One of the seminal American musical traditions, the spiritual is dramatic, powerful, and profoundly beautiful - the bedrock for much of American music that was to follow. Craig Hella Johnson and Conspirare explore here the genre's wide range of expression and its eloquence in speaking to universal aspects of the human condition.

Listen to Walk Together, Children in RealAudio.

Talented 34-mixed voice, Austin-based Conspirare Company of Voices, directed by renowned conductor Craig Hella Johnson, bring us a fine, varied collection of 17 pieces that range from Stephen Foster's 'Hard Times Come Again No More' and the lovely spiritual 'Deep River' to Eric Whitacre's 'Sleep,' Donald Skirvin's 4-part 'Alchemy' and the Gaelic Hymn 'Spirit Seeking Light and Beauty.' Also very fine are Rautavaara's 'With Joy We Go Dancing,' Paul Ayre's 'Ruth,' Wm. Averitt's spirited 'Afro-American Fragments' (some piano), Jean Sibelius' deathless 'This Is My Song-Finlandia' and Jon Nordal's sweet 'Mavinir fagrir.' The songs, from varied times and traditions segue easily into one another because of the arrangements, some by Johnson, and the poised, confident talent of Conspirare. Beautiful, colorful liner notes have the complete lyrics, and tell us, for instance that the 'green fuse' is from a poem by Dylan Thomas.

Conspirare's second studio recording, Requiem, was recorded at The Bank Music Hall in Troy, New York in October 2005, and the CD has already received rave reviews most recently the 2005 Margaret Hillis Award for Choral Excellence, presented by Chorus America. The album includes Howells' and Pizzetti's Requiems and some lovely, forlorn songs. Also a requiem from Austin's Eliza Gilkyson. 'This is simply gorgeous choral singing - The Choir achieves near-perfect interpretive consensus and vocal enaemble, with stiletto-sharp intonation and unearthly tonal beauty.' - American Rocoed Guide. 'Sublime. Conspirare's 'Requiem: We are so lightly here' flies on the wings of perfection.

In the 2007 season, Conspirare captivated audiences with concerts of works by the phenomenally gifted (and award-winning) young composer Tarik O'Regan. Now the Grammy-nominated choral ensemble is set to captivate audiences across the globe with a recording of those same works by O'Regan. This is a recording worthy of attention. A single listen confirms the impression from last year's concerts that this choir and composer are exquisitely matched. Conductor Craig Hella Johnson and his company of voices have the skill to voice all the colors in O'Regan's richly varied musical palette: the densely clustered voices that pull at one another in tense dissonance here and resolve in sumptuous harmonies there, the rhythms that rocket a song along or ease it into a blissful peace. Moreover, they have a feel for the material, for its drama and intensity and the deep spiritual dimension at its foundation. O'Regan, a 30-year-old British composer now living in New York, crafts his own truly original style. Yes, this music is essentially tonal, but hardly could you characterize it as traditionally melodic. O'Regan's music layers voices with brilliant intricacy. Voices cluster seamlessly in full choir, then emerge in delicate solos. He deftly combines airy melodies with only short moments of subtle dissonance to a powerful effect.

Listen to Had I Not Seen The Sun in RealAudio.

This DVD capture the exquisite sound of the American choral group Conspirare, as heard and seen on a nationally televised, one-hour concert airing nationally on PBS. Repertoire on the disc ranges from classical works by Lauridsen and Whitacre to arrangements of popular songs by Carly Simon and Dolly Parton. Taped live in October 2008 at Austin's Long Center for the Performing Arts, A Company of Voices - Conspirare in Concert is a production of KLRU-TV, Austin, Texas, with executive producers Dick Peterson and Marion Lear Swaybill and director Karen McLaughlin.

This CD captures the exquisite sound of the choral ensemble Conspirare, as heard on a live national television broadcast. In this one-hour concert, contemporary music blends seamlessly with classical favorites, taking the listener and viewer on a journey of innovative sound, vibrant images and thought-provoking ideas.