This new release from the Blue Cloud label presents brand new arrangements of six works by Maurice Ravel, reimagined for cello by John-Henry Crawford. Familiar titles are heard in fresh textures and sound worlds, offering a more immediate, atmospheric take on Ravel's music while staying true to its lyrical core.

The first four tracks were released in 2025 as part of Ravel's anniversary year, with pianist Rieko Tsuchida as collaborator. Together, Crawford and Tsuchida bring clarity and warmth to these arrangements, allowing the cello to move fluidly between melody, colour, and storytelling.

Crawford brings a strong track record as both performer and arranger, with previous projects including large-scale works for multiple cellos and collaborations for eight cellos with harp, created with harpist Katy Wong. This album continues that creative strand, focusing on imagination, texture, and accessibility.

Produced by multi-Grammy-award-winning producer Silas Brown, the release forms part of a wider series with accompanying video content and a complete visual companion available on release. Themes of childhood, memory, fantasy, and the mystical run throughout, inviting listeners into a vivid and approachable re-imagining of Ravel.

John-Henry Crawford, cello @cellocrawford
Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, cellist John-Henry Crawford has been lauded for his “polished charisma” and “singing sound” (Philadelphia Inquirer). In 2019, he won First Prize in the IX International Carlos Prieto Cello Competition and was named Young Artist of the Year by the Classical Recording Foundation, and in 2021, he was named the National Federation of Music Clubs' 2021–2023 Young Artist in Strings. In 2023 he made his Carnegie Hall debut as the inaugural recipient of the American Recital Debut Award.

His albums with Steinway pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion have accrued over 3 million streams. Corazón: The Music of Latin America (Orchid Classics – June 2022) reached #5 on the Billboard Classical Charts in its first week and was selected as Editor's Choice in Gramophone Magazine. Crawford's debut album Dialogo (Orchid Classics – June 2021) and Voice of Rachmaninoff (Orchid Classics – June 2023) appeared on the Billboard Top 10 Classical chart, and his debut concerto album featuring Dvořák and Tchaikovsky (Orchid Classics) was released in the summer of 2024. Gramophone Magazine wrote, “There's such a rich variety of colour, touch and texture, and as much vulnerability as dramatic intensity… A splendidly satisfying recital on all counts.”

At age 15, Crawford was accepted into the Curtis Institute of Music, later completing a Master of Music at The Juilliard School, and an Artist Diploma at the Manhattan School of Music. Other major mentors have been cellists such as Lynn Harrell, Hans Jorgen Jensen, Zuill Bailey, and Andres Diaz. He has given concerts in 25 states as well as Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, France, Germany, Mexico, and Switzerland at venues such as The International Concert Series of the Louvre in Paris and Volkswagen's Die Gläserne Manufaktur in Dresden. Crawford gave his concerto debut with The Philadelphia Orchestra as First Prize Winner of the orchestra's Greenfield Competition.

Crawford commands a strong Instagram presence, attracting tens of thousands of viewers to his project #The1000DayJourney, where for three years he filmed artistic cinematic videos daily from his practice and performances for over 50,000 followers (@cellocrawford) to give a glimpse into the working process of a musician.

Crawford's numerous competition prizes also include Grand Prize and First Prize Cellist at the 2015 American String Teachers National Solo Competition, the Lynn Harrell Competition of the Dallas Symphony, the Hudson Valley Competition, and the Kingsville International Competition. He has competed in the Tchaikovsky and Queen Elisabeth competitions and was accepted at the prestigious Verbier Academy in Switzerland. John-Henry Crawford has also been a fellow at Music@Menlo, the Perlman Chamber Music Program, Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico, the National Arts Centre's Zukerman Young Artist Program in Canada, and The Fontainebleau School in France.

Crawford is from a musical family and performs on a rare 200-year-old European cello smuggled out of Austria by his grandfather, Dr. Robert Popper, who evaded Kristallnacht in 1938, and a fine French bow by the revolutionary bowmaker Tourte “L'Aîné” from 1790. In addition to music, he enjoys learning languages, performing magic tricks, and photography.

