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Americans under 30 years old have been through a lot in their young lives. Perhaps living through and witnessing the volatile political moment that was Donald Trump's presidency, a global pandemic, a violent attack on the U.S. Capitol, and growing devastation due to war in the Middle East, has led to their reported lack of trust in several key political and social institutions. And yet, as we hear in this episode, Gen Z is deeply engaged with the issues and ideas that will improve their experiences as young adults who want their personal rights protected, and the ability to have safe communities and economic security. Gen Z voter voices are at the center of this conversation, hosted live by Kai Wright at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center in Newark. We hear from journalist Rachel Janfaza, who covers the political culture of the Gen Z generation; Askar Mirza, commissioner of Ridgefield, N.J.; and Alexis Williams, who is a coder and a political and social justice content creator. They join Kai for a conversation about how they became engaged themselves and what they know about their peers' political priorities this election year.Special thanks to the entire staff at NJPAC, especially Donna Walker Kuhne, Kitab Rollins, Megan Barry and Shira Vickar-Fox. Thanks also to the following colleagues at WNYC: Brenda Williams Butts, Kristina Newman-Scott, Ed Haber, George Wellington, Aaron Cohen, Bill O'Neill, Jim Stagnitto, Robin Bilinkoff and Matthew Marando. Tell us what you think. We're @noteswithkai on Instagram and X (Twitter). Email us at notes@wnyc.org. Send us a voice message by recording yourself on your phone and emailing us, or record one here.Notes from America airs live on Sundays at 6 p.m. ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts.
After almost three years of pop-up outdoor performances and playing in venues around the city, the NY Phil came home to a newly renovated David Geffen Hall in October of 2022. Part of Lincoln Center, the hall originally opened in 1962 to acclaim and controversy on the former site of the San Juan Hill Neighborhood. In this first season back, the NY Phil and Lincoln Center paid tribute to a lost community with a new commission by Etienne Charles.Learn more about David Geffen Hall at Lincoln Center, home of the New York Philharmonic. On August 23, 2023, this episode was updated to include additional details about the Afro-Caribbean population of San Juan Hill and the workers contracted to rebuild David Geffen Hall.The NYPhil Story: Made in New York production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Helena de Groot, Sapir Rosenblatt, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonemaker, Eileen Delahunty, Christine Herskovits, Natalia Ramirez, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes: George Wellington and Ed Haber. Production assistance from: Ben James, and Jac Phillimore and Mary Mathis. Additional audio provided by NYC Municipal Archives. Special thanks to Monica Parks, Adam Crane, Gabe Smith, and the New York Public Radio Archives.A transcript of this episode is available on our website: nyphilstory.com
The story is a classic in the gilded halls of symphonic music: someone falls ill and a young performer must step in at the last moment. For Leonard Bernstein, that happened live on the radio. During his career as the director of the New York Philharmonic, he advanced the orchestra's legacy of providing first-rate music to New Yorkers, and eventually to the nation through the televised broadcasts of his Young People's Concerts. The Phil continues that tradition today with their summer events playing concerts in the parks around the city.The NYPhil Story: Made in New York production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Helena de Groot, Sapir Rosenblatt, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonemaker, Eileen Delahunty, Christine Herskovits, Natalia Ramirez, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes: George Wellington and Ed Haber. Production assistance from: Ben James, and Jac Phillimore and Mary Mathis. Special thanks to Monica Parks, Adam Crane, Gabe Smith, and the New York Public Radio Archives. Audio footage from Young People's Concerts - Courtesy of CBS Broadcasting Inc.A transcript of this episode is available on our website: nyphilstory.com
Do we know when we're living through history? In 1893, New Yorkers gathered outside Carnegie Hall to hear the ground-breaking premiere of composer Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, better known as the “New World Symphony.” One of the most hotly anticipated premieres in musical history, it was delivered in the midst of a national debate over what a distinctly “American” classical music should sound like — and it was destined to become one of the most beloved works in Western classical repertoire. Over a century later, the NY Phil performed the same work a world away in Pyongyang, North Korea, once again making history, and revisiting those same questions of what it means to perform American music — and how music, regardless of its origin, can serve as a bridge between peoples.The NYPhil Story: Made in New York production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Helena de Groot, Sapir Rosenblatt, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonemaker, Eileen Delahunty, Christine Herskovits, Natalia Ramirez, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes: George Wellington and Ed Haber. Production assistance from: Ben James, and Jac Phillimore and Mary Mathis. Special thanks to Monica Parks, Adam Crane, Gabe Smith, and the New York Public Radio Archives. A transcript of this episode is available on our website: nyphilstory.com
