Interchanging Idioms

An interview with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas by Terry Gross will air today on Fresh Air, produced by WHYY-FM and broadcast nationally on NPR stations. Please check here for your local broadcast schedule. This interview precedes the broadcast of two programs featuring Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) on PBS's Great Performances this week. The Thomashefskys: Music and Memories of a Life in the Yiddish Theater, a musical celebration of Yiddish theater pioneers Boris and Bessie Thomashefsky who were MTT's grandparents, will air nationally on Thursday, March 29 at 8PM (check local listings). Recorded in April 2011 at the Frank Gehry-designed New World Center in Miami Beach, this performance of The Thomashefskys is hosted and conducted by MTT and stars Judy Blazer as Bessie Thomashefsky and Shuler Hensley as Boris Thomashefsky. It also features Ronit Widmann-Levy and Eugene Brancoveanu and the New World Symphony. In the Fresh Air interview, MTT talks about this production and ...

SATURDAY, 12/3 6 – 7 pm A Leroy Anderson Christmas WFMT Hosted by conductor Leonard Slatkin and the composer's son Kurt Anderson, the BBC Concert Orchestra performs Leroy Anderson’s Christmas favorites. SUNDAY, 12/4 Noon – 1 pm A Leroy Anderson Christmas WFMT Hosted by conductor Leonard Slatkin and the composer's son Kurt Anderson, the BBC Concert Orchestra performs Leroy Anderson’s Christmas favorites. SATURDAY, 12/10 6 – 7 pm Christmas with the Morehouse and Spelman Glee Clubs NPR The choirs of Morehouse and Spelman Colleges join forces for spirituals, carols, and sacred texts from the Martin Luther King, Jr., International Chapel at Morehouse College in Atlanta. SUNDAY, 12/11 noon- 1 pm Boston Camerata: An American Christmas. WGBH From our Fraser performance studio, The Boston Camerata explores a uniquely American celebration of the season from the ensemble that has pioneered in the rediscovery of American musical roots. 1 – 3 PM ...

"I'm awfully glad to have met Alessio, and I can't wait to hear what he'll bring to the music he plays in the future," wrote Performance Today host Fred Child in "The Poetry and Power of Pianist Alessio Bax," his most recent "Favorite Sessions" blog post for NPR Music (Nov 10). Child isn't Bax's only admirer. In its review of the pianist's new album, Rachmaninov: Preludes & Melodies , the Gramophone magazine praised "the wondrously gifted Alessio Bax," saying, "You would have to have a heart of stone not to be beguiled by Bax's romantic warmth." American Record Guide proclaimed, "This is an outstanding Rachmaninov program... . Bax conquers all with plenty of technique to spare." In September, the pianist returned to the Dallas Symphony to play Mendelssohn's Piano Concerto No. 1 with music director Jaap van Zweden. Styling him "the eloquent pianist Alessio Bax," the Dallas M...

You may find yourself staring at a peculiar poster in New York City subways and on street corners in November. It’s part of WQXR’s viral ad campaign to promote November as “Beethoven Awareness Month” and thus draw attention to classical music and its most famous composer. The “OBEY THOVEN” campaign – inspired by Shepard Fairey’s iconic imagery work – was recently written up by New York Times ’ advertising columnist Stuart Elliott . You can watch a time-elapsed video of the large-scale campaign poster being put up on a building in New York City here . Classical 105.9 FM WQXR is New York City’s sole 24-hour classical music station, presenting new and landmark classical recordings as well as live concerts from the Metropolitan Opera, the New York Philharmonic, and the city’s top venues, immersing listeners in a rich musical life.

Begins Airing Oct 1 Across U.S “Song of America”, a 13-week radio series hosted by renowned American baritone Thomas Hampson, begins airing on October 1 on radio stations across the country, from KMXT-FM in Alaska and KALW-FM in San Francisco to WFIU-FM in Indiana and WFSQ-FM in Florida. More than 140 stations across the country have already committed to airing the series. Reflecting Hampson’s deep passion and decades-long advocacy for the music of his country, “Song of America” reveals American classic song – poetry set to music by American composers – as a vibrant diary of the American experience. Hampson conceived and developed the series, which is co-produced by the Hampsong Foundation and the WFMT Radio Network of Chicago and will be syndicated by the network to public radio stations across the country. The network also makes the series available to members of the European Broadcasting Union and to stations in other countries around the world. Each hour-long program focuses on...

Launch Coincides with Broadcast of NY Phil’s Season-Opening Concert Tonight Classical 105.9 FM WQXR, the nation’s most listened-to classical music station, extends its reach even further with the launch of a new mobile app, available today. This technological advance will give listeners a new way to tune in to the station’s vibrant music programming as well as granting access to WQXR’s wealth of digital-only features. In keeping with the station’s programming hallmark of broadcasting and streaming live from New York City’s concert halls and performance spaces, the app debut coincides with the station’s live broadcast of tonight’s season-opening concert by the New York Philharmonic. The mobile app will give audiences direct access to the broadcast on 105.9 FM and on Q2 Music, WQXR’s online contemporary music stream. The app will also offer all the rich content and features found on www.wqxr.org, including: · real-time and archived radio playlists · archived episodes of destinati...

