William Thomas McKinley String Quartets Vol. 1 (MS104) is released digitally on 17 April 2026 by the McKinley Foundation, in partnership with Ulysses Arts.

Stirng Quartet No. 1 is from McKinley's student days: two superficially contrasting movements, but full of subtle connections, including angular melodic lines, chromatically inflected intervals, imitative counterpoint and tripartite textures with melody and accompanyment and often a third line commenting on both.

Quartet No. 7's eight movements constitute a panoply of aesthetic directions, from sarcasm, pastiche and profound lyricism.

No. 4 - Fantasia Concertante - is a unapologetically modernist, embracing new complexity. Its a single movement: dense, deeply chromatic,and brilliantly textural—and yet remains accessible.

No. 9 (1992), subtitled “moments musicals”, incorporates jazz and abstract harmony into a coherent, mature whole, in eleven short movements with an early 1990s post-minimalist character.

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN ON YOUTUBE

Download William Thomas McKinley String Quartets Vol. 1 with booklet:

ITUNES

QOBUZ

AMAZON MUSIC

Electronic press kit for reviewers and radio producers available from Ulysses Arts.

Ulysses Arts releases Paul Henley Piano Works Volume 2, performed by Pavel Timofeyevsky, on 29 May 2026, in partnership with Bridges Music (UA260050).

Christopher Kettle writes:

'Henley's Sonata No. 4 is a substantial work in three movements. The Allegro con brio opens clangorously and with a sense of upward striving; a repeating pattern of four notes seems to embody this. The music makes its way through quieter, though not necessarily calmer waters – some writing of icy brilliance for the right hand – before recovering the movement’s opening gestures and reaching a high plateau of full-throated affirmation. The ending is brusque, almost dismissive.

The searching Adagio begins with a wistful, sadly falling melody over a gentle rocking rhythm. The music gathers intensity until, at the movement’s climax, the melody achieves a genuinely tragic stature. Then its energies drain away until it is reduced to its sparest form, and it
expires, mid-phrase.

The brief finale, Molto energico, sets all to rights: a torrent of syncopated energy, followed by a lilting tune like a folk dance, light as thistledown, in the right hand. Irresistible! (Did I hear a lively transformation of the wistful Adagio tune just before the ‘folk dance’?) At the end of the recording session, Pavel said to Henley: “You create such a magical world…and so Romantic – I imagine a couple dancing.”

The Eighteen Preludes form a huge work, a significant landmark in Henley’s career as a composer. I say ‘work’ because, whilst he allows that the Preludes can be performed individually or in a selection, Henley writes that “due to the structure of the work and the way in which the Preludes relate to each other with regard to their tonal centres, it is preferable that they are played all together as a set – that was my original intention.” Pavel sensed this very strongly: he remarked that they belong with Schumann’s Carnaval and Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition rather than with Chopin’s Preludes, and although they were first recorded individually, he was keen to play them in sequence in a single ‘take’ – which he did: the impact was gigantic, a compelling revelation of the whole work’s imaginative reach, its integrity and its drama.'

STREAM ON YOUTUBE

DOWNLOAD LINKS:
ITUNES
QOBUZ

English composer, Paul Henley, considers that the primary purpose of music should be to communicate. As such, he believes in writing music that is accessible, with significant melodic content, a harmonic language based on tonality and a considerable emphasis on rhythm – the foundation of all music. Dance and theatre are also part of Paul’s diverse artistic interests and he has directed various stage works. For Paul, music at its greatest is of spiritual value and that, as such, it is essential. Its link with faith is of profound importance to him. 

Originally from Worcester, he lives in Shropshire with his cellist wife, Ruth. His earliest musical inspiration came from his grandmother, a keen amateur pianist and actress. During the 1960s, she used to take Paul to the Children’s Theatre Club at the newly established Swan Theatre in Worcester. She also had a tape recorder and with various members of the family playing different characters, she used to record sketches. At secondary school in New Malden in south-west London, he played trumpet in the school's band. Aged of fifteen, he commenced piano lessons with Reymour Rice.

Paul left school aged 16, working first as a shop assistant, but continued to get experience as a musician – singing in his church choir, playing trumpet in local orchestras and performing as a pianist both in his teacher’s pupils’ recitals and in local festivals. He also started to compose and continued to train as a pianist. Eventually, at the age of twenty-one, he went to Birmingham School of Music (now Royal Birmingham Conservatoire) where he commenced studies in 1980, first in piano and trumpet, then singing and composition.

After leaving college, Paul had a career as an opera singer and made his South Bank debut at the Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1990 to national acclaim. He performed much contemporary music and in 1997 created the role of William Byrd in the world premiere of False Relations by David Stoll. He worked regularly for BBC Radio 4 and performed at many national festivals. He maintained his early interest in composition, and in 2019, decided to devote himself to working solely as a composer.

Following that decision, Paul received a commission from Bridgnorth Sinfonia, the result of which was the orchestral tone poem, The Firmament on High. Since then, Paul has written in a wide variety of vocal and instrumental mediums. Recordings of his music have been released on the Ulysses Arts and Prima Facie labels. His music has featured on Apple Music playlists including ‘Pure Piano’.

