Violinist James Lyon Releases "Turning" Album
- BuzzSlayers
- 13 hours ago
- 2 min read
When James Lyon touches a violin, people listen; he can turn a phrase or a tune like few others. So, after a long career teaching at Penn State, it is high time he had a solo album to his credit: Turning is a deeply personal collection of works that celebrates his 35-year tenure at the institution.
The title Turning carries multiple meanings for Lyon, reflecting both transition and opportunity. “For well over three decades, I have been taking my turn being a professor of violin,” Lyon explains. “What an opportunity I have had to make music with colleagues and to perform works written by those in my orbit here. And what a happy obligation I feel to share some of the terrific music I have had the privilege of being associated with during my long tenure.”
Rather than seeking a common musical thread, Lyon invites listeners to “turn with me from one composer’s signature style to that of another, enjoying the variety.” The album includes works ranging from a rediscovered American gem to newly commissioned pieces by composers connected to Penn State, both profs and students.
The program opens with Albert Spalding’s Sonata in E for Violin Solo, a virtuosic work by the celebrated American violinist—and nephew of baseball hall-of-famer Albert Goodwill Spalding—that Lyon discovered in a box of donated sheet music. Bruce Trinkley’s lyrical Courtyard Tango follows, inspired by a poem by Emily Grosholz.
Baljinder Sekhon’s meditative Praying Alone, composed during a period of solitude in 2008, explores the distinction between solitary and communal prayer. The album’s title track, Turning, was written for Lyon by his student Nalah Palmer, who describes the idea of triumphing over depression as “turning corners.” Carolina Heredia’s Déjate Caer (“let yourself fall”), the album’s sole work with electronic accompaniment, takes its inspiration from Argentine poet Alejandra Pizarnik.
Praised as “a dramatic violin soloist,” James Lyon’s distinguished career includes performances for Queen Noor of Jordan, at Venice’s Teatro La Fenice, and at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall. He has presented masterclasses at the Central Conservatory of Music in Beijing, the Victorian College of the Arts in Melbourne, and the Paris Conservatory. Prior to his Penn State appointment, Lyon was a member of the celebrated Harrington Quartet.
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