Kent Tritle to Lead The Cathedral Choir of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in its First Public Performance Under His Direction at The Greene Space at WQXR with “Music of Reflection and Resilience” on Friday, September 9 at 7pm To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the events of September 11, 2001, WQXR will present a range of live events, broadcast specials and web exclusives that harness the power of music to comfort, heal and uplift. On FRIDAY, SEPTEMEBER 9 at 7pm, WQXR will present “Music of Reflection and Resilience: The Cathedral Choir of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine,” the choir’s first public performance under the direction of the renowned Kent Tritle, at The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, WQXR’s intimate and acoustically superior live event venue. Tritle, the newly appointed music director at the Cathedral of St. John the Divine and host of The Choral Mix with Kent Tritle on WQXR, will lead the professional Cathedral Choir in a progr...

Martha Bonta, a classical music administrator with wide-ranging experience in classical music programming and management, has been named Executive Producer, Live Events and Special Programming, announced WQXR Vice President Graham Parker today. In this role, Bonta will be responsible for shaping WQXR’s extensive live broadcasts, including the groundbreaking series ‘Carnegie Hall Live,’ season-long partnerships with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, and Met Opera, as well as distinctive relationships with the Frick Collection, Le Poisson Rouge and Merkin Concert Hall. In The Jerome L. Greene Performance Space – WQXR's innovative multiplatform live event venue – Bonta will envision a diverse range of live events, festivals and artist residencies with emerging and popular classical artists. In collaboration with the Executive Producer of The Greene Space, Bonta will execute community programming that immerses the live studio audience, as well as an online audi...

Station to Present First Live Video Webcast of Festival on August 8 at www.wqxr.org/q2 All-Mozart Webstream, Special Performances and Live Broadcasts Offered All Month Long at www.wqxr.org Throughout the month of August, Classical 105.9 FM WQXR will celebrate MOSTLY MOZART FESTIVAL’s 45th season with an array of interviews, live radio broadcasts and online web exclusives. On Tuesday, August 2 at 8pm, WQXR – New York’s sole dedicated classical station – will kick off MOSTLY MOZART with WQXR hosts Jeff Spurgeon and Terrance McKnight. The opening night concert, featuring Mostly Mozart Festival Orchestra conducted by Louis Langrée, will be presented from Avery Fisher Hall and complemented by interviews with Langrée, Christian Tetzlaff (Violin), Antoine Tamestit (Viola) and Susanna Phillips (Soprano). (full broadcast schedule below) Q2, WQXR’s webstream dedicated to new music, will also take part in the festivities, offering a live video webcast for the first time in MOSTLY MOZART...

Full Scope of Liszt’s Compositional Output is Explored with Both New and Catalog Releases October 22, 2011 will mark the 200th anniversary of the birth of composer, pianist, conductor and teacher Franz Liszt. The celebrations have already started with a number of concerts and new recordings and they will continue throughout the year. Deutsche Grammophon & Decca pay tribute both with a host of new recordings as well as the revival of many catalog gems. In addition, a number of online resources will launch starting with www.Liszt200.com . Decca started the celebration with Harmonies du Soir , Nelson Freire’s all-new recording of selections of Liszt’s solo piano music. Released on May 17th, the album has already received critical acclaim: “…what he does is so beautiful, he seems the return of some great master, someone like Josef Hoffman, in how he combines an exquisite touch — every note is a drop of gold — with great discipline and muscular solidity.” ( Boston Globe ) The al...

Five superlative ensembles headline “Trout Week: A WQXR Chamber Festival,” on April 2-8, presented by WQXR, New York City’s classical station. Inspired by one of the chamber repertoire’s most beloved pieces, Schubert’s “Trout” Quintet, and with a sly nod to the Discovery Channel’s “Shark Week”, the festival showcases the passion, intensity and emotional richness of one of classical music’s most rewarding genres. At the heart of the festival are five nightly concerts on April 4-8 at The Jerome L Greene Performance Space, the station’s innovative and intimate live event venue, featuring cutting-edge groups, from ETHEL, the JACK Quartet and the Ensemble ACJW to the Gramophone Award-winning Ebene Quartet and world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet. Each evening performance will be hosted by Bill McLaughlin (whose programs St. Paul Sunday and Exploring Music are carried on WQXR), who will discuss with the performers what is so special about the genre. The Greene Space will also host sever...

