| PARMA Recordings | |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2008 |
| Founder | Bob Lord |
| Genre | |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Location | North Hampton, New Hampshire |
| Official website | www |
PARMA Recordings is a record label founded by CEO Bob Lord in 2008 [1] and based in North Hampton, New Hampshire. [2] It is one of the leading recording companies specializing in contemporary classical music [3] and has been recognized by the bestowing of The American Prize for outstanding services to the arts particularly through the promotion of American music. [4] Under the parent recording company, there are six labels: Big Round Records, Navona Records, Ravello Records, Ansonica Records, Capstone Records and more recently, Albany Records. [5] The range of music recorded across the six imprints covers contemporary classical "orchestral and chamber, jazz, progressive and experimental music". [6] From the start, the record company's ethos emerged out of the identified need to have a "top-quality, artist-focused contemporary classical music production company". [7]
The releases are in both physical format (compact disc and vinyl) and digital, [7] with compact discs usually including enhanced CD data content that incorporates study scores in digital format, photography from the recording sessions, video footage and composer interviews. [8] In recent years, the album releases have tended to be mostly in digital format. [7]
From the outset, the audio production house favored Central Europe, and Eastern Europe in particular, as their preferred recording locations. [9] This was mainly due to the level of musicianship found in players mostly being members and former members of radio orchestras, who were already active in performing and recording new music. The European orchestras' economic situation being largely free from the private donor funding more common in the United States is also a factor and helps widen the repertoire being considered. [9] The preferred European locations include Reduta Hall in Olomouc, Czech Republic, [10] and since 2016, [11] the Zagreb Academy of Music in Croatia. [12]
In May 2015, CEO Bob Lord visited Havana, Cuba, to look into whether the location was suitable for recording and producing music in a way that was compatible with the company's ethos. [13] Following the successful visit, PARMA went ahead with the initiative and recorded on location in Havana for the first time in late 2015, with the recording sessions producing Abrazo: The Havana Sessions, the first album to be released on the Ansonica imprint. [14] [15]
In March 2025, PARMA Recordings took over the management of the historically-established classical music recording venue, Studio Martínek, in Prague. [16] The first recording project to take place under the studio's new management featured the Kühn Choir of Prague recording an a cappella choral work by American composer Jay Anthony Gach. [17]
Several prominent orchestras feature among the many musicians and ensembles that have collaborated with PARMA Recordings, specifically, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra [18] [19] and the London Symphony Orchestra. [20] [21] The main orchestras involved in numerous recording sessions with PARMA are the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra and the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava. [22] Croatia, Zagreb Festival Orchestra, has featured in PARMA projects such as the recording of Dan Brown's Wild Symphony, a children's book with an accompanying orchestral soundtrack. [23] The Brno Contemporary Orchestra, formed in 2011, has recorded 23 albums on the Navona imprint. [24] The Bratislava Symphony Orchestra recorded with conductor Anthony Armoré in 2021 for the Navona symphonic series Symphonies No. 4 & 5 - Meditation: In Flanders Fields (NV6325). [25] [26]
Since 2015, Trio Casals, (currently made up of Ovidiu Marinescu, cello; Timothy Schwarz, violin; Mădălina-Claudia Dănilă, piano), have been recording and performing with PARMA and the Navona Records label. [27] On May 12, 2015, the trio made their debut performance at the prestigious venue, Weill Recital Hall, Carnegie where they performed works by contemporary composers Nicholas Anthony Ascioti, John A. Carollo, Robert Fleisher, Diane Jones, Brian Noyes and Osias Wilenski. [28] Following the concert, Moto Continuo, the trio's first release under the Navona imprint, was launched featuring the works of the same six composers. [29] [30] By December 2020, Trio Casals had given 20 concerts in conjunction with the "MOTO" album and concert series. [27]
The Kühn Choir of Prague (Czech : Kühnův smíšený sbor), founded in 1959, [31] has recorded in collaboration with PARMA, working with large orchestras and delivering the first renderings of contemporary choral music on projects since mid-2012. [32] Their first album to be released was Seeking & Finding (NV5877) with the music of composers Hans Bakker and Howard Richards, [33] and have since featured on another 11 Navona albums. [34] In January 2025, the choir recorded Jay Anthony Gach's HaShir HaShem Luchem for the follow-up album Celestial Voices 2. [17]
