Voice of the Arts

Pittsburgh Philharmonic's Musical Director and CMU alumni, Daniel Nesta Curtis, discusses his upcoming concert, "Poetry in Music," on Sunday, November 6th at 4pm at the Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center in Ross Township. Selections include William Grant Still's Poem for Orchestra and Dvorak's 8th Symphony. Tickets can be found at pghphil.org.  

Composer Reinaldo Moya and Butler County Symphony Musical Director Matthew Kraemer, discuss their upcoming concert entitled, "Voices of Nature," on Saturday, November 5th at 7:30pm. This concert features the 2nd world premiere of Reinaldo's Dark Earth: Anthropogenic Amazon. Tickets available at butlersymphony.org

Organ Artists Series guest organist Vincent Dubois joins Jim Cunningham to talk about his recital in Pittsburgh at St. Paul Cathedral in Oakland Friday night October 28 7:30pm   Bach is included in the French masterworks plus Saint-Saens' Danse Macabre for Halloween, Cesar Franck and Maurice Durufle. Dubois is one of the three organists at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. He discusses the state of the renovation which French President Emanuel Macron says will be finished by December of 2024. The accordion in his musical world, the French and Halloween and many other musical topics in this beautiful soufflé!  With Ken Danchik, Associate organist at St. Paul Cathedral, who teaches at the University of Pittsburgh.  He is Dean of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, teaches for the Pittsburgh Organ Academy, and is a charter member of the Pittsburgh Chapter of the National Pastoral Musicians.

Twelfth Night Ensemble performs their "Flash and Elegance" concert at Shadyside Presbyterian Church on Saturday October 29th, 7:30pm as part of the Chatham Baroque/Renaissance and Baroque Concert Series.  Anna Singer spoke to Rachel Ellen Wong about what the audience can expect at the concert.      

The Pittsburgh Savoyards continue their 85th season this Fall with Gilbert and Sullivan's magical operetta, The Sorcerer. Performances will be held October 21-23 and 28-30 2022 at the Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center in Ross Township, PA.  Some cast members of the Sorcerer stopped by WQED-FM to talk with Anna Singer.  

Trombone Joe Williams and tuba Russ Pederson join Jim Cunningham to discuss Unity Brass and the free concert at Heinz Memorial Chapel at the University of Pittsburgh Sunday October 23, 3pm. Lennon and McCartney, Ewald, Gabrieli and Puttin on the Ritz are on the setlist which you can find at unitybrass.net  With Catherine Getchell, trumpet  Todd Obidowski, trumpet and Barbara Folb, horn,

The next Chamber Music Pittsburgh "Pittsburgh Performs" concert takes place October 22 at Regent Square. The Alla Boara Ensemble with traditional italian fusion music at the Instituto Mondo Italiano. Group founder, percussionist Anthony Taddeo and Instituto Mondo Italiano founder Viviana Altieri discuss with Jim Cunningham their program and how the Instituto Mondo Italiano shares Italian culture.  For more information, http://www.istitutomondoitaliano.org

Multiple time Emmy Award winning producer Beth Dolinar discusses her new program "The Growing Field: Future Jobs in Agriculture" with Jim Cunningham airing on WQED13 October 20th at 8pm and available online from the PBS Video App. Robotic plant watering, new technology in growing crops and raising animals, an automated dairy farm in Washington County and much more on the topic list.

Albert Manders grew up in Pittsburgh, but now lives and performs the flute in Amsterdam.  WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham sat down with Albert the last time he was in town to ask what he's been up to recently.   

Program Chair Dr. Nanette Kaplan Solomon sat down with WQED to talk about Tuesday Musical Club and their upcoming concert on Tuesday, October 11th at 1 pm in the Rodef Shalom's Levy Hall. The concert is free to attend and is livestreamed on Youtube.

WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with violinist Hilary Hahn about her new CD on Deutsche Grammophon tiled "Eclipse."  The CD features music of Dvorak, Ginastera and Sarasate with the Frankfurt Radio Symphony conducted by Andrés Orozco-Estrada.   Hilary talks about the CD and recalls her many trips to Heinz Hall to play with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.   Her new CD is out today (October 7, 20220) and can be purchased here:   https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09X99XPGH/?tag=umgklassik-21&ascsubtag=0028948623839_B09X99XPGH_hilary+hahn_hilary+hahn+-+eclipe_www.universal-music.de  

Mark Rylance is a famed British actor, playwright, and theatre director.  He's also the husband of Claire van Kampen who is directing Quantum Theater's production of Idaspe, taking place at the Byham Theater from October 7th through the 15th.  Mark stopped by WQED-FM to talk to Anna Singer about Idaspe and more.  

Resonance Works opens it's 10th Anniversary season with "I Am a Dreamer Who No Longer Dreams," Friday October 14th at 8pm and Sunday October 16th, 3pm at Carnegie Music Hall in Carnegie.  Artistic and General Director Maria Sensi Sellner, along with cast members stopped by WQED-FM to talk to Anna Singer about the production.   

Aria Parlock is a 12-year-old literary artist from Johnstown, PA. She recalls that she first became interested in poetry in 3rd grade. Now as a pre-teen, Aria wants to use the book she is in the process of publishing, with the help of her mom, to spread positivity and laughter to her readers. Kamera Dorsey sits down to chat with Aria about what inspires her, how poetry has helped her through tough times and her encouragement for students who also want to follow their dreams!

Eric Crosby, the Henry J. Heinz II Director of Carnegie Museum of Art, stopped by WQED-FM to chat about the 58th Carnegie International and more in this conversation with Jim Cunningham.  

WQED-FM's Anna Singer speaks with Caron Daley, the Director of Choral Activities at Duquesne University.  Dr. Daley talks about Duquesne's new "Spirit of Pittsburgh" concert series.  The series celebrates Pittsburgh with specially curated concert programs featuring the musical, cultural, and historical traditions of our city featuring the Duquesne Symphony Orchestra, Choirs, Wind and Jazz Ensembles, as well as our jazz faculty.   

WQED discusses the power of music, keeping track of schedules, and the Butler County Symphony's upcoming performance with Maestro Matthew Kraemer and Phantom of the Opera star Hugh Panaro. Butler County Symphony's "Bravo Broadway" concert stars West End Scarlett Strallen and Broadway Hugh Panaro in renditions of Broadway show tunes from Cole Porter to Little Shop of Horrors. The concert is Saturday, October 1st, from 7:30-9:30pm.

Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh Archivist Amanda Peters and Kelsea Collins, Adult Services Librarian, talk with Jim Cunningham about the Radical Days free event Historic Pittsburgh Fair at the Carnegie Library Main Branch on the second floor on October 15th at 1pm.  The Radical Day event includes library tours, a presentation by Rick Sebak, and multiple special guests including Pittsburgh History and Landmarks Foundation, Squirrel Hill Historical Society, Historical Glass Pittsburgh, Lawrenceville Historical Society, Northland Public Library, Chatham University Special Collections, and many more. For more information - https://www.carnegielibrary.org/event/historic-pittsburgh-fair/

Wind Quintet, Imani Winds joins WQED's Lead with Music Fellow, Kamera Dorsey, to discuss their work with Chamber Music Pittsburgh, critically acclaimed album “Bruits”, what keeps them going, and some nuggets of wisdom for the next generation of musical creatives!    To support the work of Imani Winds please visit: https://imaniwinds.com

Edward Leonard, the Artistic Director of the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh, and Executive Director Andrew Swensen talk with Jim Cunningham about their collaboration with Imani Winds on Saturday night September 24th, 7:30 PM in Levy Hall of Rodef Shalom Temple.   There will be music by Boris Blacher and Jeff Scott on the program.  How did the opener with "From the Canyons to the Stars" by Olivier Messiaen go?   What's next in December? It's all here.    

Yo-Yo Ma plays the John Williams Cello Concerto with John Devlin conducting the opening night celebration of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra at the Capitol Theater Thursday September 29th at 7:30pm. John Devlin discuses the program of American Stories with Caroline Shaw and a world premiere of Migrations in Rhythm: A Concerto for Beatbox and Rhyme by Evan Meier with Christylez Bacon and a new arrangement of the Star Spangled Banner by Enrico Lopez Yanez. It's a return for Yo-Yo Ma - he first played Wheeling at age 17. There is a reception afterward.  John also discusses the season to come with Jim Cunningham and relays a few highlights from his work with Gianandrea Noseda and Christoph Eschenbach at the National Symphony before arriving in Wheeling.

