WDAV Blog: Classical Musings

You may have heard or read news coverage of an issue with NPR World of Opera and our host, Lisa Simeone. Here’s WDAV’s statement:

WDAV and NPR have different missions. WDAV respects NPR’s mission to serve as a leading news provider. WDAV on the other hand, exists to serve as a leading provider of arts and cultural programming nationally and internationally. Based on the differing missions of these two organizations, we are working together to find a solution to the issues surrounding NPR World of Opera.

We’ll offer updates here as they are available!

POSTED October 15, 2011 — October 22, 2011 marks the 200th birth anniversary of pianist and composer Franz Liszt. To celebrate, WDAV brings you Liszt-o-mania!

During the week of Monday, October 17th – Saturday, October 22nd, you’ll hear Liszt’s most important works on WDAV, as well as commentary on each piece from Bruce Murray, concert pianist and dean of the Brevard Music Center in Brevard, North Carolina.

On Liszt’ actual birthday, Saturday, October 22nd, we’ll feature a  Liszt “Mini-Marathon” between 7 am and 7 pm, with a different Liszt work scheduled each hour. There’ll be CD giveaways and more! Join in the week-long birthday party, as we celebrate the life and works of Franz Liszt!

(Now, if only we could get Liszt to enjoy himself…)

Thank you to the 1,300+ listeners who helped us make our Fall Membership Campaign goal of $210,000 — the largest campaign goal in the station’s history. We are grateful for your support, as well as the tireless efforts of our volunteers, the generosity of area restaurants who fed us all for the last ten days, and the patience of our colleagues, family and friends!

Thank you for supporting the best classical music from the Carolinas and beyond on WDAV Classical Public Radio!

POSTED September 19, 2011 — Our friends at the KnightArts Blog fund and chronicle stories about great art. Susannah Schouweiler in St. Paul, Minn. posted this article about a recent collaboration between the young composer Nico Muhly, the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and the all-male chorus Cantus.

The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO), under the direction of conductor Joana Carneiro, drew a full house to the Ordway on Saturday night. It was opening weekend of the 2011-2012 performance season for this Knight Arts grantee, but that’s not the only reason the performance hall was humming with anticipation. We were all especially eager to hear Cantus, a nationally acclaimed men’s vocal ensemble that would be joining the lauded musicians of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra on stage for the evening’s headline performance. That performance was the world premiere of an ambitious new work, “Luminous Body,” jointly commissioned from buzzed-about young composer Nico Muhly by the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Cantus and the Minnesota Commissioning Club. Read more…

Check here to listen on-demand to the September 10th broadcast from Minnesota Public Radio

POSTED September 9, 2011 – WDAV Classical Public Radio announced today that it will broadcast the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra’s season-opening concert from the Belk Theater on Friday, September 16, 2011. Music Director Christopher Warren-Green leads the CSO in an all-Russian program, and the centerpiece of the concert features Croatian pianist Martina Filjak making her CSO debut in the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. WDAV’s Mike McKay and Matt Rogers take on the hosting duties when the live broadcast begins on WDAV 89.9FM and wdav.org at 8 p.m., direct from Charlotte’s Blumenthal Performing Arts Center.

“WDAV loves taking our listeners to this region’s best classical music performances, and this CSO program offers wall-to-wall musical blockbusters,” said WDAV General Manager Scott Nolan. “The WDAV staff and I look forward to meeting concert-goers in the Belk Theater lobby on Friday night and enjoying the concert broadcast with our audience. We’re grateful to the players and staff of the Charlotte Symphony for making this concert broadcast possible.”

Added Jonathan Martin, President and Executive Director of the CSO, “We are thrilled to begin Christopher Warren-Green’s second season with the Charlotte Symphony through this special live broadcast. It exemplifies the close partnership with WDAV and allows the Charlotte Symphony to reach thousands more listeners.”

Before the concert, the CSO presents “Musically Speaking,” an engaging conversation from the stage in which WDAV’s Program Director Frank Dominguez previews the CSO’s 2011-12 season with CSO Music Director Christopher Warren-Green and CSO Associate Conductor Jacomo Bairos. “Musically Speaking” is free to all ticket-holders and begins in the Belk Theater at 7 p.m.