His works have been performed both nationally and in Europe and reviewed to international acclaim. His music has also been broadcast on BBC Radio. He has written many cello works for his wife, Ruth who has performed and recorded many of them. He also collaborates regularly with pianist, Duncan Honeybourne, a champion of contemporary British piano music and the Jarualda String Quartet, both of whom have recorded albums of his works and given many performances of his music. His works also feature regularly in concerts by Shropshire Chamber Orchestra.  He is a featured composer with The Marches Songbook Project. 

Paul and Ruth established the Corvedale Festival in 2022 in Shropshire, where he was its Artistic Director. After three years the Festival evolved into the Corvedale Concerts series for which he continues in his role as Artistic Director.

Recent premières include his Sonata for Flute and Piano, ‘Notes and Sorrows’ for High Voice and Piano, Voice for Solo Cello and String Orchestra, Lyric Movement for String Quartet and Five Epigrams for Piano. This is Paul Henley's third album with Ulysses Arts.

Pianist and composer, Pavel Timofeyevsky was in Russia and educated in England, Pavel graduated with distinction from the Royal Academy of Music, London. Solo and chamber music recitals, as well as concerto performances with orchestras has brought him to nearly all major UK  concert venues, including London's Wigmore Hall, Royal Festival and Queen Elizabeth Halls. Concert tours, television and radio appearances internationally include in the USA (Merkin Hall, New York and Fred Kavli Theatre, Los Angeles), China (Shanghai Oriental Centre for Arts, Guangzhou Opera House), Italy, Russia, France, Spain, Sweden, Greece, South Africa, Kenya and India. Pavel is the recipient of several prestigious British music awards, scholarships and national competition prizes including the Musicians Benevolent Fund Award, the 2007 Myra Hess Award, and the Philharmonia Orchestra Martin Musical Scholarship for piano, as well as winning the BBC/Guardian Young Composer of the Year award for composition.

Having made London his home, Pavel is highly sought after as a solo performer and a chamber music partner, collaborating with some of the world's finest musicians. A keen and eloquent speaker, Pavel enjoys giving lecture-recitals and has his own regular lecture-concert series for the Kensington Music Society.

A fervent advocate of contemporary music, Pavel has given many premieres of fellow composers works and featured on the album ISLAS by British composer Ian Stewart for the MUSIC CHAMBER label, as well as participated in the recording of music of Hungarian composer Hans Gal, as part of Ensemble Burletta, for Toccata Classics label.

Pavel's passion for film has led him to work in that field too. He recorded the soundtrack and starred in the US documentary Tchaikovsky (US Bioghraphy channel) and has composed music for several films, including the critically acclaimed “Le fin de la belle époque” documentary for Russian television. Most recently he created a soundtrack for Russia's oldest Animated film studio Souyzmultfilm.

Pavel is the founder and Artistic Director of Philomel Creative Circle: a concert series in London, currently in residence at the Francis Crick Institute, as well as the Founder and Director of Philomel Music Academy, a summer course in residence at The Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey. In 2023 Pavel was appointed Music Director of Devon Opera, UK.

Pavel continues to collaborate with orchestras and to tour extensively with recitals across the UK and abroad, making regular appearances on the British music festival scene.

Electronic press kit available from Ulysses Arts.

Jeremy Beck Chamber Music, with world première recordings, is released by Ulysses Arts on 8 May 2026 (UA260030):

Quartet for Flute, Clarinet, Cello and Piano 2017
1. Lively
2. With calm and grace 
3. Flowing
4. Playful and light
A/Tonal Ensemble: Kaelah McMonigle, flute; Carrie RavenStem, clarinet
Jon Silpayamanant, cello; Jessica Litwiniec Dorman, piano
 
Songs of Love and Remembrance 2011
5. An Argument (Moore)
6. Time does not bring relief (Millay)
7. A Drinking Song (Yeats)
8. When the year grows old (Millay)
Emily Albrink, soprano; Sila Darville, violin; Jessica Litwiniec Dorman, piano

9. Star Dance 2014 for percussion and piano
Tanner Leonardo, percussion; Jessica Litwiniec Dorman, piano

Sonata 1987
1o. Lively, with spirit
11. With tenderness
12. Aggressively
Jennifer Potochnic, oboe; Jessica Litwiniec Dorman, piano
 
13. Nightlife 2008 for four pianos
Jessica Litwiniec Dorman, pianos
 
Sonata No. 3 2012 for violin and piano
14. Always moving forward
15. Allegretto e leggiero
16. Playfully
Sila Darville, violin; Jessica Litwiniec Dorman, piano

Click here to stream on YouTube

Download Links:
ITUNES
QOBUZ 
AMAZON MUSIC

Based in Louisville, Kentucky, in the USA, Jeremy Beck’s music has been presented by New York City Opera, American Composers Orchestra, ETHEL, San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, the Louisville Orchestra, Orquesta de Cámara de Bellas Artes (Mexico City), Portland (Maine) Symphony Orchestra, Center for Contemporary Opera, Peabody Opera, Yale Opera, and the Nevsky String Quartet, among others He has received honors and awards from the Boston Chamber Orchestra, The King’s Singers, the National Opera Association, Musica per Archi International Composition Competition, and the Arts Councils of Iowa, California and Kentucky. 