St. Louis Public Radio | 90.7 KWMU is pleased to announce Christian Cudnik has been named the host of St. Louis Public Radio’s live broadcasts of the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra’s Wells Fargo Advisors Orchestral Series concerts which begin September 18. Cudnik has served as the Saturday morning host of St. Louis Public Radio since 2003, and recently was named the broadcast voice of Classical 90.7 KWMU-3. A 17-year broadcast veteran, Cudnik attained the number one-ranked radio program in Philadelphia and was nominated for two Philadelphia AIR Awards including “Best Field Reporting,” for coverage of ‘Woodstock 99’ in Rome, New York, and “Best Evening Program Host,” at the heritage rock station WMMR. He has served as the host of several live radio broadcasts including concert coverage of The Rolling Stones, U2, Bruce Springsteen, Pearl Jam, R.E.M. and the Tibetan Freedom Concert from Washington DC. “I am thrilled to be chosen as the host of this exciting new collaboration betwee...

Q2 Presents Live Varèse Webcast and Highlights of 2010’s Bang on a Can Marathon This summer, Classical 105.9 WQXR – New York’s sole dedicated classical station – will honor an important anniversary: Gustav Mahler’s 150th birthday on July 7. Q2, the station’s 24-hour contemporary music stream, will present a live webcast of an all-Varèse program (July 7); highlights from the 2010 Bang on a Can Marathon (Aug 15); and more installments of Cued Up on Q2, featuring an eclectic mix of new-music events recorded live in New York City.

The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and St. Louis Public Radio | 90.7 KWMU announced a new partnership today that includes live broadcasts of all Saturday night Wells Fargo Advisors Orchestral Series concerts beginning in the 2010-2011 season. The concerts will be broadcast live on St. Louis Public Radio’s main channel, 90.7 KWMU and will be streamed live at www.stlpublicradio.org . The first live broadcast from Powell Hall will be Saturday, September 18 at 8:00 p.m. The program features violinist Joshua Bell performing Tchaikovsky’s Violin Concerto and also includes Prokofiev’s Lieutenant Kijé Symphonic Suite & Kalinnikov’s Symphony No.1. SLSO Music Director David Robertson conducts this concert. “We are thrilled to have developed a partnership with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra and look forward to working with the m on the broadcast of the Saturday evening concert series,” said Tim Eby, General Manager. “St. Louis Public Radio is honored to play a part in bringing the...

On April 16, WQXR will host its first mingle event for its listeners to celebrate and enjoy New York’s incomparable classical scene together. Host Midge Woolsey will welcome listeners at New York City Opera’s Madama Butterfly , with private receptions before and during the performance. On April 11, Q2, Classical 105.9 WQXR’s contemporary music stream, will present a live audio webcast of the first public concert from 110 Livingston Street, new home of Brooklyn-based performance venue ISSUE Project Room, featuring groundbreaking composer Morton Feldman’s Second String Quartet. The New York-based, internationally-connected online stream will also spotlight another local composer, Missy Mazzoli, highlighting her work on Q2 in the first week of April. Tickets are available at http://www.wqxr.org/events/wqxr-events/2010/apr/16/wqxr-night-new-york-city-opera/ .

Inaugural Series to Feature Maestro George Manahan Presenting Sibelius Symphonies Fridays, March 12 – April 9 at 8pm Last Friday, March 12, Classical 105.9 WQXR launched “Conductor’s Choice”, a special new series, broadcast as part of Symphony Hall, drawing on New York’s unique classical community and showcase creative insights and inspirations from those who are defining what is heard in the city’s concert halls and opera houses. Maestro George Manahan, Music Director of New York City Opera and recently-appointed Music Director of the American Composers Orchestra, presents works that hold a special significance in his own musical thinking. Each Friday at 8pm, beginning March 12 and running through April 9, Manahan will join Symphony Hall host David Garland to present the symphonic cycle of Jean Sibelius – one of the most revered and beloved cycles since Beethoven’s. Manahan will guide listeners on this epic journey through Sibelius’s symphonies, sharing the importance they ho...

At Home With Friends CD comes to Live on PBS Joshua will perform duets with Sting, Renee Fleming, Regina Spektor, Tiempo Libre, Chris Botti, Jane Monheit, Marvin Hamlisch, Nathan Gunn, Frankie Moreno, Carel Kraayenhof and more! For local listings, please visit: www.pdb.org .

WQXR Named New York Philharmonic Radio Home for 2010/2011 Season WQXR Classical 105.9 FM, New York City ’s sole dedicated classical music station, ranked the highest cumulative audience among public radio stations in the December Arbitron ratings book, with 842,200 weekly listeners. The second-ranking public radio station in the December book had 833,400 weekly listeners. WQXR achieved this milestone in only its second full month as a public radio station. In October 2009, WNYC Radio acquired WQXR from The New York Times Company as part of a three-way deal with Univision, which entailed moving the WQXR signal from its longtime home at 96.3 FM to 105.9 FM. WQXR’s December ratings are comparable to those the station enjoyed as a commercial station. WQXR has also announced a sponsorship agreement with the New York Philharmonic which names WQXR as the Radio Home for the New York Philharmonic for the 2010/2011 season. The New York Philharmonic will actively promote WQXR’s broadcast o...