News & Reviews

The Philharmonia Orchestra was founded in 1945 in London, and now includes 80 musicians. Throughout its 78-year history the Philharmonia Orchestra has premiered works by Richard Strauss and worked with conductors such as Herbert von Karajan and Esa-Pekka Salonen; currently, it performs under Music Director Santtu-Matias Rouvali.  Tonight, listen to Bizet’s Carmen Suite from his most popular opera in a performance conducted by Herbert von Karajan, and more.

Our Music Director Caleb Gardner speaks with the GRAMMY and Pulitzer Prize winning composer.

On Sunday, March 26th, Eldbjørg Hemsing will appear on Preview! Dedicated to bringing classical music to a mainstream audience, this Norwegian violinist has performed at multiple venues, such as the Nobel Peace Prize Ceremony, the United Nations, and the UN Security Council. Her most recent album, Arctic, was a soundscape of the North released in February 2023.

Tonight at 8 pm, The Classical Station will feature the Dallas Symphony Orchestra on Monday Night at the Symphony. In 1900, the orchestra found its roots as a small ensemble, then proceeded to grow throughout the 20th century into the renowned orchestra it is today, becoming the largest performing arts organization in the Southwest United States. Highlights of the 2023 season include Brahms’ Symphony No. 1, Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 1, and Orff’s Carmina Burana.

In the introduction to The Beloved Vision: A History of Nineteenth Century Music, author Stephen Walsh refers to the book as a “conspectus of how [Romanticism] all came about, why it took the form it did, and indeed what it actually amounts to.” To truly understand the development and societal impact of Romanticism in the nineteenth century, Walsh claims, we must focus on the historical background of the movement.

As Associate Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony since July 2022, Michelle Di Russo has shown her propensity for spotlighting new composers, creating engaging Pops and educational concerts, and emphasizing bilingual productions. This week during Preview! she speaks with Caleb Gardner, The Classical Station’s Music Director, about her experience becoming a conductor, as well as her organization, Girls Who Conduct.

This March, The Classical Station celebrates Women’s History Month. Long overshadowed by their male counterparts, women composers are receiving the recognition they deserve. Here are just a few of the many notable female musicians we will be highlighting this month on our broadcasts.

Tonight, Monday Night at the Symphony features the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra, an orchestra that performs historically-inspired classical performances spanning the Classical, Baroque, and Romantic periods. Dedicated to furthering knowledge of musicology, the orchestra’s members are well-trained in historical performance and their website offers multiple articles on the music they play, performance practice, and the way the past and the present intersect. Here, we present an interview with Dominic Teresi, Artistic Co-Director of Tafelmusik.

On the final day of Black History Month, let’s celebrate historical African-American leaders in classical music. A singer and teacher, Theodore Drury led the first majority-Black grand opera company in the 20th century....

This week’s Preview! guest, Rachel Barton Pine, is a talented violinist praised for her emotionality and technique. She is also dedicated to wholeheartedly supporting other musicians. The Rachel Barton Pine Foundation, provides financial support to student musicians, access to music essentials in developing countries, and high-quality string instruments to those who otherwise would not have access to them. The Classical Station’s host Rob Kennedy interviews her this Sunday about her album, Violin Concertos by Black Composers of the 18th and 19th Centuries.

Tonight during Monday Night at the Symphony, listen to the Buffalo Philharmonic perform pieces by Gershwin, Tyberg, and Haydn. Tune in on 89.7 FM, stream online on TheClassicalStation.org, or download our app!

Dr. Rebecca Cypess specializes in the history of women and Judaism in classical music. As a harpsichordist and scholar, she has written extensively on Salon culture in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries and recorded albums with the Raritan Players, most recently “In the Salon of Madame Brillon: Music and Friendship in Benjamin Franklin’s Paris.” Her new book, Women and Musical Salons in the Enlightenment, explores the overlooked role of the Salon and the women who hosted them in the second half of the eighteenth century.

This Sunday for Preview!, Dr. Alexander Lingas, Music Director of Cappella Romana and scholar of Byzantine music, will speak with Rob Kennedy, the host of Great Sacred Music, about the history of Byzantine chant. Cappella Romana has recently released their interpretation of Robert Kyr’s composition for the All-Night Vigil recognized by most Orthodox churches. 

This Sunday, The Classical Station will feature a special interview with Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes. Known for his unique interpretations and sheer technical skill, Andsnes has won multiple GRAMMY awards since 2009. His most recent recording, Dvořák: Poetic Tone Poems, explores the so-called “forgotten” piano works by Antonín Dvořák.

Nonprofits dedicated to music education are encouraged to apply. The deadline for the 2023 Education Fund Grant Application is March 31st.