Miró Quartet Releases New Holiday Album, Hearth

Miró Quartet Releases 
New Holiday Album, Hearth 

GRAMMY®-nominated String Quartet
Performs a Rich and Varied
Collection of Traditional Carols and
Holiday Favorites, Reimagined in
Original Arrangements by
15 Leading Contemporary Composers

Featuring Arrangements by
Clarice Assad, Alex Berko, Michael Begay,
Anna Clyne, Reena Esmail,  Hyung-ki Joo,
Gabriel Kahane, Sam Lipman, Joel Love,
Karl Mitze, Kevin Puts, Paola Prestini,
Jeff Scott, Derrick Skye, and Michi Wiancko

Singles Schedule:
October 31, 2025: Track 4 – I Wonder as I Wander (arr. Rena Esmail)
November 14, 2025: Track 8 – Mother's Lullaby (arr.  Anna Clyne)

“explosive vigor and technical finesse”
– The New York Times

www.miroquartet.com 

New York, NY (September 25, 2025) – On Friday, November 28, 2025, the two-time GRAMMY®-nominated Miró Quartet releases a new holiday album, Hearth, on PENTATONE. Celebrating 30 years as an ensemble in 2025, the Texas-based quartet created this album with an assemblage of classical music’s top living composers, each of them contributing an original arrangement of a beloved holiday song. Drawing from diverse traditions and memories of holidays past, the recording brings together new arrangements of In Dulci Jubilo, by Clarice Assad; The First Noël, by Kevin Puts; Jingle Bells, by Michi Wiancko; I Wonder as I Wander, by Reena Esmail; Deck the Halls, by Karl Mitze; Ma’oz Tzur (Rock of Ages), by Sam Lipman; In the Bleak Midwinter, by Alex Berko; Mother’s Lullaby, by Anna Clyne; Wexford Carol (Carúl Loch Garman), by Jeff Scott; halfspent (lo, how a rose…), by Gabriel Kahane; O Come, All Ye Faithful, by Michael Begay; Dejlig er Den Himmel Blå (Oh How Beautiful the Sky), by Paola Prestini; We Three, by Derrick Skye; Silent Night, by Joel Love; Songs of Christmas Past, by Hyung-ki Joo.

In curating this album, Miró asked each participating composer to select a piece linked to his or her own heritage and personal associations, yielding an eclectic mix of Medieval melodies, merry holiday classics, Texas fiddle music, West African rhythms, and beyond. “What a delightful assortment of musical presents we received!” wrote Miró violist John Largess in the album notes for Hearth. “We really think the diversity and variety of voices heard and memories shared on this album will represent the many ways we all celebrate and share the holidays together, and the huge range of what the holidays can mean to each one of us… The Miró Quartet is so grateful to all our composer friends for these precious musical gifts, and we are so pleased to share the warmth of our Hearth and our Hearts with you through music during this holiday season.”

The album’s contributing composers also commented on the thought process behind their musical selections and original arrangements. “As a composer, it’s a rare treat to be asked to participate in a project that centers around pure fun and celebration,” wrote Michi Wiancko, who contributed her arrangement of Jingle Bells. Reena Esmail wrote on infusing her Hindustani roots into the Appalachian carol I Wonder as I Wander, while Gabriel Kahane mused on his early years as a Jewish kid who nonetheless joined in the singing of Christmas songs – introducing him to the cherished work he selected for this project, Lo How a Rose E’er Blooming… (or, halfspent). On the spirit behind Songs of Christmas Past, Hyung-ki Joo’s arrangement bringing together elements of more than 20 favorite carols, the composer wrote: “Perhaps all we need is a musical hearth glowing in every heart, lighting the way to peace all year round.”

This is the Miró Quartet’s fourth album on PENTATONE, following its recording of Beethoven’s Complete String Quartets (2019), the GRAMMY®-nominated Home (2024), and Ginastera String Quartets (2025). Miró has also independently released multiple celebrated recordings for a variety of global labels, earning a 2024 GRAMMY® nomination for Best Choral Performance for House of Belonging, created in collaboration with Austin-based choral group Conspirare.

