number of independent labels from around the world able to offer a challenging mixture of different/off-beat repertoire performed by artists of great musicianship, allied to superior recording technology. The California-based Delos label fits securely into this frame.

Named after the Greek island (the mythical home of Apollo) which had considerable artistic and commercial importance in ancient times, Delos, founded by Amelia S. Haygood in 1973, has been a pioneer in the development of digital recording (starting in 1979) and has nurtured a rich catalogue of American music and beyond. Haygood set Out originally, as she says, "to bring music from America not only to fellow Americans but to listeners overseas as well". One of the more successful results of this policy has been the Delos's Great American composer series (using orchestras such as the Oregon and Seattle Symphonies and conductors as James DePreist and Gerard Schwarz) which this year will see third volumes dedicated to the music of Walter Piston and David Diamond (both with the Seattle Sym

The original philosophy of the label has been updated since to accommodate the placing of American music and American artists on the international stage--exemplified by a new project, using orchestras from Russia in American repertoire (the first will be a disc of symphonic music by Irving Fine with the Moscow Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Joel Spiegelman). Delos's catholicity of choice of music extends also to series such as the King of Instruments (music for organ), Music for Young People, world music, chamber and instrumental repertoire and also and vocal discs (a new recital of Bizet, Massenet and Hahn, entitled "J'aime l'amour" is promised from tenor Vinson Cole).

Delos's commitment as an ambassador of American classical music and musicians takes a new step, as the label enters its twenty-first year with a projected series of historic recordings drawn from The Stanford Archive developed in conjunction with the writer William Moran.