Ricky Ian Gordon - composer/lyricist
Jennifer Reason - piano
Ann Moss - vocals

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Ms. Reason performed on a Steingraeber und Söhne D-232 Semi-Concert Grand piano.
Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 26th, 2022

Ricky Ian Gordon (b. 1956) was born in Oceanside, NY and raised on Long Island. After studying piano, composition, and acting, at Carnegie Mellon University, he settled in New York City, where he quickly emerged as a leading writer of vocal music that spans art song, opera, and musical theater. Mr. Gordon’s songs have been performed and/or recorded by such internationally renowned singers as Renee Fleming, Dawn Upshaw, Nathan Gunn, Judy Collins, Kelli O’Hara, Audra MacDonald, Kristin Chenoweth, Nicole Cabell, the late Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, and Frederica Von Stade, among many others.

LYRICS BY RICKY IAN GORDON

Once I was, I was, I was, there were ribbons in my hair
There were leaves of streaming gold everywhere
If a boy said hello, I would hide, trembling so, trembling so
Now I barely know what the meaning of no is

Now I am, I am, I am past an audience I stare
What is gold is how the lights touch my hair
All the boys turn to men, all the leaves change again
Change again, change again
Still I answer yes, though I know what will happen

As these phases come and go
Music tells me what I need to know

Joni Mitchell - songwriter
Carrie Smith - guitar
Ann Moss - vocals

Jeff Kolhede - recording engineer
Alberto Hernandez - mixing engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Ms. Smith performed on a 19th century Viennese guitar.
Recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA on May 3rd, 2021

LYRICS BY JONI MITCHELL

I had a king in a tenement castle
Lately he's taken to painting the pastel walls brown
He's taken the curtains down
He's swept with the broom of contempt
And the rooms have an empty ring
He's cleaned with the tears
Of an actor who fears for the laughter's sting

I can't go back there anymore
You know my keys won't fit the door
You know my thoughts don't fit the man
They never can, they never can

I had a king dressed in drip-dry and paisley
Latеly he's taken to saying "I'm crazy and blind"
He livеs in another time
Ladies in gingham still blush
While he sings them of wars and wine
But I in my leather and lace
I can never become that kind

I can't go back there anymore
You know my keys won't fit the door
You know my thoughts don't fit the man
They never can, they never can

I had a king in a salt-rusted carriage
Who carried me off to his country for marriage too soon
Beware of the power of moons
There's no one to blame
No, there's no one to name as a traitor here
The king's on the road
And the queen's in the grove 'til the end of the year

I can't go back there anymore
You know my keys won't fit the door
You know my thoughts don't fit the man
They never can, they never can
They never can, they never can

Tom Petty - songwriter
Peter Dutilly - arranger
Ryan Shannon - violin 1
Jennifer Hsiao - violin 2
Peter Dutilly - viola 1
Justin Ouellet - viola 2
Stephanie Wingfield - cello
Ann Moss - vocals

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
John Weston - recording engineer (strings)
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Strings recorded at Futura Productions in Boston, MA on June 29th, 2024
Vocals recorded at Alberto Hernandez Audio in Berkeley, CA on July 2nd, 2024

LYRICS BY TOM PETTY

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
Sail away, kill off the hours
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, find you a lover
Go away somewhere all bright and new
I have seen no other
Who compares with you

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong in a boat out at sea
You belong with your love on your arm
You belong somewhere you feel free

Run away, go find a lover
Run away, let your heart be your guide
You deserve deepest of cover
You belong in that home by and by

You belong among the wildflowers
You belong somewhere close to me
Far away from your trouble and worry
You belong somewhere you feel free

You belong somewhere you feel free

Cyndi Lauper & Rob Hyman - songwriters
Ann Moss - vocals, arranging

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
Ann Moss & Alberto Hernandez - producers
Recorded at Alberto Hernandez Audio in Berkeley, CA on Feb 6th, 2023

