LISTEN! HEAR HER VOICE -- these works are stories told by women. Some stories are enhanced by the composers' narratives but all of the works have titles and sounds that stir the imagination. These works and their stories span more than a century of creative output and represent diverse cultures in America, Europe and Asia, with each work reflecting its time, place, and totality of experience --Her Voice. The expressions by these women have provided and continue to provide inspiration for all voices needing to be heard. Let us celebrate these eight and their leadership in our society and in our musical world! 

Many releases highlighting women composers have appeared in recent years. What distinguishes the latest one from violinist Laura Kobayashi and pianist Susan Keith Gray (aka The Kobayashi/Gray Duo) isn't therefore its programming concept but instead the specific composers featured. The musical partners have made inspired choices in coupling works by living composers Nicky Sohn, Angela Elizabeth Slater, Rhian Samuel, and Gwyneth Rollin with ones by Florence Price, Ethel Barns, Borghild Holmsen, and Hilda Jerea. Adding considerably to the release's value is the fact all of the pieces are world premiere recordings. The music of Price has recently received a great deal of attention, so the inclusion of her Three Negro Spirituals, while welcome, isn't all that significant; in featuring material by Barns, Holmsen, and Jerea, however, Kobayashi and Gray have helped to return their names and the work they created to the spotlight....As always, recordings such as Listen! Hear Her Voice succeed or fail depending on two factors, the pieces selected and the renditions thereof. In this case, the programming choices are sound, and the treatments the composers' works receive from Kobayashi and Gray are stellar. The infectious enthusiasm they have for the material and demonstrate in their performances registers loudly and clearly.

Read the full review from Textura, July 2025

The unique backgrounds and narratives of each piece — all of which are world premiere recordings — come together to form an expressive program, uniting the individual works into a cohesive whole that cements and applauds the legacy of women in music.

---musique classique 2, June 25, 2025