Concert tickets start at $31.50 and are available through the Charlotte Symphony Ticket Office at 704-972-2000 or the CSO website.

Live concert broadcasts on WDAV Classical Public Radio are made possible by generous members and by WDAV’s Listen Live Fund. Contributors include the estate of Carol Ann Douglas, the Jane Cooke Brynn Music Education Fund and the National Endowment for the Arts.

About the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
The Charlotte Symphony is the largest performing arts organization in the Charlotte region and the largest professional orchestra in the central Carolinas, employing more than 100 musicians, 62 on full-time contracts. The orchestra performs nearly 100 concerts each year, reaching more than 200,000 listeners. The CSO also operates the Charlotte Symphony Youth Orchestras and the Oratorio Singers of Charlotte and is committed to broad educational outreach. The CSO is supported by ticket revenue, generous corporate and individual giving, and foundation grants and receives operating support from the N.C. Arts Council and the Arts & Science Council.

About WDAV 89.9 Classical Public Radio
WDAV is one of America’s leading producers of original classical music programming. In addition to producing 156 hours per week for its own broadcast use, the station produces nationally-distributed programs, including NPR World of Opera, Concierto, SummerStages, and, in partnership with ETV Radio of South Carolina, Carolina Live. A service of Davidson College in Davidson, NC, WDAV’s 89.9FM signal reaches a 22-county region centered in the Charlotte, NC metro area and ranging from Rock Hill, SC to Galax, VA. WDAV’s broadcasts can be heard live online 24 hours a day at wdav.org and iTunes, as well as on any iPhone or iPad equipped with the “Tuned In,” “NPR Music” or “Public Radio Player” app.

POSTED August 8, 2011 — The National Flute Association hosts its 39th Annual Convention in Charlotte, August 11–14, 2011, at the Charlotte Convention Center and the Belk Theater at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center. The public is invited to attend the concerts and workshops Thursday through Sunday – and to visit the largest flute trade show in the world. 
 
This year’s convention theme is “Unity Through Diversity:  Many Flutists, One World,” reflecting the NFA’s support of all flutists, from students to teachers, beginners to professionals, amateurs to concert soloists. Expect performances and workshops by many of the best-known artists and rising stars from around the world. Headliners include Paula Robison, Carol Wincenc, Bradley Garner, and Jill Felber from the United States, GuoLiang Han of China, Trevor Wye of England, Maxim Rubtsov of Russia, Swedish flutist Göran Marcusson, and Alexa Still from New Zealand.
 
Gala concerts are open to the public on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights at 8:00pm at the Belk Theater.

• The opening night concert on Thursday, August 11, features early music performances by traverso virtuoso Rachel Brown and The Dorian Consort. 
• Friday’s gala showcases World Music with Grammy-Award winner and world/fusion artist Rhonda Larson and Turkish flutist Omar Faruk Tekbilek, one of the world’s foremost performers of Middle Eastern music.
• Saturday’s Concerto Gala begins with a world premiere performance by Mike Wofford for flute choir, strings, and the Jazz Flute Big Band, followed by performances by Christina Jennings, Jean Ferrandis, Marina Piccinini, jazz flutist Holly Hofmann, and Lifetime Achievement Award recipient Carol Wincenc.
• The music continues from 10:30pm until midnight on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday with Late Night Jazz Cabarets at the Westin with Jamie Baum and her quartet on Thursday, Nelson Rangell on Friday, and the NFA Jazz Flute Big Band on Saturday. 

Carol Wincenc and Trevor Wye will receive the NFA’s highest honor, the Lifetime Achievement Award, and Katherine Borst Jones will be presented with the association’s National Service Award. Carol Wincenc is one of today’s international stars of the flute, appearing as soloist with major orchestras around the world and in great demand as a chamber musician and teacher. Frank Dominguez chats with Carol about her career and this award on Saturday, August 13 at 11:30 AM on wdav.org and WDAV 89.9FM.

