Songs of the Seafarer

Arpeggione’s first album recording

We need your help to make it to shore!

Songs of the Seafarer began in 2023, as a tribute to Gloucester’s 400+ years of maritime heritage. So many listeners have asked us to record this music, it's become clear: Songs of the Seafarer resonates far beyond the North Shore. 

We’ve gathered music inspired by the ocean, fishing, and voyages, always returning to the sea as a mirror for the vastness of human existence. Anchored by Arnold Schoenberg’s arrangement of Mahler’s Songs of a Wayfarer, the album brings together nine of Arpeggione’s instrumentalists with guest vocalists Aurora Martin, soprano, and Will Prapestis, baritone. The disc also features new arrangments including Mendelssohn’s Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage, Schubert Lieder, and more. 

Arpeggione is a 501(c)3 organization, and your donation is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. You will also be helping us fulfill our mission of building community through joyful, accessible, immersive chamber music performances. With your support, Songs of the Seafarer will carry this music far beyond our shore—like a letter to the sea, and to anyone who’s ever listened to its call.

Songs of the Seafarer is rooted in the tradition of the early 20th-century musical salon. Arpeggione’s in-house arranger, Thomas Carroll, draws from each composer’s own orchestration techniques to preserve their unique voice in chamber form. Our musicians bring these tailor-made works to life, much as Schoenberg’s colleagues did in his Society for Private Musical Performances. Performed on historical instruments, this album offers clarity, intimacy, and deep insight into beloved repertoire.

Chamber arrangements are at the heart of Arpeggione’s mission, allowing us to bring orchestral masterpieces to people who might not otherwise be able to experience them live. This historical approach allows us to bring beloved masterpieces to senior centers, school gymnasiums, libraries, and more. This recording will expand our reach even further.