Celebration For Flute & Orchestra / Bennett, Bedford CD

As a string player and recording artist with groups like Ensemble Alcatraz, Project Ars Nova and Fortune's Wheel, Shira has travelled through the medieval universe from 11th century Crete to the dazzling court of the Spanish King Alphonso X, from ancient monasteries with mystical abbesses to the shores of the British Isles.

But Music of Waters reflects a journey over a different, more rugged, terrain.

As a white-water river rafting enthusiast, Shira found inspiration in the echoing canyons and shimmering waterfalls of the Grand Canyon and the Colorado River. Music of Waters, which was recorded in the wild and beautiful side canyons of the Grand Canyon and in the Desert View Watchtower on the South Rim, features original modal compositions, as well as traditional songs and tunes.

The music celebrates the vast and magnificent landscape of the Canyon and the Colorado River, and is influenced by Celtic and Eastern European and other folk styles, as well as by the music of the Middle Ages and the Renaissance.

Shira is joined by Bay Area colleagues Peter Maund (known for his percussion work with Skyedance, Ensemble Alcatraz, Davka), Danny Carnahan (Wake the Dead, Caswell & Carnahan, etc), David Morris (Teatro Bacchino) on Viola da Gamba, and Cheryl Ann Fulton on harp. Shira views the project as a natural synthesis of her musical and environmental passions.

And as such, hopes that listeners will find it educational, in that the compositions convey definite musical (and spiritual) responses to the various geological, ecological and historical forces that have shaped one of the great wonders of the natural world.