Anna Singer spoke with John Holiday, who sings the role of Idaspe in Quantum Theater's production of "Idaspe" at the Byham Theater October 7th through the 15th.

Anna Singer spoke with Vivica Genaux, who sings the role of Dario in Quantum Theater's production of "Idaspe" at the Byham Theater October 7th through the 15th.    

Stephanie Rolland, Theater Curator, and Cathryn Calhoun, Senior Manager of Education and Community Engagement for the August Wilson African American Cultural Center, discuss their special free events for Radical Days - "Behind the Red Door--Step Into the American Century Cycle" on Saturday September 24th and Community Day at Hazelwood Green Plaza on Saturday, October 1st with music, vendors and food, plus many ways to explore the world of August Wilson and his theatrical masterpieces.    

Dan Kamin stopped by WQED-FM to talk about his upcoming performance of "Charlie Chaplin's Red Letter Days" - Thursday September 29th, 7:30pm at the Harris Theater.  In Charlie Chaplin's Red Letter Days, Dan Kamin tells the amazing story of how Charlie Chaplin made the world shake with laughter even as the Great War was shaking it with bombs—and how he risked fame, fortune and reputation by making a comedy about the bloody conflict while it was still raging. The highlight will be the screening of a complete, newly restored print of that film, Shoulder Arms (1918), which takes an unflinching look at the horrific realities of trench warfare through the Tramp's experiences as a doughboy. 

The Chatham Baroque + Renaissance and Baroque 2022-2023 Concert Season begins on Saturday September 24th with Fortepianist and faculty member at the Juilliard School, Yi-heng Yang, performing the music of Mozart, Haydn, and Beethoven on a replica of an 18th-century Viennese Walter fortepiano.  The concert takes place at Calvary Episcopal Church, Shadyside at 7:30pm.   WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke to Yi-heng about the concert.   

Jim Cunningham spoke with Quantum Theater Artistic Director Karla Boos, and Director Claire van Kampen about Quantum's production of "Idaspe" at the Byham Theater October 7th through the 15th.     

The Associate Curator of the 58th Carnegie International Is it morning for you yet?  talks about the show and the opening weekend of events, his art beginnings and much more in this conversation with Jim Cunningham.  The events include:   Malcolm Peacock, The insistent desire for and impossibility of being Saturday, September 24 10 a.m.–8 p.m. First of four presentations Carnegie Museum of Art Artist Malcolm Peacock brings together a diverse group of Black Pittsburghers for a work of performance art experienced by one visitor at a time. The presentation asks whether art museums can offer the conditions to cultivate a means of holding space inside a future in which Black autonomy is uncontested, and throughout the exhibition, will take place on days that mark significant events in Black American history. Free with museum admission. Registration required but not guaranteed. Registration is only available to participants 18 and older. Visitors can register at the admission desks beginning at 10 a.m.    Ali Eyal, Performance Activation of Where Does a Thought Go When It's Forgotten? And., Saturday, September 24 4:30–5:00 p.m. Carnegie Museum of Art, Heinz Gallery B Artist Ali Eyal activates and expands on an installation of drawing and painting that explores the contemporary history of Iraq through personal reflection and depictions of the flora and fauna from the land once inhabited by his family. For this in-gallery performance, a protagonist remembers the scent of a beautiful white flower, which has triggered nausea, thirst, fever, and memory loss. Free with museum admission.    Christian Nyampeta, Search Sweet Country—A Concert Saturday, September 24 5–6 p.m. Carnegie Museum of Art, Sculpture Court A lyrical performance of songs of love, loss, and overcoming “what we keep after everything has been washed away—through catastrophes such as floods and hurricanes, and human-made disasters” (Ntone Edjabe). Assembled and composed over the last decade, this performance offers a brief reprieve from these times in the company of artists, musicians, theorists, and other figures whose ideas and lyrics Christian Nyampeta has drawn from, covered, or evoked. Free with museum admission.    Members' Reception Saturday, September 24 6–9 p.m. Carnegie Museum of Art If you are a Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh member, please join us for a reception to celebrate the 58th Carnegie International. Enjoy an exclusive tour of the exhibition, refreshments, and more. To learn more about membership, visit 4museums.org.

