Classical News
08/14 Iraq's National Symphony Orchestra play on despite unpaid wages
08/10 Cleveland Orchestra receives $9.3 million donation
07/26 Newly discovered viola impromptu by Shostakovich
07/20 Royal College Renames Program to Shift Antiquated Perceptions of Pianists
07/02 Vasily Petrenko: New Music Director of the RPO in 2021
06/16 The conductor Gennady Rozhdestvensky has died
06/05 Acoustic evolution of old Italian violins from Amati to Stradivari
05/04 The Secret Life of a Music Director
04/14 Jean-Claude Malgoire died at the age of 77
04/13 Beethoven’s Ninth Symphony needs speeding up by 20 minutes, claims conductor
03/29 BBC NOW/Van Steen review – dynamic showcase of young Welsh composers
03/08 Composer John Williams to Bequeath His Life Work to The Juilliard School Library
03/02 Daniil Trifonov and His Teacher Dazzle With Dual Virtuosity
02/18 Hear How ‘Mozart in the Jungle’ Became a Music Showcase
02/02 François Girard’s production of Wagner’s “Parsifal” - Watch the Met Opera Stage a Sea of Blood
01/28 Barbara Hannigan leads list of Grammy Awards' classical winners
01/19 Meet the New Generation Leading Berlin’s Classical Scene
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To celebrate the Leonard Bernstein Centennial, The Classical Station is offering for a limited time The Best of Bernstein 3-CD compilation featuring some of Bernstein's very best recordings for Deutsche Grammophon. This album is not available for purchase. You can only get it by supporting your non-profit classical radio station. Read more about this 3-CD set and view a detailed playlist. This superb 3-CD set can be yours with our thanks when you become a sustaining member of The Classical Station for $10 a month or make a one-time gift of $120. Call 800-556-5178 anytime and ask for The Best of Bernstein or do it online. This special offer is only available until August 31. 2018. When you make your donation online, please put The Best of Bernstein in the Comments section. |
This Week At The Classical Station
Saturday, August 18, 2018
This week Great Sacred Music will include music sung by Gloriae Dei Cantores, Turtle Creek Chorale and The Brabant Ensemble. Also on the playlist is choral music by Johann Sebastian Bach, American composers Eric Whitacre and Scott Wheeler. Professor Wheeler will also offer our commentary.
Great Sacred Music airs every Sunday morning right after Sing For Joy from 8 until 11 eastern with your host Rob Kennedy.
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On August 18 we observe the birthdays of Italian composer Antonio Salieri, Canadian composer and conductor Sir Ernest MacMillan, and Russian conductor Dmitri Kitayenko. Signor Salieri taught Schubert, Liszt, and Beethoven. Sir Ernest MacMillan was one of the most influential musicians of his generation in Canada. Maestro Kitayenko was conductor of the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra for many years. He has made many recordings with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra and the Danish National Symphony Orchestra.
Friday, August 17, 2018
On August 17 we observe the birthday of Spanish classical guitarist Ángel Romero (1946-). Señor Romero comes from a family of distinguished musicians. His father is Celedonio Romero. His brothers are Pepe and Celin. Ángel was the first guitar soloist to appear with the Los Angles Symphony Orchestra which he did at the age of sixteen.
Thursday, August 16, 2018
On August 16 we observe the birthdays of French composer Gabriel Pierné, American organist and conductor Paul Callaway, and Israeli conductor Yoel Levi. Monsieur Pierné was a student of Cesar Franck and Jules Massenet. Dr. Callaway was organist and choirmaster at the Cathedral of SS. Peter and Paul, Washington, DC, from 1939-1977. Maestro Levi is the Music Director and Principal Conductor of the KBS Symphony Orchestra in Seoul, South Korea.
Photos: Yoel Levi/ABOSCH; Dr. Callaway & M. Pierne/Wikipedia.org
Wednesday, August 15, 2018
Our Opera House presentation this week is about a monk who wants to convert a courtesan to Christianity. Unfortunately, he discovers too late that his obsession with her is rooted in lust. You will recognize the familiar Meditation as the theme of our popular late evening program, Music In The Night.
Join the late Al Ruocchio for an encore broadcast of Thaïs by French composer Jules Massenet this Thursday at 7:00 p.m. Eastern on Opera House, on 89.7 FM in Central North Carolina, streaming everywhere on our apps and online.
