germany, Hungary, Macedonia, Mexico, the Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, South Africa, and Spain. Tot has recorded six leader CDs and numerous CDs as a sideman.
Ben and Winnie of Cuarteto Tanguero - One Tango at a Time (Live in Chicago) - Pre Sale
Pre-order Winnie and Ben's newest CD now. Expected release date is April 3, 2020.
Hanauta Duo - "Songs from the Motherland"
Exhibiting their native cultures of Japan and Moldova, the Hanauta Duo was birthed from a friendship of two young musicians, violinist Olya Prohorova and flutist Erina Koyasu. The idea of popularizing Japanese and Eastern European music came up in 2013, when the two musicians were students at the Chicago College of Performing Arts. The Hanauta Duo blends Eastern and Western aesthetics through a variety of styles, from baroque to modern folk compositions, transcribing and arranging tunes from their motherlands for the delicate and uncommon instrumentation of violin and flute.
Brandon J. Acker - "Classical Guitar Favorites CD"
Welcome! This CD is a collection of the songs I love to perform most often. The recordings range from old to new and have all been remastered for this collection. The songs themselves cover a wide range of styles: Baroque, Spanish, Romantic, Modern, and even Argentinean Tango. I hope you enjoy these gems as much as I do.
Folias Duo - "Dreaming to Live"
The thirteen tracks of original compositions and arrangements of Dreaming to Live are performed by the Folias Duo, flutist Carmen Maret and guitarist Andrew Bergeron.
Pointing to their passion for tango, classical music, and Argentine composer Astor Piazzolla, the duo has performed tango music since the early 2000's and here they branch out to showcase the rich folk music of northern Argentina.
Bergeron and Maret also share the work of composing. As they explain in the liner notes for the album, "The music on this album relates to concepts we have been interested in as composers: nature, time, and existence."
In the twenty-four page booklet that accompanies the album, Maret features an essay of pinhole photos taken with homemade cameras that document the duo's travels and creative process.
Michael Kent Smith - "Beauty Without Warning"
Smith's new recording features a set of pieces for nylon string guitar, bass and percussion playing a blend of Latin/World Jazz with an undercurrent of American folk.
Avanti Guitar Trio - "Ladder to Light"
The Avanti Guitar Trio is a world-class chamber ensemble whose performances are exciting, approachable, and welcoming. Guitarists Jason Deroche, Julie Goldberg and Wesley Hixson blend together pristine technique and sensitive interpretation, earning critical acclaim for their engaging concerts and varied programming.
Patrick Dupré Quigley - "Monteverdi: Vespers of the Blessed Virgin 1610"
Claudio Monteverdi's Vespers of the Blessed Virgin 1610 — Seraphic Fire, Western Michigan University Chorale with Patrick Dupre Quigley conducting. Church of Beethoven musician Noel Spears collaborated on this recording.
Ian Maksin - "Zaria"
Album ZARIA is a compilation of folk music from all over the world in many languages magically brought together by the cello.
Anatoliy Torchinskiy - "A Winter Evening of Classical Music"
This CD, recorded January 25th, 2019, contains live renditions of pieces by Bach, Handel, Chopin, Ravel, and other composers. It captures Mr. Torchinskiy as a solo pianist in a live setting, performing an eclectic variety of pieces.
Michael Kent Smith - "After the Harvest"
Inspired by music structure in the 12th century, the music of After the Harvest celebrates cycles of life – daily, monthly, seasonal and generational. Many of the songs are based on medieval tunes, of which Michael was inspired by. During the composing and recording process, Michael imported those melodies into the recording, built tracks around them, and then removed them to reveal the finished product.