Wednesday, October 26, 2022, is the noncommMUSIC Alliance’s third annual Public Radio Music Day, a celebration uniting public radio music stations, artists, and fans to highlight the contributions of public radio to local and national noncommercial music. In honor of the occasion, we’ve invited four outstanding local artists to visit our John Clark Performance Studio for a series of special live performances and interviews throughout the day. Get to know each artist with the handy profiles below!
WDAV Celebrates Public Radio Music Day
Wednesday, October 26, 2022
10 AM hour: Ethan Uslan, ragtime piano
1 PM: Tanja Bechtler, cello
4 PM: Alan Mearns, classical guitar
7 PM: Quisol, singer-songwriter
Video of each artist’s Public Radio Music Day performance and interview will be released on our Facebook and YouTube pages.
Ethan Uslan
Tell us about what you do!
I’m a pianist who specializes in ragtime and early jazz. By early jazz, I mean jazz music from the 1920s and 30s, which includes New Orleans jazz, Harlem stride piano, and stuff like that. I perform mostly locally but I’ve gotten around a bit and have given some concerts in exotic places like Dublin, Ireland; Lugano, Switzerland; Nancy, France; and Gastonia, NC. 🙂 Most recently I appeared on AMC as Count Lestat’s hand double on Episode 3 of “Interview with a Vampire.”
In your view, what makes classical music on public radio important to the cultural life of our region?
Classical music is a lifelong and life-enriching thing and the more people are exposed to it, the better. WDAV gives people an opportunity to hear, learn about, and get into classical music FOR FREE. I have been listening to classical music most of my life, yet still, through listening to WDAV, I discover pieces and composers that I hadn’t previously been familiar with. So just imagine how much young people or classical music “newbies” can get out of WDAV. It really can open a whole new world for people.
Describe your connection(s) to WDAV Classical Public Radio.
I listen to WDAV mostly in the car. I moved to Charlotte in 2004. You know how many hours I have spent in the car since 2004? Too many. Thank god for WDAV.
Where can our listeners find you online?
YouTube | UslanMusic.com | Facebook | The Carolina Shout Podcast
Tanja Bechtler
Tell us about what you do!
I created the Bechtler Ensemble, that presents interdisciplinary programs that connect art, poetry, and dance to music. There are so many different types of occasions that people need music for and I love figuring out what would be the best fit for a particular occasion or exhibition.
I am passionate about the Youth movement HORA Trance Sport, that is a cutting edge technology for the body, nervous system and intellect. On my website, bechtlerensemble.com, you can find out more information about our programs.
In your view, what makes classical music on public radio important to the cultural life of our region?
Classical music with WDAV let’s me have a glimpse into the flavor of other countries from the past to the present. I get to take a break from thinking to purely listening and I love that. Knowing about other cultures enriches my world and opens up new doors to different life styles hence the world becomes a more interesting place to live in.
Describe your connection(s) to WDAV Classical Public Radio.
WDAV Classical Public Radio let’s me enjoy the moment however long or short that may be. I like the diverse programming and the information that they share. When I drive, or when I cook I can always count on WDAV for an interesting program and beautiful music. They are an amazing team and I thank you all for creating such diverse programming across the globe.
Alan Mearns
Tell us about what you do!
I’m originally from Belfast, Northern Ireland. I moved to Boone, NC at age 17 and began studying with Dr Douglas James at Appalachian State University where I was the first guitarist to win the Fletcher Scholarship (a full ride.) I did my graduate work with the eminent English virtuoso Stanley Yates at Austin Peay in TN.
I moved back to North Carolina and started a rock band called Airspace which eventually broke up. But we recorded an album with the now famous Rick Beato, whose YouTube channel “Everything music” now has more than 3 million subscribers. After the band broke up, Rick produced my first solo songwriting project called “Yes the Raven”.
Rick made a video about my songs and classical arrangements that has nearly half a million views. This has launched my career launched my career into a more active trajectory.
I have been performing and teaching music in North Carolina for 17 years. I have taught at the nonprofit “Hickory Music Factory” since its inception. It provides scholarships to low income students that enables them to take music lessons and is connected with the community in a similar fashion to John Tosco.
Right now I’m doing recitals in DC, New York City, Rochester, and recently finished teaching masterclasses at Yale.
In your view, what makes classical music on public radio important to the cultural life of our region?
The classical music Radio station is a part of my family’s life. It’s always on in the car. My daughter had it on in her bedroom growing up 24/7 literally day and night as a kind of soundtrack for her imagination. My son and I play games of “guess the composer” when we start the car. They’ve grown up with “The Night Music” with Frank Dominguez and “Performance Today”.
Where can our listeners find you online?
During the last four years or so I have been preparing and recording a Bach album featuring the monumental Chaconne. My arrangement, much like Busoni’s expands the textures towards the guitar’s possibilities and has received a lot of positive attention in the classical world.
Quisol
Tell us about what you do!
I’m a singer-songwriter and producer residing on native Catawba land in Mooresville, just North of Davidson. I currently work as an administrator at a nonprofit called Arts Connect International which focuses on building equity in the arts and through the arts. But I grew up around here. I attended North Mecklenburg high school, where I completed the international baccalaureate program.
I went to the college of Charleston where I double majored in international studies in political science and I earned my masters at Harvard graduate school of education where I focused on arts in education. Over the past few years, I have been independently producing and publishing my music and I’ve had the privilege of studying music and music activism with some incredible people, including Grammy award winning musician, Esperanza Spalding, and MacArthur genius awardee Vijay Iyer. My music reflects all that I’ve learned in these different journeys and studies and my own emotions. It’s a form of self-care for me, and I hope that others who resonate with what I have to say will find peace and healing in this music.
In your view, what makes classical music on public radio important to the cultural life of our region?
I think public radio is an amazing platform that connects audiences to new artists in a more human way. So often the streaming platforms only offer more of what you already like whereas the radio shows are curated by real people with real relationships with the artists that they put on the airwaves. I think this new wave of spotlighting new composers and local artists is a wonderful piece of WDAV today.
Describe your connection(s) to WDAV Classical Public Radio.
Something I found really charming about the Charlotte area from my growing up experience was the emphasis on literature, education, and the performing arts. I remember visiting the imaginenon, the big library in uptown Charlotte and Discovery Place. These sites are infused with the sound of public radio in my memory, and specifically classical and jazz music. All of it together is really nostalgic for me
Where can our listeners find you online?
Website | Instagram | Dreamworld Links | Facebook | SoundCloud