This project consists of two parts. The first part of this project is a professional-level recording of three song cycles, each by American composers, performed by pianist Scott Santoro and me. The song cycles selected for this project are by composers Richard Burke (1947-2014), Libby Larsen (b. 1951), and Debra Kaye (b. 1956). The second part of this project describes each work, presents biographical information about each composer and poet, and discusses each work’s historical context and compositional inspirations. Two of the song cycles are written by composers whose works have not been widely recorded. The third is by a well-known composer with an established discography. The Lost Hours by Richard Burke and Slants of Light by Debra Kaye are both written for baritone and piano, and neither has been commercially recorded. Libby Larsen, on the other hand, is one of America’s most performed living composers and is widely celebrated in vocal music for her contributions to American art song and operatic literature. The Peculiar Case of Dr. H. H. Holmes for baritone and prepared piano was commissioned in 2009 by Dickson College for the Florestan Recital Project, and received its premiere on March 5, 2010. Recording this piece presented an invaluable opportunity to learn about and experience the process of preparing and performing with a prepared piano.