Trevor Wye has authored a long and distinguished list of publications, including the widely used Practice Books for the Flute, and flutists come from all corners of the globe to study with him. Katherine Borst Jones has served the NFA in every conceivable capacity, including twice as President and as Program Chair for the 1992 convention. There will also be special tributes to several North Carolina musicians who have made significant contributions to the flute, including Mark Thomas, who co-founded the NFA and is celebrating his 80th birthday.

Local flutists ages 8–13 should take advantage of the NFA’s “Youth Flute Day” on Saturday, August 13, from 8:30am to 5 pm.  For a special one-day rate of $50 per youth and $25 per accompanying adult, young flutists have a full day of programming designed for them, including flute choir rehearsals, youth recitals with jazz flutist Zachary Kellogg and classical soloist Emma Resmini, a masterclass with Paul Edmund-Davies, tours through the exhibit hall, and breakout sessions with renowned flutists.

Visit the NFA website for a complete listing of convention events. Individual tickets for all events range from $10 to $30 and are available at the registration desk at the Convention Center during the convention. Tickets for the evening gala concerts are $30 or $20 for students and will also be sold at the Belk Theater Box Office. For more information, call 661-250-8920 until August 10 or 704-339-6000 during the convention.  

About the National Flute Association
The National Flute Association is a not-for-profit corporation founded in 1973 and is the largest flute organization in the world. The NFA has approximately 6,000 members from all 50 states and 50 countries. Its outreach activities to date include commissioning more than 70 works for flute, scholarships, publication of The Flutist Quarterly, and the largest lending library of flute music in the world. Membership in the NFA and attendance at the convention is open to all flutists and flute enthusiasts.

POSTED July 28, 2011 – Davidson College today announced the hire of Scott A. Nolan as general manager of WDAV 89.9 Classical Public Radio, effective August 29, 2011. Nolan comes to WDAV from his current position as director of development at the Columbia Museum of Art in Columbia, SC. He previously served for six years in development at WUSF Public Broadcasting, a joint licensee (public TV and radio) at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Nolan becomes the station’s fifth general manager in its 32-year history. Continue reading →

This just in from our friends at the Union Symphony Orchestra in Monroe, NC:

POSTED July 13, 2011 – The Union Symphony Board of Directors has named Richard Rosenberg as its new Artistic Director. Rosenberg is one of a handful of American conductors whose experience ranges from contemporary music to historical performance practice. Mr. Rosenberg has recently released editions of music by the 19th-century Louisiana composers Edmond Dédé, Louis Moreau Gottschalk and Lucién Lambert, as well as music by Jerome Moross, on the Naxos/Marco Polo label. His Naxos recording of jazz-inspired concerti, including music by George Gershwin, James Price Johnson, Harry Reser and Dana Suesse, was released online in March 2010 and on compact disc in February 2011.

Mr. Rosenberg’s numerous orchestrations and his corrected editions of J.S. Bach’s “Saint Matthew Passion,” George Gershwin’s “A Rhapsody in Blue,” Arnold Schönberg’s “Verklärte Nacht” and the complete orchestral music of Gottschalk have received numerous performances. In addition to his work as a conductor, Mr. Rosenberg has produced two compact discs of music with jazz legend Dave Brubeck, and two discs of Mozart piano concerti, all for the Naxos Records label. Continue reading →

WDAV WINS $165,000 IN FIRST-EVER FUNDING FROM THE NATIONAL ENDOWMENT FOR THE ARTS

POSTED June 30, 2011 – WDAV Classical Public Radio has won its first-ever funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. The station will use the two “Arts on Radio and Television” grants, totaling $165,000, to attract more listeners to classical music with its original over-the-air and online programming.

WDAV receives $90,000 from the NEA to support its Listen Live Fund, which allows the station to capture classical music performances at Carolinas festivals, concert halls, churches, and opera houses, and make them available to public radio stations across the country. The Listen Live Fund supports WDAV’s nationally syndicated productions, including Carolina Live, SummerStages, and NPR World of Opera. An additional $75,000 from the NEA supports Concierto, WDAV’s original weekly two-hour bilingual classical music program that calls special attention to the contributions to the art form by Latin-American and Spanish composers and performers. Concierto is currently heard in fifteen markets across the United States and is also available as an on-demand stream at concierto.org. Continue reading →