Justin Fortunato, the Producing Artistic Director of Lincoln Park Performing Arts Center, discusses the opening production of the new 8 show season of the Highmark Blue Cross Blue Shield series with Into the Woods by Stephen Sondheim as the opener on October 7. Justin highlights the high quality of the productions and strongly suggests no one would be disappointed in the drive to Beaver County for the evening. In this conversation with Jim Cunningham, he runs down the special features of each of the upcoming presentations including Murder on the Orient Express, Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer, Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker, Puffs, Shout! The Mod Musical, An American in Paris and The Play That Goes Wrong. Justin even supplies favorite restaurant suggestions nearby.

On today's episode, Kamera Dorsey is joined by visual and musical artist Naomi Allen also known as Queen of Nairobi to chat about mental health, knowing your worth as an artist and the difficult work of navigating Pittsburgh's art scene as a black woman.  Check out what Naomi is up to on her site: http://queenofnairobi.net This episode briefly mentions the guests' experience with sexual assault and suicidal thoughts, viewer discretion is advised.   * Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this program are those of the speakers and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of WQED Multimedia. 

Internationally renowned organist, Dr. Gail Archer, sat down with Voice of the Arts to discuss her upcoming performance in Pittsburgh, as well as her newest recordings of contemporary Polish and Ukrainian composers.  Dr. Gail Archer's free to attend performance of selected works will be held at St. Bernard's Church in Mount Lebanon, October 16th at 3pm.

John Matera, Executive Producer for Partisan Pictures presenting the PBS documentary "Ron Carter Finding the Right Notes," visited WQED-FM speaking with Jim Cunningham about the October broadcast on WQED13. John is a former Pittsburgher back in town for the opening concert September 16th at the August Wilson Cultural Center of the Pittsburgh Jazz Festival which stars the 85 year old bass superstar who started his career in the 1950's and has made more recordings than any other bassist with every major jazz star, Miles Davis, Aretha Franklin and many others totaling over 2,500 recordings. Why doesn't everyone know his name? Probably because of his gentle easy going nature. He started down the road of a classical bass player with a degree from the Eastman School of Music but making it in the orchestral world has never been easy for an African American as the film reveals.

Violinist and conductor Warren Davidson is a founding member of the Academy String Quartet. He joins Jim Cunningham to discuss the new series of concerts staring Friday September 16 at 7:30 at the Sunnyhill Unitarian Church in Mount Lebanon. The concert will repeat the following evening at the Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum.  Warren provided his notes on the program “Our program starts with variations, by ten different Russian composers, on a Russian folk song. Some of those composers are well-known to music lovers (Rimsky-Korsakov, Scriabin), some you may have stumbled across a few times (Glazunov , Liadov), and others, we quartet members had never heard of (for example, Victor Ewald and Nicolai Sokolov). The ten short variations each have a particular character, an individual flavor. Pittsburghers will understand when I compare this piece to the cookie table at a wedding: “Which one is the tastiest? Guess I have to try them all…” Joseph Haydn, often called the “father of the string quartet,” was a great master of variation technique. Our concert features a relatively early work, Opus 20 #4, and a late quartet, Opus 76 #3, that each include a variations movement. In the case of the Opus 20 quartet the theme is in the style of an operatic air. Though Haydn's operas are not often heard today, he wrote a lot of them for performance at Esterhazy, the magnificent estate of his princely employer (which had not only an opera theater but a marionette theater, too). It is easy to imagine a character on stage singing this tune, telling to us how they are unlucky in love, and it is hard to know whether we are supposed to take them seriously. The cartoon-like finale movement suggests that perhaps the variation movement should be seen as somewhat tongue-in-cheek. In the Opus 76 quartet, Haydn makes gorgeous variations on a song that he was very proud of: Gott erhalte Franz den Kaiser¸ which was adopted as the Austrian national anthem and (later) as the alma mater of the University of Pittsburgh. This later quartet is, taken as a whole, a grand statement, in which these proud and noble musical lines fit perfectly. In between those fabulous Haydn quartets we bring for you a clever piece of silliness: Stylistic Variations on Smoke on the Water, by Kenneth Abeling. The 1972 hit song by the band Deep Purple is transformed into Latin dance music, a gentle waltz, and a swing tune, before the quartet rocks out in the final section.

