Miró Quartet to Release New Holiday Album 'Hearth'

On Friday, November 28, 2025, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated Miró Quartet will release a new holiday album, Hearth, on PENTATONE. The recording brings together new arrangements of In Dulci Jubilo, by Clarice Assad; The First Noël, by Kevin Puts; Jingle Bells, by Michi Wiancko; I Wonder as I Wander, by Reena Esmail; Deck the Halls, by Karl Mitze; Ma'oz Tzur (Rock of Ages), by Sam Lipman; In the Bleak Midwinter, by Alex Berko; Mother's Lullaby, by Anna Clyne; Wexford Carol (Carúl Loch Garman), by Jeff Scott; halfspent (lo, how a rose...), by Gabriel Kahane; O Come, All Ye Faithful, by Michael Begay; Dejlig er Den Himmel Blå (Oh How Beautiful the Sky), by Paola Prestini; We Three, by Derrick Skye; Silent Night, by Joel Love; Songs of Christmas Past, by Hyung-ki Joo.

In curating this album, Miró asked each participating composer to select a piece linked to his or her own heritage and personal associations, yielding an eclectic mix of Medieval melodies, merry holiday classics, Texas fiddle music, West African rhythms, and beyond. 

This is the Miró Quartet's fourth album on PENTATONE, following its recording of Beethoven's Complete String Quartets (2019), the GRAMMY-nominated Home (2024), and Ginastera String Quartets (2025). Miró has also independently released multiple celebrated recordings for a variety of global labels, earning a 2024 GRAMMY nomination for Best Choral Performance for House of Belonging, created in collaboration with Austin-based choral group Conspirare.

Hearth Tracklist

1. In Dulci Jubilo - Traditional German carol (14th century) (arr. Clarice Assad) [3:23]

2. The First Noël - Traditional English carol (first published 1823) (arr. Kevin Puts) [3:02]

3. Jingle Bells - James Lord Pierpont (1857) (arr. Michi Wiancko) [3:32]

4. I Wonder as I Wander - Appalachian folk song, adapted by John Jacob Niles (1933) (arr. Reena Esmail) [3:17]

5. Deck the Halls - Traditional Welsh tune ("Nos Galan") (arr. Karl Mitze) [5:04]

6. Ma'oz Tzur (Rock of Ages) - Traditional Hebrew hymn (lyrics from 13th century; melody from 17th-century German sources) (arr. Sam Lipman) [5:11]

7. In the Bleak Midwinter - Christina Rossetti (lyrics, 1872) / Gustav Holst (music, 1906) (arr. Alex Berko) [5:10]

8. Mother's Lullaby - Traditional English carol ("Coventry Carol") (16th century) (arr. Anna Clyne) [5:28] [5:28]

9. Wexford Carol (Carúl Loch Garman) - Traditional Irish carol (possibly 12th century) (arr. Jeff Scott) [5:59]

10. halfspent (lo, how a rose...) - Based on "Es ist ein Ros entsprungen" (Traditional German carol, 16th century), harmonized by Michael Praetorius (1609) (arr. Gabriel Kahane) [4:45]

11. O Come, All Ye Faithful - Attributed to John Francis Wade (18th century) (arr. Michael Begay) [2:44]

12. Dejlig er Den Himmel Blå (Oh How Beautiful the Sky) - Lyrics by N.F.S. Grundtvig (1810), melody by Jacob Gerhard Meidell (1842) (arr. Paola Prestini) [6:28]

13. We Three - Based on "We Three Kings" by John Henry Hopkins Jr. (1857) (arr. Derrick Skye) [3:53]

14. Silent Night - Franz Xaver Gruber (music), Joseph Mohr (lyrics), 1818 (arr. Joel Love) [3:07]

15. Songs of Christmas Past - Hyung-ki Joo (original composition) [8:23]

About Miró Quartet

Marking its 30th anniversary in 2025, The Miró Quartet has performed on the world's most prestigious concert stages. Since 2003, Miró has served as the quartet-in-residence at the University of Texas at Austin Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music.

The Miró Quartet's newest album, a recording of Ginastera's complete String Quartets, was released on PENTATONE in July 2025. Among its many previous recordings for a variety of global labels, the quartet was nominated for a 2025 GRAMMY Award for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance for its album Home (PENTATONE, 2024) featuring two new commissions by Kevin Puts and Caroline Shaw, as well as works by George Walker and Samuel Barber. It was also nominated for a 2024 GRAMMY Award for its album House of Belonging, created in collaboration with Austin-based choral group Conspirare.

The quartet's recent and upcoming projects include Here on Earth with pianist Lara Downes, the premiere of a new version of Kevin Puts' Credo, and collaborations with composers Steven Banks, Tamar-Kali, and Gabriel Kahane, as well as soprano Karen Slack and the Isadore Quartet.