UM professor to release new album

Courtesy Thomas Sleeper

The Frost School of Music faculty’s own Thomas Sleeper released a new CD of original music in September which features artists from both the University of Miami and the acclaimed Russian National Orchestra.

The project, which includes three works, is the first CD to be produced that includes solely Sleeper’s compositions. His music on the album was recorded at the University of Miami, Dallas and the historic Great Hall of Moscow, which has served as a performance hall for many great composers including Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky.

“The whole process has been very exciting. It has been great working with exceptional performers and orchestras,” said Sleeper, who conducts the Frost Symphony Orchestra and serves as director of orchestral activities at the Frost School of Music.

Among the orchestras included on the album is the renowned Russian National Orchestra (RNO), which has recorded more than 60 esteemed classical CDs since its debut in 1990.

Sleeper’s second piece on the CD, “XENIA,” also features contributions from the UM community. The piece is conducted by Frost Symphony Orchestra associate conductor Zoe Zeniodi.

Sleeper, who has advocated for non-traditional composition throughout his career, also released his critically acclaimed “Symphony No. 1” on the album, which was premiered at Southern Methodist University by the Meadows Symphony Orchestra in 2007 and conducted by Paul Phillips.

Overall, the recordings on the album are taken from a four-year period of Sleeper’s career at UM, during which he traveled, taught and collaborated with students and faculty on numerous projects including the award-winning documentary, “One Water.”

“One of the main reasons I have remained at UM is the outstanding level of my colleagues,” Sleeper said. “Outstanding quality is outstanding quality, whether local or abroad.”

The new CD of Sleeper’s works is available for purchase through Albany Records, Amazon.com, iTunes and emusic.com.