Anna Singer speaks with Marianne Cornetti, who sings the role of Ježibaba in Pittsburgh Opera's upcoming production of "Rusalka," running September 17-25 at the Benedum Center.  

Anna Singer speaks with Music Director Antony Walker about Pittsburgh Opera's upcoming production of "Rusalka," running September 17-25 at the Benedum Center.  

Anna Singer speaks with Stage Director Kristine MacIntyre about Pittsburgh Opera's upcoming production of "Rusalka," running September 17-25 at the Benedum Center.      

Icelandic born pianist Vikingur Olafsson has not yet made his Pittsburgh debut but he says he hopes to soon. He noticed the reviews of the recent tour by the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and he's a Manfred Honeck fan. This season he will play in New York and Berlin having recorded seven highly praised CDs for the Deutsche Grammophon label. He speaks with Jim Cunningham about his recent visit to Fallingwater and the new disc which is actually two cds recorded on a grand piano and the same program on an upright instrument. Vikingur speaks about his admiration for the 96 year old Gyorgy Kurtag with whom he recently spent an inspirational day. Several of Kurtag's piano pieces are included on the new set along with Schumann, Bach, Icelandic folksongs and Bartok. Does he prefer the volcanic terrain of his native country to the uptown streets of Manhattan where he earned his masters degree at Juilliard? Both are who he is! Did his parents call him Vik? Check out this conversation from his home in Iceland by Zoom.

Avery Barrera and Jackie Demspey sit down to discuss the Squonk Opera's 30th anniversary tour.

The Principal Harp of the Pittsburgh Symphony Gretchen Van Hoesen will organize and join in an ensemble of 16 harps to play a new score by Alyssa Reit inspired by Hans Christian Anderson's "The Snow Queen" on September 25 at 5:30 PM at Kresge Theater, Carnegie Mellon University.  It is co-sponsored by The Pittsburgh Chapter of the American Harp Society and Carnegie Mellon University. Alyssa Reit will be narrating the Hans Christian Andersen story, Peter Reit will be conducting 16 harpists performing, including Gretchen Katie Ventura and Marissa Knaub Avon, the entire harp department at CMU, the PYSO harp section and many more area harpists.  This production is a setting of the famous Hans Christian Andersen classic, for storyteller and 15 harps. In this performance, the music will incorporate excerpts from participant solos, specially arranged ensemble sections, sound effects, and excerpts from the orchestral repertoire to illustrate the story. The individual solos and ensemble selections will be set as musical interludes. In addition, participants will play underscoring and sound effects, accompanying the text. Harpists of all ages, skill levels, and harp types will be participating.  Alyssa Reit has worked as an independent performer, composer and arranger in the New York tri-state area since completing her Bachelors and Master's degrees at the Juilliard School as a student of Marcel Grandjany in 1975. Composition teachers include Jacob Druckman, Andrew Thomas, and Richard Einhorn. She has performed with institutions ranging from the Orchestra of St. Lukes, the Pittsburgh Symphony, and the Metropolitan Opera,

When it comes to classical music everything is not what it seems. Classically trained pianist and composer, Ayca Akin also known as Ahda takes classical music in a whole new direction. Her work blends genres of classical, contemporary classical and electronic music together to create film worthy compositions. If you want to listen to Ayca's music you can check out her Spotify page right here:  http://open.spotify.com/artist/3SaEzc51llQX7NZN1oeGsQ?si=Axqr92v6RXSPuxt4CGveSw If you're interested in working with Ayca, you can contact her by email at ayca@ayca-akin.com

For the first time in Pittsburgh the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh presents From the Canyons to the Stars by Olivier Messiaen at the Eddy Theater Chatham University 7:30 pm Saturday September 10.  Artistic Director Edward Leonard joins conductor Kevin Fitzgerald and pianist Daniel Pesca with Jim Cunningham to talk about the ambitious production which also features Mark Houghton, horn, of the Pittsburgh Symphony and two marimba soloists.

