Maria Newman's Art of the Chamber Orchestra: Book II opens with Lux Aeterna - Concerto for Solo Violin & String Orchestra. Commissioned by violinist Carrie Rehkopf for the Icicle Creek Music Center in 2001, Lux Aeterna was written in the memory of violinist Elise Christiansen. The piece had its premiere at the Icicle Creek Music Center with the Icicle Creek Festival Orchestra, under the direction of Ms. Newman and with Ms. Rehkopf acting as Violin Soloist. The recording on this album features the work of the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of maestro Scott Hosfeld, with Carrie Rehkopf acting as Violin Soloist. 

Shirat Hayam - Extols for Tenor, String Orchestra, & Harp was commissioned by the Los Angeles Jewish Symphony and is dedicated to conductor Noreen Green and Cantor Marcelo Gindlin, of the Malibu Jewish Center. "Shirat Hayam," translated as "Song of the Sea," is a famous poem appearing in the Book of Exodus of the Hebrew Bible. It is sung by the Israelites after the crossing of the Red Sea and expresses joy at their liberation from Egypt, and looks to the future of their people. On this album, the vocal line is sung by tenor George Stern of the Los Angeles Opera and Los Angeles Master Chorale. This work also features the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra, under the baton of maestro Scott Hosfeld. 

Le livre d'Esther - Four Tone Poems for String Orchestra is performed by the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Scott Hosfeld. Translated as "The Book of Esther," this four movement piece tells the story of Esther, a Hebrew woman in Persia who becomes queen and uses her station to thwart a pogrom against the Jewish people. 

Trinitas et Unitas - Concerto for Three Violins, Soprano, and String Orchestra rounds out this album, with performances by Canadian soprano Melanie Conley, Maria Newman, Tarn Travers, and Steven Zander on violin, and the Malibu Coast Chamber Orchestra under the baton of Maestro Scott Hosfeld.