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All we are given we cannot hold is a fourteen-track musical journey from composer David Biedenbender that encourages the listener to ponder the fleeting beauty of life. With it, he brings to life a recording years in the making that meets one of his main goals as an artist. 

“One of my primary motivations as a composer is to share my experiences – what I see and hear in the world, a meditation on things that I find beautiful and interesting – in the hopes that it might inspire or connect emotionally or intellectually with listeners,” said Biedenbender, associate professor of composition in the Michigan State University College of Music.  

Supported by an MSU Humanities and Arts Research Program (HARP) Grant, the album’s path from inception to release was tumultuous, with the recording timeline altered significantly by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, these delays proved an unseen benefit – a newfound artistic clarity along with the creation of another new work for the album. “The newest piece, all we are given we cannot hold, was written in 2022 and was not part of the original proposal from 2018, but it became the title work and the thread that bound the whole thing together,” he said. “It also shifted the album more toward vocal music.” 

For Biedenbender, close collaboration – connecting with performers as well as audiences – lies at the heart of his artistic work. He has developed relationships with the musicians on this album over many years, including MSU alumna Lindsay Kesselman, soprano, and Jeanette Fang, pianist from the Garth Newel Piano Quartet. Former MSU music faculty member Midori Koga and MSU alum Kim Cole Luevano, both of the HAVEN Trio, are also among the artists on the new album. “It was through Lindsay and Jeannette that I met all of the other performers and ensembles, and I am so grateful to count these amazing musicians as friends and collaborators.”

The vocal music on the album sets poetry by Robert Fanning, professor of creative writing at Central Michigan University, Biedenbender’s undergraduate alma mater. Years ago, their meeting signaled the start of an ongoing professional collaboration that would become a driving force for the new album. “Meeting Robert was a watershed moment for me artistically, and Robert and I have been good friends ever since,” Biedenbender said. “Since then we have worked together on a handful of other projects, and I look forward to many more collaborations with him.”

All we are given we cannot hold, a recording on the Blue Griffin label, is available now on all streaming platforms and on bluegriffin.com.