Pianist and Chatham University grad Robin Meloy Goldsby, the Piano Girl to her Facebook friends, is the daughter of Bob Rawsthorne - drummer and percussionist who recorded hundreds of Mr. Rogers Neighborhood episodes at WQED. Robin has published three popular books about her experiences playing at great hotels.  The most recent is "Piano Girl Playbook: Notes on a Musical Life." She is the long time pianist at the Hotel Excelsior Ernst next to the twin towers of Cologne Cathedral in Germany. On the most recent Pittsburgh Symphony tour, Jim Cunningham visited her grand court where she plays her own compositions as well as European and American standards. 

"Hair & Other Stories" is a dance-theater work by Urban Bush Women that reflects on race, identity, and ideas of beauty through the lens of Black women's hair. Using movement, song, and conversation, it explores what constitutes freedom, liberation, and release in our everyday struggles to rise to our Extra-ordinary Selves in extraordinary times.  WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke to Urban Bush Women's Artistic Director Chanon Judson about "Hair & Other Stories," how the company hopes to help young women find power through dance, and her work in jazz at the University of Buffalo.   "Hair & Other Stories" takes place at the PNC Theater September 9th and 10th.    For more information and tickets, https://playhouse.pointpark.edu/tickets/Playhouse-Presents-The-Artists-Series/urban-bush-women

Hope Academy of Music and the Arts is no ordinary place. Since 1999, they've brought arts education to youth in the Pittsburgh area. It has been a safe space where young students of a variety of racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, religious and linguistic backgrounds can expand their artistic and personal growth. Hope Academy teacher, Liza Barely, shares with us how art education can change a child's life.  Here is their website: https://cathedralofhope.org/ministries-programs/hope-academy/overview/

You've probably heard the word "Rad" throughout Allegheny County.   You might have even attended a few events during "Radical Days."  But what IS the Allegheny Regional Asset District?  Who do they support and WHY do they support these organizations.  The person with the answers is James Santelli.  He sat down with WQED-FM's Bryan Sejvar to talk all things Rad and Radical Days, which runs this year from September 9th through October 16th.     For more information:  https://www.radworkshere.org/      

Pittsburgh Shakespeare in the Parks presents "A Midsummer Night's Dream" at various parks September 3rd through the 25th.   Artistic Director Jennifer Tober and Stoney Richards, who plays Bottom stopped by to talk about the production.   For more information, visit:   https://www.pittsburghshakespeare.com/

Maria Caruso and Avery Barrera sit down to discuss her upcoming performance, "Breaking Boundaries," at the Kelly-Strayhorn Theatre September 9-10th.  Bodiography welcomes Brazil's renowned contemporary ballet company, Cisne Negro, to share the stage with Bodiography as artistic directors, Maria Caruso and Dany Bittencourt, create premiere works for each other's dancers.

Can Pittsburgh save the planet? Environmental artist, Karen Larson, sits down with Kamera Dorsey to discuss her unique approach to bringing awareness to environmental issues from radiation to deforestation of the Amazon and the drought happening right in our own backyard.

Marty Ashby, Executive Producer of MCG Jazz, a program of the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, sits down with Kamera Dorsey as they dive into all things jazz, arts education and how the mumps made Marty a musician.

WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham had a chance to talk with Leif Ove Andsnes about his new CD  "Mozart Momentum."  He also talks about his performances with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and more.      

Chamber Music Pittsburgh is on a mission to bridge the gap between classical music and the everyday person. In this Voice of the Arts episode, Kamera Dorsey sits down with Chamber Music Pittsburgh Executive Director, Kristen Linfante, to discuss the origins of chamber music, the divide between classical music and minorities and Chamber Music Pittsburgh's JUST Summer Series!