Rieko Tsuchida, piano @rieko_tsuchida
Since making her Carnegie Hall debut in 2011, prize-winning pianist Rieko Tsuchida has performed internationally as a soloist and a chamber musician. Tsuchida made her professional concerto debut performing Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1 with the California Symphony. She has also performed as a soloist with the Ashdod Symphonic Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, and San Domenico Orchestra. Her many prizes include the SONY USA Foundation Grant in 2016 from the Salon de Virtuosi, YoungArts NFAA Finalist, and 3rd Prize in the IIYM International Piano Competition. She has also been invited to perform at other prestigious festivals and venues such as the Verbier Festival Academy, Salle Gaveau, and more.

Tsuchida currently lives between New York and Paris. In Paris, her ensemble IMAGO is Ensemble-in-Residence at the Fondation des États-Unis and regularly performs and commissions new works by living composers. Ms. Tsuchida also serves as Co-Artistic Director of Classical Music Collection Japan (CMCJ), a project funded by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government to promote the classical music culture of Japan. She made her concert debut in Japan with CMCJ in January 2024 in Tokyo's Oji Hall. Recent performance highlights include her recital debut at Salle Cortot and the Eiffel Tower. This season she will present concerts in China, Japan, France, Armenia, and across the United States.

Tsuchida earned her Bachelor of Music Degree at the Peabody Conservatory under the tutelage of Boris Slutsky. She completed her Master of Music Degree at The Juilliard School in the studios of Dr. Matti Raekallio and Joseph Kalichstein.

Katy Wong, harp @katyharp
Award-winning harpist Katy Wong is an international performer, music educator, artist entrepreneur and public speaker. A versatile musician with a repertoire spanning across pop, indie, and classical, she has performed at New York Fashion Week three times and been featured in Vogue Magazine, NBC News, Harper's Bazaar, and SPIN. Her orchestral performances and global premieres have brought her to some of the most prestigious concert halls in the world, including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center.

Katy has had the privilege of performing solo for international movie star Jackie Chan, supermodel Miranda Kerr, and pop star Katy Perry in the studio and on-stage. Performance highlights include the wedding of NFL player Devon Still at the New York Public Library, ceremonies for the US Secretary of Transportation, Governors of New York and California, and solo recital for the annual Berggruen Prize Gala. She has also performed at notable venues such as The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller's Rainbow Room, 620 Loft & Garden, The Harvard Club, The Yale Club, The Plaza Hotel, Frick Madison, and “The Godfather” mansion in Los Angeles. She was selected to perform at the World Harp Congress in Sydney, Australia as the US representative for Focus on Youth.

As an artist entrepreneur, Katy has been invited as a guest speaker at Columbia University, School of the Art Institute of Chicago, and Montclair State University, and interviewed in NBC's Feature Story and podcast The Tao of Self-Confidence. As an advocate for educational outreach, Katy is an instructor for young harpists ages 4–20 through the Paramus Community Music Program. She is a former recipient of the Gluck Community Service Fellowship and Libbey Davis and Genevieve Hustead Scholarships.

Her solo performances have taken prizes at the Nippon International Harp Competition (Japan), Dutch International Harp Competition (Netherlands), Anne Adams Awards Competition (U.S.), and International Young Artist Competition (U.S.). Katy has been invited to appear as guest harpist with the New Jersey Symphony and Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and worked with world-class music directors including Alan Gilbert and Robert Spano. She was selected to attend the prestigious Aspen Music Festival for two consecutive summers.

As a former competitive figure skater and medalist in the U.S. Junior National Championships in Salt Lake City, Katy enjoys coaching young skaters at New York's Wollman Rink and Chelsea Piers. Her original film Heart Strings was featured in NYC's Popup Film Festival and selected as an official finalist in the Katra Film Series.

Katy is represented by Elan Artists in New York, NY and currently maintains a private harp studio. She holds her BM from The Juilliard School where she studied with New York Philharmonic principal, Nancy Allen.