LYRICS BY CYNDI LAUPER

Lying in my bed, I hear the clock tick and think of you
Caught up in circles
Confusion is nothing new
Flashback, warm nights
Almost left behind
Suitcase of memories
Time after

Sometimes you picture me
I'm walking too far ahead
You're calling to me, I can't hear
What you've said
Then you say, "go slow"
And I fall behind
The second hand unwinds

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time

After my picture fades and darkness has
Turned to gray
Watching through windows
You're wondering if I'm okay
Secrets stolen from deep inside
And the drum beats out of time

If you're lost you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall I will catch you, I'll be waiting
Time after time
If you're lost, you can look and you will find me
Time after time
If you fall, I will catch you, I will be waiting
Time after time

Stephen Sondheim - composer/lyricist
Jennifer Reason - piano

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Ms. Reason performed on a Steingraeber und Söhne D-232 Semi-Concert Grand piano.
Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 26th, 2022

LYRICS BY STEPHEN SONDHEIM

I remember sky
It was blue as ink
Or at least I think
I remember sky.

I remember snow
Soft as feathers
Sharp as thumb tacks
Coming down like lint
And it made you squint
When the wind would blow.

And ice like vinyl
On the streets
Cold as silver
White as sheets
Rain like strings
And changing things
Like leaves.

I remember leaves
Green as spearmint
Crisp as paper.
I remember trees
Bare as coat racks
Spread like broken umbrellas.

And parks and bridges,
Ponds and zoos,
Ruddy faces,
Muddy shoes,
Light and noise and
Bees and boys
And days.

I remember days,
Or at least I try.
But as years go by
They're sort of haze,
And the bluest ink
Isn't really sky
And at times I think
I would gladly die
For a day of sky.

Joni Mitchell - songwriter
Patrick Anseth - guitar

Jeff Kolhede - recording engineer
Alberto Hernandez - edit/mix engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA on May 4th, 2021

LYRICS BY JONI MITCHELL

It was a rainy night
We took a taxi to your mother's home
She went to Florida and left you
With your father's gun, alone
Upon her small white bed
I fell into a dream
You sat up all the night and watched me
To see, who in the world I might be

I am from the Sunday school
I sing soprano in the upstairs choir
You are a holy man
On the F.M. radio
I sat up all the night and listened to thee
To see, who in the world you might be

You called me beautiful
You called your mother, she was very tanned
So you packed your tent and you went
To live out in the Arizona sand
You are a refugee
From a wealthy family
You gave up all the golden factories
Just to see, who in the world you might be
Who in the world

Kev Choice & Ann Moss - songwriters
Kev Choice - piano & vocals
Jeff Kolhede - background vocals
Ann Moss - vocals

Jeff Kolhede - recording engineer, co-mix engineer
BZ Lewis - primary edit/mix engineer
Alberto Hernandez - re-mix engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Recorded at 25th Street Recording in Oakland, CA on Oct 11th, 2020
Additional vocals recorded at 25th Street on March 10th, 2021

THE DISTANCE celebrates long-distance runners and the inspiration we all gain from witnessing their trials and triumphs.

Composed and performed by Oakland-based pianist/emcee Kev Choice, with vocals co-created and performed by soprano Ann Moss, THE DISTANCE received its live premiere in April of 2018 in commemoration of the 5-year anniversary of the Boston Marathon bombing.

An extended-length commercial single was released on April 15, 2023 to commemorate the 10th anniversary of that tragic event.

LYRICS BY KEV CHOICE

I believe that we can go the distance
Cherish every step along the way
Journeys take you on a road
Places that you never thought you’d go
Running toward your dreams
Chasing down your goals
Now I know what’s possible

I been running
Running my whole life
Not literal or physical
Don’t make that assumption
Running from expectations
Running away from judgment
Running from confrontations
Running for my life, yeah
Running for my rights
Rights just to exist
Standing up for what’s right in this world
Can be a risk
System give us the runaround
I try to hit the ground running
Shed a couple pounds
Been running for my life
Running for my mind
Running just to escape
Breathing the fresh air
Running hills to the lake
Taking a few moments
Not to stress on the pressure
Mental health efforts
I’m running for my life
Sights on the finish line
Mile after mile increase time
Feeling confidence
I can take on the world!
Accomplishments
The feeling, the healing,
Not running from anything
Running towards something

