The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestra will celebrate the release of its first CD on Thursday, December 17, from 5 to 7 p.m., in the lobby of the Michigan Theater, 603 East Liberty Street. The public is welcome. The album has been available digitally since September, but is just now being released on CD.

Distributed on the internationally acclaimed Naxos label, the recording consists of three works by American composer Paul Fetler that were featured in live performances by the A2SO in recent seasons. Fetler will be on hand Thursday to sign copies of the recording, joined by the A2SO’s music director, Maestro Arie Lipsky; concertmaster Aaron Berofsky, the soloist in the Violin Concerto No. 2; and Ann Arbor poet and attorney Thomas Blaske, the narrator of "3 Poems by Walt Whitman." CDs will be on sale at the event, courtesy of Borders.

“To work with Aaron, Tom and Arie was a pleasure,” Fetler said in a press release. “We understood each other in every aspect — and the audience was with us. Small details and adjustments were made in the rehearsals, resulting in a moving and memorable performance.”

The suggested retail price for the CD is $10.99, and starting today it should be available for purchase at Borders, Barnes & Noble and the A2SO office, 220 East Huron, Suite 470.

This is the first CD devoted exclusively to Fetler’s music. The composer, after spending his early years in Europe, trained in the U.S. and currently holds the position of professor emeritus at the University of Minnesota.