Hearth Tracklist

     1. In Dulci Jubilo – Traditional German carol (14th century) (arr. Clarice Assad) [3:23]
     2. The First Noël – Traditional English carol (first published 1823) (arr. Kevin Puts) [3:02]
     3. Jingle Bells – James Lord Pierpont (1857) (arr. Michi Wiancko) [3:32]
     4. I Wonder as I Wander – Appalachian folk song, adapted by John Jacob Niles (1933) (arr. Reena Esmail) [3:17]
     5. Deck the Halls – Traditional Welsh tune (“Nos Galan”) (arr. Karl Mitze) [5:04]
     6. Ma’oz Tzur (Rock of Ages) – Traditional Hebrew hymn (lyrics from 13th century; melody from 17th-century German sources) (arr. Sam Lipman) [5:11]
     7. In the Bleak Midwinter – Christina Rossetti (lyrics, 1872) / Gustav Holst (music, 1906) (arr. Alex Berko) [5:10]
     8. Mother’s Lullaby – Traditional English carol (“Coventry Carol”) (16th century) (arr. Anna Clyne) [5:28] [5:28]
     9. Wexford Carol (Carúl Loch Garman) – Traditional Irish carol (possibly 12th century) (arr. Jeff Scott) [5:59]
     10. halfspent (lo, how a rose…) – Based on “Es ist ein Ros entsprungen” (Traditional German carol, 16th century), harmonized by Michael Praetorius (1609) (arr. Gabriel Kahane) [4:45]
     11. O Come, All Ye Faithful – Attributed to John Francis Wade (18th century) (arr. Michael Begay) [2:44]
     12. Dejlig er Den Himmel Blå (Oh How Beautiful the Sky) – Lyrics by N.F.S. Grundtvig (1810), melody by Jacob Gerhard Meidell (1842) (arr. Paola Prestini) [6:28]
     13. We Three – Based on “We Three Kings” by John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1857) (arr. Derrick Skye) [3:53]
     14. Silent Night – Franz Xaver Gruber (music), Joseph Mohr (lyrics), 1818 (arr. Joel Love) [3:07]
     15. Songs of Christmas Past – Hyung-ki Joo (original composition) [8:23]

TT: 67:51

Miró Quartet:
Daniel Ching, violin
William Fedkenheuer, violin
John Largess, viola
Joshua Gindele, cello

PTC 5187495

Hearth was recorded at KMFA 89.5, Austin’s Classical Music Radio Station, Austin, TX, USA, May 8-12, 2025.

PRODUCTION TEAM
Executive producers Lynne Dobson, Greg Wooldridge & Joshua Gindele
Recording & Session producer, Recording & Mastering engineer Da-Hong Seetoo
Additional producers Daniel Ching, William Fedkenheuer & John Largess

About Miró Quartet 
The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated string quartets, praised as "furiously committed" by The New Yorker and recognized for its "exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity" by the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Marking its 30th anniversary in 2025, the quartet has performed on the world's most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, the quartet takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music. Since 2003, Miró has served as the quartet-in-residence at the University of Texas at Austin Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music.

The Miró Quartet’s newest album, an acclaimed recording of Ginastera’s complete String Quartets, was released on PENTATONE in July 2025. Among its many previous recordings for a variety of global labels, the quartet was nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY® Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for its album Home (PENTATONE, 2024) featuring two new commissions by Kevin Puts and Caroline Shaw, as well as works by George Walker and Samuel Barber. It was also nominated for a 2024 GRAMMY® Award for its album House of Belonging, created in collaboration with Austin-based choral group Conspirare. 

The quartet’s recent and upcoming projects include Here on Earth with pianist Lara Downes, the premiere of a new version of Kevin Puts’ Credo, and collaborations with composers Steven Banks, Tamar-Kali, and Gabriel Kahane, as well as soprano Karen Slack and the Isadore Quartet.

The Miró Quartet took its name and its inspiration from the Spanish artist Joan Miró, whose Surrealist works – with subject matter drawn from the realm of memory, dreams, and imaginative fantasy – are some of the most groundbreaking, influential, and admired of the 20th century. Visit miroquartet.com for more information.