I believe that we can go the distance
Cherish every step along the way
Journeys take you on a road
Places that you never thought you’d go
Running toward your dreams
Chasing down your goals
Now I know what’s possible

Pushing past all limitations, yeah
True feeling of liberation, yeah
Only competition that I’m racing, yeah
The person in the mirror that I’m facing, yeah
Mental fitness
Physical conditioning
Exercise thoughts
Mind states strengthening
New challenges
Life balancing
Unwind from the madness unraveling
Running to my goals
Running down this road
Feel like I’m in the zone
Running to release
Running for my peace
A fresh perspective on these streets
My belief, I’m not here to compete
Running to inspire
Really we all winners
Soon as you take the first step
Remember that the best is yet to come
No matter outcome
Whatever path your life is on
They say it’s not a sprint
That it’s a marathon
Carry on

I believe that we can go the distance
Cherish every step along the way
Journeys take you on a road
Places that you never thought you’d go
Running toward your dreams
Chasing down your goals
Now I know what’s possible

For every life that was lost too soon I go
Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
For those who suffer any pain or wounds I go
Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
For those afraid to take a chance I go
Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
For healthy body, mind and soul I go
Further and further (we take it further, yeah)
Further than I’ve been before!

I believe that we can go the distance
Cherish every step along the way
Journeys take you on a road
Places that you never thought you’d go
Running toward your dreams
Chasing down your goals
Now I know what’s possible

From "Six Poems of Mary Oliver" composed in 1997

Ann Kearns - composer
Mary Oliver - poet
Ann Moss - vocals

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 24th, 2022

Ann Kearns (1939-2016) held a BA from Stanford University, completed the choral conducting program at Juilliard School of Music, and earned an M.M. in Music History from the University of Wisconsin. From 1976 to 2000 she was professor of music and choral director at Hampshire College. As one of the first female choral directors in the Pioneer Valley, she led the way for other women to enter the field. Ms. Kearns was an avid birder, political activist, member of the Amherst environmental community and loving grandmother. She was an active volunteer and member of the Kestrel Land Trust Advisory council where she organized walks and talks once or twice a month to bring people out on the land.

POEM BY MARY OLIVER

Look, the trees
are turning
their own bodies
into pillars

of light,
are giving off the rich
fragrance of cinnamon
and fulfillment,

the long tapers
of cattails
are bursting and floating away over
the blue shoulders

of the ponds,
and every pond,
no matter what its
name is, is

nameless now.
Every year
everything
I have ever learned

in my lifetime
leads back to this: the fires
and the black river of loss
whose other side

is salvation,
whose meaning
none of us will ever know.
To live in this world

you must be able
to do three things:
to love what is mortal;
to hold it

against your bones knowing
your own life depends on it;
and, when the time comes to let it
go,
to let it go.

From "Fox Songs" composed in 2019

Griffin Candey - composer
Jane Hirshfield - poet
Jennifer Reason - piano
Ann Moss - vocals

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Ms. Reason performed on a Steingraeber und Söhne D-232 Semi-Concert Grand piano.
Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 26th, 2022

Griffin Candey (b. 1988) is a Michigan-born composer of opera, song, and concert music whose work performers praise for its "prosody that showcases both the words and the singers." His songs and chamber works have been performed at Tanglewood, Source Song Festival, the Oh My Ears Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Denison University’s TUTTI Festival, and more.

POEM BY JANE HIRSHFIELD

One ran,
her nose to the ground,
a rusty shadow
neither hunting nor playing.

One stood; sat; lay down; stood again.

One never moved,
except to turn her head a little as we walked.

Finally we drew too close,
and they vanished.
The woods took them back as if they had never been.

I wish I had thought to put my face to the grass.

But we kept walking,
speaking as strangers do when becoming friends.