A graduate of the Yale School of Music, Duke University, and the Mannes College of Music, Beck formerly served as associate professor of composition and music theory at both the University of Northern Iowa and California State University-Fullerton and has enjoyed residencies at Copland House, Hambidge (GA) and The Millay Colony.

Beck 'knows the importance of embracing the past while also going his own way. …  Beck’s forceful and expressive sound world s concise in structure and generous in tonal language, savouring both the dramatic and the poetic.'
Donald Rosenberg, Gramophone

Electronic press kit for press reviewers and radio producers is available from Ulysses Arts.

We Remember Moments, the debut recording by Canadian composer and pianist Joel Toews, is released by Ulysses Arts on 1 May 2026 (UA260020).

'“We do not remember days, we remember moments.” (Cesare Pavese) My music evokes memories - not specific recollections, but moments imparting an experience’s emotions. Memory is fallible; remembering an entire day is impossible. Instead, we retain moments, snapshots of life affecting our minds and present.

Each work alludes to moments surrounding experiences, emotions and people. The melodies, harmony and rhythms are straightforward, composed not for show or gravitas, but as meditative reflection on moments worth remembering.' (Joel Toews)

1. Four Thousand and One: Joel Toews
2. Evergreen: Joel Toews, Jacqueline Goring
3. January (of 2020): Joel Towes
4. Prairie Skies: Joel Toews, William Lamoureux
5. August (of 2006): Joel Toews, Jess Lajner, William Lamoureux
6. Solace: Joel Toews, Matt Smith
7. Stephanie’s Theme: Joel Toews

Joel Toews, piano
Jacqueline Goring, harp; William Lamoureaux, violin
Jess Lajner, guitar; Matt Smith, trumpet

Download We Remember Moments with digital booklet:

iTunes

Qobuz

Amazon Music

HDtracks

7digital

Joel Toews is a Canadian composer, arranger, songwriter and pianist based in Toronto.

He studied at Berklee College of Music, then Jazz and Contemporary Popular Music at MacEwan University, where he wrote and arranged for string quartet, choir, jazz big band, piano trio and more, studying with Dr. Allan Gilliland, Kent Sangster and John McMillan. Currently he studies composition at York University, Toronto.

Composition credits include:
2018: Piano Trio 'Influence': International Keuris Composers Contest 4th prize.
2019: 'Ra’ah': Borealis Orchestra, Edmonton
2019: Film score for 'The Transit Lodge', directed by Kalyan Acharya
2021: Toronto Symphony Orchestra's Explore the Score program: mentorship from TSO composers and conductors and recorded reading of 'Athabasca', awarded first annual Litha Symphony Orchestra Composition Contest; first performed in New York City, 2022
2021: MacEwan University commission: 'Miriam', for big band, recorded in its 'Generations' Project.
2021: Suite for Piano and Cello, for Sahara von Hattenberger, blending elements of Canadian and Japanese culture, funded by Canada Council for the Arts: recording with visual accompaniment. 2022: 'Mirrors in Haida Gwaii' première: Sofia Symphonic Summit: Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, Bulgaria
2022: 'Sleeping Giant': Orchestra Toronto Composer Prize commission.
2023: River City Big Band Edmonton commission, celebrating the planets, including a re-working of the opening of Richard Strauss's Also Sprach Zarathustra
2025: New Conductors Orchestra's Call for Scores winner, New York City.

Joel lives and works in Toronto. He is a piano, theory and composition teacher for children, youth, and adults; he works as a composer, arranger, and songwriter, and is Orchestra Manager of the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra.

Electronic press kit available from Ulysses Arts.

Click images above to download with digital booklet from iTunes

Music Centre Slovakia releases its album Sacred Music in Slovakia from the Eleventh to Seventeenth Centuries (HC10065) with the Ad Fontes Musical Ensemble digitally on 27 March, and Slovak Sacred Music of the 20th Century (HC10066) on 15 May 2026, in partnership with Ulysses Arts.

DOWNLOAD/PRE-ORDER FROM QOBUZ IN HD SOUND WITH BOOKLET

Sacred Music in Slovakia of the 11th to 17th Centuries (download)

Slovak Sacred Music of the 20th Century (pre-order)

Sacred Music in Slovakia from Sources of the 11th-17th Centuries features Gregorian plainchant comes from manuscript codices dating from the 11th to the 16th centuries, set in the context of the vocal polyphonic repertoire from 17th-century Spiš and Šariš sources. The selection of compositions on the recording is thematically based on two five-voice polyphonic works — Magnificat octavi toni by David Thusius and the anonymous Te Boha chwalime — taken from the Levoča Music Collection and the Ľubica Hymnal.

Additional sources of the repertoire include the Bratislava Antiphonaries, the Spiš Missal, the Bardejov Music Collection, and other manuscripts. The selected works were recorded by the vocal-instrumental ensemble Ad Fontes Musical Ensemble under the artistic direction of Sylvia Urdová.

Download or stream on PRESTO MUSIC