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Today we observe the birthdays of English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, German-American composer Lukas Foss, and French composer Jacques Ibert. Coleridge-Taylor studied composition at the Royal College of Music with Sir Charles Villiers Stanford. Foss was a classmate of Leonard Bernstein at the Curtis Institute. Ibert wrote seven operas and five ballets, among other compositions. .
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Calling all volunteers! Since 1978 we have been listener-supported and volunteer-powered. Our amazing volunteers come to the station for a couple of hours a week to answer phones, stuff envelopes for our mailings, and take air shifts as announcers evenings and weekends. We could not do this without our hard-working, devoted volunteers. Hundreds of them! If you have experience, time, and talent which you would like to contribute to The Classical Station, contact Jane O'Connor, our Volunteer Coordinator, at 919-556-5178 during business hours on weekdays. You can also email Jane at volunteer@theclassicalstation.org
Our studios are located in Wake Forest in northeastern Wake County. Find us on Waze or Google maps. Our 1200' tower is very easy to spot!
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On August 14 we observe the birthdays of English composer Samuel Sebastian Wesley and French conductor Georges Prêtre. Wesley received his middle name because of his father's love of Bach. Monsieur Prêtre earned international recognition as a fine conductor of opera in the major opera houses of the world.
Monday, August 13, 2018
The August edition of Renaissance Fare features music performed by some of the most popular Renaissance and medieval groups today. They include The Folger Consort of Washington, DC, the Piffaro Band from Philadelphia, The Baltimore Consort, and the New York Renaissance Band.
Join George Douglas for Renaissance Fare this Monday evening at 7:00 p.m. Eastern.
This week Monday Night at the Symphony features the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. On the program is music of Aaron Copland, Modest Mussorgsky and Camille Saint-Saens, in performances led by Robert Spano, Yoel Levi and Louis Lane.
The concert begins at 8 p.m. Eastern on 89.7 FM in Central North Carolina and streaming everywhere online.
On August 13 we observe the birthdays of English composer John Ireland, French conductor Louis Frémaux, and American soprano Kathleen Battle.
Ireland wrote music in many forms, mainly in an impressionistic style. His students included Ernest John Moeran and Benjamin Britten. Frémaux was music director of several major orchestras including the Orchestra of the Opéra de Monte-Carlo and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. Ms. Battle is a Grammy Award-winning artist who is at home singing classical, jazz, and crossover works.
WCPE Education Fund
When you give The Classical Station at least $50.00, you may designate that 10% of your donation go toward our Education Fund. Please check the appropriate box in the Secure Pledge Form!
Music education plays an important role in building a young person's confidence and self esteem. With that in mind, we made a grant to Kidznotes, Durham, North Carolina. Kidznotes focuses on children living in poverty and offers services that include reliable after-school engagement, intensive instrumental and ensemble training, community performances, student leadership and parental engagement. It is their belief that these elements come together to provide children with a tangible layer of protection against the destructive impacts of poverty. Since its beginnings in 2010, Kidznotes has grown from 60 kindergarteners and first-graders to 450 students in K through 9th grades. Grant monies from the Education Fund will help cover the costs of instrument repairs and upkeep, plus the purchase of four new instruments.
WCPE The Classical Station has awarded five grants totaling almost $10,000 from its WCPE Education Fund for the 2018–19 season.
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Online playlists "What was that beautiful piece of music??" Find out now by browsing through a week's worth of playlists! |
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Meet the Announcer Ever wonder what your favorite voice looks like? See photos and read brief biographies of WCPE's announcers! |
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"Quarter Notes" WCPE's Member Magazine Published quarterly, this magazine and listener guide offers featured works and program highlights for the WCPE season to come, plus station news, reviews, interviews and other articles designed to enhance your classical music journey. Quarter Notes is sent to WCPE members in print version, and members may also choose to view this website's "green" online version. To become a WCPE member (your gift is tax-deductible!) and receive a year's subscription to Quarter Notes, click here. |
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Donate your car to WCPE! If your automobile (truck, boat, motorcycle, RV, or aircraft) is no longer of use to you, it can still go a long way as a donation in support of the Great Classical Music you rely on from WCPE. Learn how! |
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Tell us how you feel about WCPE! Record your message on the WCPE Listener Comment Line. Please phone (919) 570-0204 and tell us what WCPE means to you. |
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Volunteer! Find out more about a fun way to support your home for Great Classical Music. |
Live Metropolitan Opera Saturday radio broadcasts can be heard on this website. To see the Metropolitan Opera schedule click here.
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