“Natalie Draper only turned to composing for organ in the last five years but, with encouragement from Anne Laver, she asserts herself well with the instrument and a distinctive voice emerges through the pieces on this album. Her post-minimalist style is captivating for being on the one hand experimental and, on the other, engaging and perhaps even grounded in the energy of folk music. The title track Interlaced ably demonstrates Draper’s ability to blur the boundaries between the sounds of different instruments and the sounds within an organ itself. The enchanting four Pattern dances rely on effects possible with old mechanical action organs. The titles, including Tiptoe and Spin, reveal that these were pieces written with choreographed dance in mind. To conclude, Draper weaves an entreating tapestry of sound to set Yeat’s poem Cloths of heaven for choir, organ and soloists.”
—Rupert Gough, Choir & Organ, ****
INTERLACED: EIGHT NEW WORKS, THREE PIPE ORGANS, ONE REMARKABLE COLLABORATION
Six years in the making, composer Natalie Draper and organist Anne Laver bring together a community of collaborators in a debut portrait album that transforms the organ from a solo instrument into a creative partner.
RELEASE SCHEDULE
June 5, 2026 — EP 1
1. Interlaced (with William Knuth, violin)
2. Prayer (from Three Meditations for Organ)
3. Out of the Depths (with Heather Buchman, trombone)
June 23, 2026 — EP 2
1. Cloths of Heaven (with Ashley Vance, soprano, and the Hendricks Chapel Choir, directed by José “Peppie” Calvar)
June 26, 2026 — Full Album Release
14 track album of world premiere recordings: Interlaced: Music for Organ, et al.
Interlaced: Music for Organ, et al.
by composer Natalie Draper
Anne Laver, organist, et al.
1. Interlaced* with William Knuth, violin 6:43
Pattern Dances
2. I. Pulse 4:35
3. II. Breathe 1:34
4. III. Glide 3:04
5. IV. Tiptoe 2:44
6. V. Spin 3:42
7. Out of the Depths† with Heather Buchman, trombone 5:04
8. Perpetual Motion* 3:11
9. A Study in Breathing: Allein zu dir 8:22
10. Joyful Canons* 2:13
Three Meditations for Organ†
11. I. Alleluia 3:34
12. II. Prayer 3:22
13. III. Amen 2:24
14.Cloths of Heaven* with Ashley Vance, soprano, 4:13
and the Hendricks Chapel Choir of Syracuse University,
directed by José “Peppie” Calvar
*commission supported by the New York State Council on the Arts
†commission supported by the San Francisco Chapter of the American Guild of Organists
Album time: 54:55
Album Release: June 26, 2026
James S. Abbott, audio and mastering engineer
Natalie Draper, session producer
CAT #: APL40731
CD UPC: 198937640731
Recording Venues: Setnor Auditorium, Syracuse University, New York,
on May 20, 2024, December 18, 2024, March 27, 2025, and June 10, 2025;
Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester, New York, on December 2, 2024;
and St. Paul’s Episcopal Cathedral, Syracuse, New York on December 17, 2024.
Links: | Natalie Draper | Anne Laver | Cover | Press Release