There is more and more I tell no one,
strangers nor loves.
This slips into the heart
without hurry, as if it had never been.

And yet, among the trees, something has changed.

Something looks back from the trees,
and knows me for who I am.

Joni Mitchell - songwriter
Matt Berkeley - piano
Peter Dutilly - arranger (strings)
Ryan Shannon - violin 1
Jennifer Hsiao - violin 2
Justin Ouellet - viola
Stephanie Wingfield - cello
Ann Moss - vocals

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
John Weston - recording engineer (strings)
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Matt Berkeley performed on a Steingraeber und Söhne D-232 Semi-Concert Grand piano.
Piano & Vocals recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 24th, 2022
Strings recorded at Futura Productions in Boston, MA on July 2nd, 2024

LYRICS BY JONI MITCHELL

Rows and floes of angel hair
And ice cream castles in the air
And feather canyons everywhere
I've looked at clouds that way

But now they only block the sun
They rain and they snow on everyone
So many things I could have done
But clouds got in my way

I've looked at clouds from both sides now
From up and down, and still somehow
It's cloud illusions that I recall
I really don't know clouds at all

Moons and Junes and Ferris wheels
The dizzy dancing way you feel
As every fairy tale comes real
I've looked at love that way

But now it's just another show
You leave 'em laughing when you go
And if you care, don't let them know
Don't give yourself away

I've looked at love from both sides now
From give and take, and still somehow
It's love's illusions I recall
I really don't know love at all

Tears and fears and feeling proud
To say to someone "I love you" right out loud
Dreams and schemes and circus crowds
I've looked at life that way

Oh but now old friends are acting strange
They shake their heads, they say I've changed - yes I have -
Oh something's lost, but something's gained
In living every day

I've looked at life from both sides now
From up and down, and give and take,
Oh win and lose, and still somehow
It's life's illusions I recall
I really don't know
I really don't know

Composed for Ann Moss in 2018

David Howell - composer/lyricist
Ann Moss - vocals

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on March 24th, 2022

David Howell (b. 1986) is a British writer of vocal melodies and accompanying text. Guided by the distinct perspective of his autistic perception, he aims to make creative and respectful use of individual voices, an ethos that has inspired collaborations with multiple singers across the United States.

LYRICS BY DAVID HOWELL

Ah—
Ah—
Ah! Ah! Ah!
Am…
Am I?
Am I OK?
Am…
What…
What’s happening?
I—
I think I—
I got lost somewhere
Somewhere inside me
Am I OK?
Am I OK?
Am I OK?

From "Rise and Fall" composed in 2007

Jake Heggie - composer
Gene Scheer - poet
Steven Bailey - piano
Ann Moss - vocals

Alberto Hernandez - recording/edit/mixing engineer
Leslie Ann Jones - session producer
Michael Romanowski - mastering engineer
Ann Moss & Justin Ouellet - producers
Mr. Bailey performed on a Steingraeber und Söhne D-232 Semi-Concert Grand piano.
Recorded at Opus Studios in Berkeley, CA on May 21st, 2022

Jake Heggie (b. 1961) is the American composer of ten full-length operas, including Dead Man Walking and Great Scott with librettos by Terrence McNally; Moby-Dick, Three Decembers, It’s a Wonderful Life, Intelligence, If I Were You, and Two Remain with librettos by Gene Scheer; and numerous one-acts. He has also composed nearly 300 art songs, as well as chamber, choral, and orchestral works.

POEM BY GENE SCHEER

Oh.
Oh.
Oh, I cannot protect you, baby,
By seeing what’s to come. I cannot, my baby.
My eyes have dissolved
Nor can I protect you, baby,
By looking in the past. I cannot.
It is all turned to shadows.

But of, I can shelter you.
Oh, I can shelter you, baby.
I am a shaman.
Oh, and I know, baby.

Not with spells.
Not with fortresses.
Not with mystery.
But with a simple thing of beauty:
Oh, baby.
Oh, baby.
Oh, my baby.