Here at PARMA, we’re known for getting into the spirit of our projects, and holiday themes are no exception. Between DASHING, the multi-composer release filled with Christmas tunes extending across time and ages, and CZECH AND MORAVIAN CHRISTMAS CAROLS with Jan Jirásek and his JITRO Children’s Choir, we have had our share of holiday celebrations. This past July, however, we celebrated early, and with no small name in the music world.
Within our full summer session schedule in Croatia this year, CEO Bob Lord and our team were entrusted with a task fit for PARMA: recording an orchestral backtrack for an upcoming album by 12-time Grammy winner CeCe Winans. Now that Ms. Winans’ Christmas collection titled Something’s Happening! is available to listeners, we’re revisiting the experience in Croatia with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra, the recording ensemble for Winans’ latest release.
Nashville-based CeCe Winans is the best-selling female gospel artist of all time, having sold over 12 million records worldwide and winning 12 Grammy Awards to date during her career. With plans set for her latest album to ring in the 2018 holiday season, Ms. Winans’ production team wanted to add extra power to her performance—and what better way to do that than with a full orchestra? For this job, PARMA Recordings was called on to plan, contract, and produce the sessions with the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra. Having just completed successful sessions with the Zagreb Philharmonic, who recorded for Croatian composer and dear PARMA friend Matej Meštrović, we were more than happy to work with this talented ensemble once again.
PARMA CEO Bob Lord (left) with Session Engineer Jan Košulič
Together with our friends, Session Engineer Jan Košulič and Assistant Engineer Maroš Hlatký, Bob and team took part in directing the session, bringing each piece to its fullest potential. In all, the session, which covered classic Christmas melodies such as Silent Night and O Come, O Come, Emmanuel, saw a successful couple days of recording with the Zagreb Philharmonic. PARMA is pleased to have made this recording project possible—the results of which are now available to the listening world.
To listen to the fine work done by the Zagreb Philharmonic Orchestra behind the beauty of CeCe Winans’ powerful voice, check out Something’s Happening! and enjoy as we head towards the holiday season!
