Four Works by Jack Gallagher Recorded by London Symphony Orchestra

Pieces recorded by JoAnn Falletta at Abbey Road Studios in the United Kingdom

WOOSTER, Ohio - Jack Gallagher, the Olive Williams Kettering Professor of Music at The College of Wooster, recently had four of his works recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra. The recordings, made possible in part by a research leave from the College, were conducted at Abbey Road Studios in the UK by JoAnn Falletta, music director of the Buffalo Philharmonic and Virginia Symphony Orchestras. The pieces are scheduled to be published together as an all-Gallagher CD on the Naxos label in September 2010.

The compositions, each written for or performed by the Wooster Symphony Orchestra (Jeffrey Lindberg, Music Director), are "Symphony in One Movement: Threnody," "Sinfonietta for String Orchestra," "Diversions Overture" and "Berceuse." All, except the Berceuse, were revised for the new recording.

Gallagher, who with his wife, April, and son, Ryan, attended the recording sessions, said, "it was humbling but exhilarating to be in the control booth actively shaping the recording of these works by the London Symphony and Maestra Falletta. I'm deeply grateful to The College of Wooster, my Wooster colleagues and friends who have been generous in performing and encouraging my work, and my family for helping to make possible this undertaking."

The recordings were produced and edited by Michael Fine, Grammy-Award winning producer and Vice President of Artistic Affairs at the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. They were engineered by Wolf-Dieter Karwatky of BKL Recording Group, Lüneburg, Germany.

Founded in 1904, the London Symphony is widely regarded as one of the world's leading orchestras. Falletta has guest conducted more than 100 orchestras in North America. Acclaimed by The New York Times as "one of the finest conductors of her generation," Falletta won two Grammy awards in 2009 for Best Classical Performance and Best Classical Composition for her CD of John Corigliano's "Mr. Tambourine Man" on the Naxos label.

Gallagher, a member of the Wooster faculty since 1977, has composed more than 45 works for orchestra, chorus, symphonic band, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments. His works are included on 12 compact discs on the Musical Heritage Society, Capstone, Vienna Modern Masters, Summit Records, Altissimo!, Promuse, and ERM labels.

As a producer, Gallagher's recording for TNC Records of Messiaen's "Oiseaux exotiques" with pianist Angelin Chang, conductor John McLaughlin Williams, and the Cleveland Chamber Symphony won a 2006 Grammy Award in the classical category "Best Instrumental Soloist Performance with Orchestra." Most recently, his "Remembrance of Robin" was premiered in June at Werner Recital Hall of the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music by Robert Sullivan, Principal Trumpet of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, and Julie Spangler, pianist.