“Greek mythology tells us that Apollo set out from the island of Delos every morning with his lyre in hand, bringing light, music and healing to the world. We at Delos share the awareness that our world needs the balm of music.” – Amelia S. Haygood, Delos Founder (1919-2007)
“Delos is the David that will remain standing after Goliath has fallen,” remarked the President of the nationwide Music Personnel Conference during the association’s opening ceremonies in 2001 — a fitting homage to the joyous and indomitable spirit of Delos founder Amelia Haygood. In his tribute to Amelia after her death in 2007, James Jolly of Gramophone wrote: “Her zeal and desire for excellence created a label with a strong personality that not only attracted a host of major performers but which also gained plaudits for its technical excellence (John Eargle, Delos’s Director of Recording, won a Grammy in 2001 for Sound Engineering).”
Amelia was a pioneer at heart, and that pioneering spirit characterized the major developments at Delos for over three decades. In a letter she wrote at the time of Delos’ 30th Anniversary, she reminisced about “running around the country with my LP-size briefcase, hand-carrying samples of our first releases to new friends and acquaintances in press, radio and retail. Some said I was foolish; some said I was brave. But most everyone was interested in the idea of a label formed to give outstanding American artists an international platform.”
Through the next decades she provided a platform for some of the most honored names in classical music, and kept Delos at the forefront of new sound technology. In 1979 Delos became a leader in digital recording when Amelia got together with another pioneer, scientist/inventor Thomas Stockham and his prototype Soundstream Digital Recorder. Participating in these history-making digital recordings were, among others, Gerard Schwarz, the New York and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestras, David Shifrin, Eugene Ormandy and the Philadelphia Orchestra, Arleen Auger, Janos Starker, Susann McDonald. In those early digital years I became guardian to a noble Bösendorfer Imperial Concert Grand, which sang into the microphone for us over many years to come.
Recording guru John Eargle, who wrote the bibles on sound recording, joined the team as Delos’ Director of Recording and beloved mentor to Delos’ younger engineers until his death in 2007.
-Carol Rosenberger
Virtually every major audio publication worldwide has recognized Delos for the highest achievement in quality recording:
“Delos, long a leader in audiophile-quality recordings” The New York Times
“Delos’s recordings are truly demonstration standard.” Gramophone
“Some of the most consistently satisfying CD sound comes from independent labels such as Delos, which watch over the production of their discs like anxious mothers.” New York Magazine
“Thank God for small companies like Delos, with its pursuit of excellence.” Stereo Review
“Models of the art – wide dynamics, great orchestral definition, depth and ambience.” Audio
“The DVD Spectacular is, bar none, the most realistic and lifelike 5.1 channel recording I’ve heard to date…this disc is a glimpse of the audio future…” Stereo Review
“If this recording is the wave of the audio future, get me a surfboard right now.” The Sensible Sound