MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble)
WATCH: As Snow Falls, I search for your eyes amongst All the strangers of this city ~ Aftab Darvishi
WATCH: Rain, Sleet, Gloom and Heat ~ Josh Henderson
WATCH: Justine Leichtling’s The Violin Maker of Cremona
DOWNLOAD: the DIGITAL ALBUM
ORDER DOUBLE CD: MoVE Premieres
Single: Rain, Sleet, Gloom and Heat ~ Josh Henderson
MoVE Premieres
Inspired by the life of Mary Fields — the first African-American woman to work for the U.S. Postal Service — Rain, Sleet, Gloom and Heat by Josh Henderson brings history to life through a vivid, imagined journey across the Montana wilderness. Drawing its title from the U.S. Postal Service creed, the work blends instrumental writing with spoken text and singing, creating a cinematic and immersive experience.
Rain, Sleet, Gloom and Heat ~ Josh Henderson
About Josh Henderson (b. 1988)
Josh Henderson is a cross-genre composer and multi-instrumentalist whose music bridges classical, jazz, and popular music traditions. He has performed at leading venues including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Elbphilharmonie and The Forbidden City Concert Hall, collaborating with a wide range of artists across genres. A founding member of the ensemble W4RP (Warp Trio), he has led the group in extensive touring and residencies throughout the United States and internationally. As a composer, his work spans chamber music, film, and large-scale projects, often blending narrative elements with stylistic versatility.
Henderson is the recipient of a New York Foundation for the Arts award and a winner of the Tribeca New Music National Composers Competition. His music reflects a dynamic and genre-fluid voice shaped by a broad and deeply collaborative artistic practice. He is currently on the artist faculty at NYU, the Longy School of Music, and has taught at the University of Iowa.
To learn more about Josh, visit joshhendersonmusic.com
Rain, Sleet, Gloom & Heat is a mostly instrumental ballad inspired by the deeds of Mary Fields (also known as Stagecoach Mary), the first African-American woman to work for the U.S. Postal Service. These days, I am continually amazed by the fact that one can place a piece of paper in a box in New York City and in mere days it can arrive at a residence in San Francisco.; Imagining someone delivering packages and messages in the 19th century is absolutely mind-blowing.
The title is a lift from the U.S. Postal Service Creed ("Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds") and the music depicts a fantastical fictionalized journey of Mary Fields among the harrowing Montana wilderness through the sounds of the quartet and the accompanying esoteric poem that is spoken and sung by the performers.
Single: As Snow Falls,I search for your eyes amongst All the strangers of this city ~ Aftab Darvishi
MoVE Premieres
Have you ever seen a familiar face in a crowd, rushed toward it, only to realize you were mistaken? As Snow Falls captures that fleeting moment — the spark of recognition, the hope, the longing, and the quiet shift of emotions that follows.
As Snow Falls, I search for your eyes amongst All the strangers of this city ~ Aftab Darvishi
About Aftab Darvishi (b.1987)
Aftab Darvishi is a composer whose work spans concert music, film, and interdisciplinary collaborations, often drawing on diverse cultural and musical traditions. Born in Tehran and based in Europe, her music reflects a deeply personal voice shaped by cross-cultural influences and a sensitivity to timbre and texture.
Her work has been performed internationally by ensembles including Kronos Quartet, BBC Singers, and Cappella Amsterdam, and has been featured in major festivals across Europe. She is the recipient of the Tenso Young Composers Award and has participated in numerous international residencies.
Darvishi’s music is noted for its emotional resonance and its ability to move fluidly between traditions, creating sound worlds that are both intimate and expansive. Her debut album A Thousand Butterflies is available on 30 M Records.
To learn more about Aftab, visit aftabdarvishi.com
“When composing, I thought of Carolyn, Livia, Janet, and Lina. Their characters and their sounds, their individuality, and the cohesion they create when playing together. They gave life to the piece in ways that extended beyond what I had imagined.”
- Aftab Darvishi
Justine Leichtling's "The Violin Maker of Cremona"
performed by MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble)
The Violin Maker of Cremona tells the story of Filippo, the most talented apprentice of local instrument maker Taddeo Ferrari. Filippo is hopelessly in love with Ferrari’s daughter, Giannina, yet she only has eyes for Sandro, another apprentice who returns her affection. When Ferrari announces a contest whose prize is his daughter’s hand in marriage, the story takes some twists and turns, ultimately leaving Filippo with the question: what would you do for love?
About Composer Justine Leichtling:
Brooklyn-based composer and violinist Justine Leichtling creates music that lives at the intersection of emotion, memory, and perception. Informed by her work as a psychologist, her compositions explore the liminal space between inner and outer worlds—where feeling precedes language, and sound gives shape to what is otherwise unseen. Her recent work, Stand Clear of the Doors, a multimedia piece for piano trio, traces a passage from confinement toward release, both physical and emotional.
MoVE is thrilled to release their debut album, MoVE Premieres, with Phenotypic Records in 2026. This double album features twelve world-premiere commissions recorded in the San Francisco area at Schumann Music Studio and Skywalker Sound, as well as Zinober Concert Hall at University of South Florida and Stanford University’s CCRMA.
SHOP
MUSIC WITH A MISSION
at Phenotypic Recordings
Proceeds from sales of this recording project will be donated to the Sarah Gibson Foundation to support Sarah’s legacy of developing the next generation of musical voices.
For information about the foundation, visit sarahgibsonfoundation.org
