Violinist Yvonne Lam's New Album, “Watch Over Us”

Released on Blue Griffin Records, the album includes compositions for solo violin and electronics by living women composers

GRAMMY award-winner and former Eighth Blackbird Violinist Yvonne Lam released her first solo album, "Watch Over Us," featuring works for violin and electronics by Anna Clyne, Eve Beglarian, Kate Moore, Katherine Balch, Missy Mazzoli, and the world premiere recording of a work by Nathalie Joachim.

The recording’s title composition, “Watch Over Us” by Yvonne Lam’s Eighth Blackbird colleague Nathalie Joachim, was originally intended as a documentary film score. Though the film itself was never created, Lam said her premiere performance of the work, along with “other works for solo violin and electronics by remarkable women” inspired this album.

“Even though I am the only live performer in each piece, it never feels like a solo,” writes Lam in the liner notes. “I actually feel that I am in a way per­forming with the composer, who created the fixed media part exactly to their taste.”

The other pieces on the album include Missy Mazzoli's Tooth and Nail, Katherine Balch's Apartment Sounds, Anna Clyne's Rest These Hands, Eve Beglarian's Well-Spent, and Kate Moore's Synaesthesia Suite.

Lam performs the title track, "Watch Over Us," below

To purchase and listen to the album, click here.

GRAMMY Award-winning violinist Yvonne Lam has appeared as a soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Pacific Symphony, the Auckland Philharmonia, and the American Youth Symphony. She was the violinist/violist and Co-Artistic Director of the contemporary ensemble Eighth Blackbird for eight years and commissioned and premiered major works by composers such as Steve Reich, David Lang, Nico Muhly, and Bryce Dessner.

In addition to winning top prizes at international competitions including the Michael Hill World Violin Competition, the Liana Issakadze Violin Competition, and the Holland-America Music Society Competition, Ms. Lam served three seasons as Assistant Concertmaster of the Washington National Opera Orchestra.

Ms. Lam is an Assistant Professor of Violin and Coordinator of Chamber Music at Michigan State University. She received her Bachelor of Music from the Curtis Institute of Music and her Master of Music from the Juilliard School.