Bright Shiny Things Releases Hearth, From Violinist and Composer Ariel Horowitz

BRIGHT SHINY THINGS RELEASES HEARTH, 
FROM VIOLINIST AND COMPOSER ARIEL HOROWITZ

NEW YORK, NY–On October 25, 2024, Bright Shiny Things releases Hearth [BSTC-0209], violinist and composer Ariel Horowitz’s combination of classical works, original compositions, spoken word, and soundscapes. Hailed by the Washington Post as “sweetly lyrical,” Horowitz is also a community organizer who draws from both the classical canon and the works of historically underrepresented composers. Works by Kreisler (as arranger), Still, and Szymanowski alternate on the album with Horowitz’s own cider donuts, Solitude, How Do You Tell Your Child?, and not that bad, telling stories of healing, community, and liberation. The album is available for pre-order here. 

In the liner notes for Hearth, Horowitz writes:

“Imagine a crackling fire, a warm space to gather, connect, hold space for each other, and dream – that's the feeling I hope to evoke with Hearth. In this collection, classical composers converse with my own original multimedia pieces: violin, vocals, electronics, recorded natural soundscapes, voices of my loved ones, and spoken word meld in an indie/singer-songwriter-meets-classical dialogue. … Hearth is dedicated to the incredible young people in my life and around the world who dream, organize, and fight for a liberated future for us all.”

Horowitz’s dedication to young people is a theme that runs through many of the album tracks as well. She opens with Poldini’s La Poupée valsante, as arranged by Fritz Kreisler, a piece she has loved since she herself was a child. Her composition Solitude is a product of her younger years and the first song she ever wrote; it was resurrected as a vehicle for Vision Duo, an ensemble   begun in 2021 with percussionist Britton-René Collins. It was also the piece that sparked her passion for singing and playing simultaneously. The layered sounds of cider donuts include recorded family voices, among them Horowitz herself as a baby, along with violin textures and natural soundscapes. Finally, her work with young people inspired her to write How Do You Tell Your Child?, an expression of grief and rage at humanity’s violence coupled with a call to action. 

Intertwined with these echoes of her own and others’ childhoods are hopeful visions of a better future. She chose William Grant Still's lyrical Summerland because it was one of his favorites and  echos her own hope. not that bad, though its subject is personal and collective trauma, ends with a vision of resilience. Karol Szymanowski’s haunting Nocturne is a work of eerie beauty, while its companion piece, Tarantella, tells a story that for Horowitz is about righteous anger followed by healing. The latter two works were also recorded as part of Horowitz’s Concert Artists Guild competition submission prior to the pandemic, before being revisited for this album as important ingredients of her personal journey. Providing an epilogue is a hidden track called Phoenix: a spoken word poem expressing what Horowitz calls “a hopeful dream for a gentle future.”

TRACK LIST:

1 Ede Poldini, arr. Fritz Kreisler
La Poupée valsante 2:17

2 Ariel Horowitz
Solitude 4:05

3 William Grant Still
Summerland 3:44

4 Ariel Horowitz
cider donuts 3:15

5 Karol Szymanowski
Nocturne, Op. 28 No. 1 5:30

6 Ariel Horowitz
not that bad 3:47

7 Ariel Horowitz
How Do You Tell Your Child? 2:20

8 Karol Szymanowski
Tarantella, Op. 28 No. 2 5:35

9 Ariel Horowitz
Phoenix 0:44

Ariel Horowitz, violin, vocals, electronics, and spoken word
Britton-René Collins, marimba
Alexa Stier, piano
Eri Kang, piano

ABOUT THE ARTIST: 

Hailed by The Washington Post as “sweetly lyrical,” violinist, composer/songwriter, and community organizer Ariel Horowitz (they/them or she/her) cannot remember life before loving music. In 2020, Ariel joined the Concert Artists Guild roster for North American management, and enjoys an active touring schedule as a soloist and as one-half of Vision Duo, an ensemble formed with fellow CAG artist Britton-René Collins in 2021. As a composer, songwriter, and avid improviser, Ariel's original music centers themes of healing, community, and liberation. She has performed her compositions and songs around the world, including at Carnegie Hall and the Kennedy Center. As a community organizer, Ariel is honored to be the Founder and Artistic Director of the Heartbeat Music Project, a tuition-free program offering music and Navajo (Diné) cultural education as well as direct aid resources to young people in grades K-12 living on the Navajo Nation. Ariel's organizing for this work is as a long-term co-conspirator for Indigenous-led decolonization and landback efforts, and as a guest on the sovereign Navajo Nation. In 2022, HMP received the Lewis Prize for Music’s Accelerator Award in the amount of $500,000 to support their work with Navajo youth.