Petr Vronský, conductor of the Moravian Philharmonic from 2005 to 2018, [35] has conducted and recorded numerous works which were subsequently released on 49 separate albums with PARMA, [36] [37] many of which are on regular playlists of radio stations around the world. As of January 2021, Uruguayan composer Sergio Cervetti has featured on eleven Navona Records releases, [38] four of which (Nazca, Parallel Realms, Triptych Revelation, and Mortal Dreams) included compositions conducted by Maestro Vronský. [39]
Czech conductor Vit Micka, has recorded at least 25 albums with PARMA Recordings usually conducting the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. [40] Albums include the 2011 release, Light and Shadow (NV5847), which has received repeat radio broadcasts, [41] [42] and another 2011 release, Zeichen (NV5839) by German composer Gerhard Stäbler, was also conducted by Vit Micka. [43]
Kirk Trevor, conducting the Slovak National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Slovak Radio Symphony Orchestra has recorded albums on the Navona Records imprint. The 2009 album Music of Copland & McKinley (NV5812) with clarinetist Richard Stoltzman [44] and the 2015 album Lee Actor: Piano Concerto (NV5986) both featured the Slovak National Symphony Orchestra under Trevor. [45]
John Page, former conductor of the BBC Ulster Orchestra and the National Symphony Orchestra of Ireland [46] and co-founder of the PARMA Orchestra, [47] has recorded works that have been released on 29 Navona Records albums, including with the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra. [48]
Czech conductor and composer Pavel Šnajdr has recorded at least 13 Navona imprint releases, [49] in particular, Symphonic Chronicles Vol II, [50] Symphonic Chronicles Vol III, [51] Dimensions Vol. 4 - Works for Orchestra and My Country. [52]
In 2013, the audio production company celebrated the release of its 150th album. [53] Another significant milestone was reached in October 2022 when Navona Records, under the PARMA umbrella, released their 1000th album "Amplify". [2] [54]
In 2008, PARMA Recordings acquired the New York-based classical label, Capstone Records, founded by composer Richard Brooks. [55] It was agreed in 2009 that the acquired label would be run as an imprint and that the founder would sit on the board in an advisory capacity. [56] Also in 2009, Big Round Records, previously owned by Congressman Paul Hodes, [57] [58] was brought into the PARMA Recordings family. [59] In 2011, MMC Recordings [60] was acquired along with "ThatNewMusicLibrary", the internet music publisher.
In April 2024, the parent recording company acquired Albany Records along with its complete catalog. [61]
Recorded music from the overall catalog has been broadcast on radio stations both in the United States and internationally.
Works from the 2012 Navona Records release, Dimensions – Works for String Orchestra, have been played on BBC Radio 3, [62] Barcelona's Catalunya Ràdio, [63] Canada′s Radio–Classique CJSQ-FM, [64] New Jersey's WPRB 103.3 fm, [65] South Africa's Classic FM 102.7 and Sweden's P2 Klassiskt. [66]
Gerald Cohen’s “Sea of Reeds”, a Navona Records release (NV5979), featured on Classical KING Second Inversion's "Album of the Week" on January 12, 2015. [67]
Sergio Cervetti's Nazca, with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, received airplay on New York Public Radio's WNYC in December 2016. [68] On April 01, 2025, the station also broadcast Rebecca Oswald's Sleep, Child from the Navona album: Light and Shadow: Modern Orchestral Works. [42]
Pianist Liza Stepanova's solo album of 2020, E Pluribus Unum (NV6300), featuring 8 composers, [69] has been widely broadcast on national and international radio. Tracks from the album have been broadcast on Australia's ABC Classic Drive on May 31, 2023, [70] on Canada's CBC public radio "Album of the Week" [71] and on Classical Discoveries with Marvin Rosen on August 26, 2020. [72]
In November 2021, PARMA Recordings became a sponsor and partner in All Classical Radio's Recording Inclusivity Initiative, set up in January 2021 to promote America's classical music playlist by recording, releasing, and distributing high-quality recordings of classical works by underrepresented composers. [73] [74] The Navona Records album Amplify was the first instalment under the collaboration with the Portland public radio station's RII. It was followed by volume 2 of the RII, Elevate, in May 2024. [75] [76]
For an example from the world of music, let's look at entrepreneur Bob Lord and the company he founded, PARMA Recordings ... PARMA Recordings was launched in 2008...
Bob Lord's PARMA Recordings in North Hampton marked a milestone this fall when they produced "Amplify," their 1,000th album, that was released on PARMA's label, Navona Records.
PARMA Recordings is one of the leading classical music labels in the industry, specializing in new art with an innovative twist.
Parma Recordings has been honored with The American Prize National Arts Award, 2022, in recognition of outstanding services to the performing arts over an extended period of time. Presented by The American Prize National Nonprofit Competitions in the Performing Arts, the award consists of a beautifully framed citation recognizing PARMA Recordings contributions to the art.
Albany's catalogue will now be available to stream on all platforms alongside releases from PARMA and its four labels; Navona, Ravello, Big Round, and Ansonica Record.
...The New England-based label's eclectic catalog offers listeners a fresh taste of the leading innovators in orchestral and chamber, jazz, progressive, and experimental music.
