In celebration and commemoration of WDAV’s 40th Anniversary, we are thrilled to have partnered with accomplished composer Dan Locklair to write a series of short pieces for the station. The timeless theme and its many variations will become a regular and identifiable part of our on-air presence.
(l-r) Organist Jane Cain works on the WDAV audio theme with Dan Locklair.
A longtime friend and supporter of WDAV, Locklair lives in Winston-Salem and serves on the faculty of Wake Forest University. His work is creative, meaningful, and inspiring, making him the perfect person to create a signature sound for the station.
While we knew the pieces would be incredible, the series of variations Locklair has created has far exceeded our expectations. He took a note from the diverse offerings in WDAV’s programs and created dozens of variants for a range of instruments – from string quartet, to solo piano, to organ, to full choir – to showcase the versatility of what WDAV does while symbolically weaving in the unifying motive of four notes signifying “W,” “D,” “A,” and “V.”
The recording of these themes offered WDAV the unique opportunity to collaborate with some old and new friends to the station.
We were pleased to record several versions with the Davidson College Chorale right here on Davidson’s campus. In the beautiful Davidson College Presbyterian Church, we were not only able to capture the student choir, but also recorded organist Jane Cain on the magnificent instrument in the sanctuary.
Davidson College Brass Ensemble: (l-r) Max Rollfinke ’21 on trumpet, Erin Mansell ’22 on horn, Matthew Kennedy ’19 on tuba, Henry Brooks ’19 on trombone and Ben Haden ’22 on trumpet.
At Tyler-Tallman Hall in Davidson’s Sloan Music Center, we benefited from the talent of the students in the Davidson College Brass Quintet, as well as guitarist Jon Hill and Davidson’s Symphony Orchestra Director Tara Villa Keith. (That’s right, Tara came off the podium, grabbed her mallets, and performed on vibraphone for us!)
WDAV traveled to Winston-Salem to work with the incredibly gifted and dedicated students at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts (UNCSA). We spent a day in the gorgeous Watson Hall on UNCSA’s campus working with a fabulous string quartet, a remarkable oboist, an outstanding trumpeter, and an exceptional pianist on a variety of arrangements that came together beautifully.
Throughout the entire process, we were thrilled to work with our good friend, recording engineer Josh Sacco, who donated much of his time and talent to help us create consistently superb recordings.
It was both moving and gratifying to watch Dan Locklair coach each musician and ensemble either before or during the recording process, even directing some of the ensembles himself. His invaluable expertise, expert ear, and exceedingly good nature brought so much to the experience of each recording session, and added an extra special layer to each performance we captured.
Listen to several of the themes below, or visit our 40th Anniversary Audio Theme page to listen to more of these wonderful recordings. You’ll be hearing these themes, as well as others, on air at 89.9FM and wdav.org. We hope you enjoy WDAV’s 40th Anniversary Audio Theme as much as we do!