PARMA's products have traditionally been presented in both digital and physical format, but in recent years the majority have been digital.
Parma Recordings label and will be available with enhanced content through Naxos distribution...
There are three main reasons the company does so much of its orchestral recording in Eastern Europe...
...the team worked alongside the cast and crew at Reduta Hall to produce new works by PARMA veteran composers: Sergio Cervetti, Michael Cunningham, and Mark Dal Porto.
In 2016, PARMA expanded its operations to Croatia and began recording in Zagreb.
Discover the story of Zagreb's esteemed music institution and one of PARMA Recordings' frequented recording venues.
Bob Lord, a bassist, composer, and music producer, traveled to Cuba in May 2015 "To determine the viability of recording and producing new music in Havana."
PARMA's work with Cuba began in 2015 with the first recording sessions for ABRAZO: THE HAVANA SESSIONS, the very first album on our Ansonica Records label.
This is the first release from new American label Ansonica ... The recordings were made in Havana, Cuba in late 2015, shortly after the US embargo on trade and travel between those two countries was lifted.
New Hampshire based Parma Recordings has established new recording operations at Prague's historic Studio Martínek, furthering its commitment to music production in Europe.
The team had one of its first sessions of 2025 at Studio Martínek with the Kühn Choir of Prague, recording HaShir HaShem Luchem by American composer Jay Anthony Gach.
The Royal Scottish National Orchestra has recorded a new symphony written by a Lochgilphead composer who was inspired by the beauty of Islay .... The 20-minute piece for symphony orchestra was recorded in Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, with American-based PARMA Recordings...
Scottish National Orchestra ... Nan Avant's 9-minute Tributum (2013) is scored for Celtic bagpipes and orchestra...
He has been invited to conduct in major venues such as the Musikverein in Vienna and has collaborated with many ensembles and symphony orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, with which he recorded a "Tchaikovsky" album for Parma Recordings.
...with this short and snappy symphonic work, performed in this Navona Records release by the acclaimed London Symphony Orchestra.
Our latest featured recording opportunity comes from a firmly established partner orchestra, the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava (JFO), … PARMA has recorded and released over thirty-five albums and concerts with the JFO over several years of collaboration,...
His Symphonies No. 4 & 5 and Meditation in Flanders Field (Navona NV 6325) can be heard in the present recording, quite respectably played by the Bratislava Symphony Orchestra under Anthony Armore.
(Bratislava Symphony, Armoré).
Moto Continuo. Wilenski: Variations for Trio; Asciotti: Adirondack Tableau; Jones: 3 Songs; Carollo: Trio 1; Fleisher: Ma Mere; Noyes: Trio.
The choir takes its name from Pavel Kühn (1938–2003), an outstanding figure of the Czech choral tradition, who founded the ensemble in 1959.
Featuring sacred choral works from several contemporary composers...
2005–2018: Petr Vronsky *1946.
Sergio Cervetti (b1940) turned 80 last year (his birthday fell on November 9) and remains as active as ever, evident in the most recent work here, the wholly electronic That Feeling of Power (2019), which closes this new release, the 11th Navona has devoted to his music.
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra; Vit Micka, conductor; Album: Light and Shadow: Modern Orchestral Works...
Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra; Vit Micka, conductor...
Gerhard Stäbler: Zeichen. Gefährliche Ränder ... Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra, Vit Micka, Navona Records NV 5839...
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Conductor: Kirk Trevor.
October 2014: The orchestra's live performance of Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique was released by Navona Records...
Šnajdr, Pavel, 1975- conductor.
Release Date: October 28, 2022.
In 2008, Parma Recordings acquired Capstone Records.
Capstone honcho and composer Richard Brooks will join Parma's board and stick around in an advisory role.
The agent name for this business is: Hodes, Paul W.
Big Round Records of Concord may have struck a chord in the children's music genre ... Founded in 1986 by Paul and Peggo Hodes,...
Big Round Records is one of the Parma Recordings family of recording labels.
Performer: Moravian Philharmonic Strings. Dimensions. Navona Records...
Moravian Philharmonic Strings, dir. Peter Vronsky: Dimensions, Works for String Orchestra. Navona Records.
Moravian Philharmonic Strings, Petr Vronsky, conductor. Navona Records - NV5895.
Album: E Pluribus Unum, NV6300.
In August 2020, Stepanova released a critically acclaimed album "E Pluribus Unum" (NAVONA Records) … The disc was broadcast widely on national and international radio including "Album of the Week" on Canada's public radio, several plays in Australia, and across the US.
PARMA Recordings is proud to be a sponsor and partner in this project, ... Since its launch in January 2021...
Launched (and given Current's Local that Works award) in 2021, the project has released two records in the past three years, including Elevate, and has another on the docket for fall 2025.