April 29th, 1865: Fifteen days after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, the Philharmonic paid tribute to the late president with the Funeral March from Beethoven's Symphony No. 3. Beethoven intended this work to honor Napoleon — but ripped out the dedication page when Napoleon declared himself Emperor of France. Now, the symphony merely known as “Eroica” (or “heroic”) is fitting music to honor any national leader or heroic figure.Later, in the wake of an all-too-familiar tragedy, students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School reached out to two New York Philharmonic musicians. Clarinetist Anthony McGill, trombonist Joseph Alessi, and former band director of Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School Alex Kaminsky discuss how music helped console a community in the face of violence and loss.The NYPhil Story: Made in New York production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Helena de Groot, Sapir Rosenblatt, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonemaker, Eileen Delahunty, Christine Herskovits, Natalia Ramirez, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes: George Wellington and Ed Haber. Production assistance from: Ben James, and Jac Phillimore and Mary Mathis. Special thanks to Monica Parks, Adam Crane, Gabe Smith, and the New York Public Radio Archives. This episode contains discussions of self-harm and school violence. If you or someone you know is considering suicide or self-harm, help is available. The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is 988. And if you're outside the U.S., you can visit findahelpline.com to find resources for your country. You can also find free multilingual trauma resources online from the Child Mind Institute. A transcript of this episode is available on our website: nyphilstory.com
For the last decade, Alex Ross, music critic for The New Yorker, has been researching and writing about the outsize influence of German composer Richard Wagner on non-musicians — from literature, to film, to politics. The result of that work is his new book, Wagnerism: Art and Politics in the Shadow of Music, which was published on September 15. He spoke with producer Max Fine about Wagner's broad influence, how we deal with great art by problematic artists, and what it means to publish this book today. Max Fine, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical Producer
When the stay-at-home orders in New York began in March, pianist Simone Dinnerstein found herself unable to sit down at the piano. So, she took to reading and going on walks in Brooklyn's Greenwood Cemetery with her family. In June, her producer, Adam Abeshouse, convinced her to return to the piano through recording in her home. The results of those sessions, the album A Character of Quiet, featuring works by Schubert and Glass, is out now. Zev Kane talks with her about coping with lockdown, recording the album in her house, and what Glass and Schubert have in common (besides a birthday). Zev Kane, HostMax Fine, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical Producer
The Woody Guthrie archive is filled with riches, including some related to "This Land is Your Land," written 80 years ago. WNYC's Sara Fishko visited Woody's daughter, Nora, for a journey through a bit of Guthrie history in this archival Fishko Files, produced for his centenary in 2012. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Paul Schneider and George WellingtonEditor: Karen Frillmann
While In Conversations is on summer break, James Bennett sat down with Davóne Tines for a special episode as part of the Mostly Mozart on WQXR Festival to talk about his chamber Opera "The Black Clown", the relationship between Bach's music and R&B, and how sometimes just being in the room (or on stage) is already a form of protest. Listen to exclusive selections from Black Clown on Friday, August 14 at 11 pm for a Little Night Music, hosted by Helga Davis, and read more about The Black Clown here. James Bennett, HostMax Fine, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
Pianist and composer Stewart Goodyear joins Zev Kane this week In Conversation. They talk about his love of Beethoven and his "Sonatahons," in which he performs the complete Beethoven Piano Sonatas in a single concert, his own compositions, and his experiences as a Black classical musician. His new recording of the complete Beethoven Piano Concertos is out now on Orchid Classics. Zev Kane, HostMax Fine, ProducerRosa Gollan, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
Harriett Stubbs, english pianist and a "Personality with a capital P" is this week's guest In Conversation talking to our Host Paul Cavalconte from her London home where she hosts nighty quarantine concerts where she plays every thing from Bach, Bowie to the Beatles. They talk about social distancing concerts, her debut album Heaven & Hell, and the role of the concert piano in the classical and classic-rock genres. Paul Cavalconte, HostLuca Vasić, ProducerRosa Gollan, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
Host Zev Kane talks with the violinists of Quatuor Ebène, Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure. Their Beethoven Around the World project, a series of performances of Beethoven's string quartets on 6 continents, was supposed to culminate in a series of performances of all 16 quartets at Carnegie Hall, but was cancelled when concert halls closed due to the COVID19 pandemic. They talk about their favorite quartets, the origins of Beethoven Around the World, and what it's like to start rehearsing together again after spending several months apart. Zev Kane, HostMax Fine, ProducerRosa Gollan, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
French Pianist Lucas Debargue and WQXR host Zev Kane share a passion for composer and J.S. Bach contemporary Domenico Scarlatti. In this latest episode of In Conversation they talk about Debargue's latest recording of Scarlatti's piano sonatas, tough choices (like picking 52 sonatas out of over 500 (!) for the album), and why we shouldn't try to be happy all the time. Zev Kane, HostMax Fine, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
Composer and DJ Gabriel Prokofiev talks with WQXR's Zev Kane about his Turntable Concerto, why he loves the concerto form, his relationship with the legacy of his grandfather Sergei Prokofiev, and the state of classical music today. Zev Kane, HostMax Fine, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
This week, Aria Code producer Merrin Lazyan talks to soprano Angel Blue, who recently performed the role of Bess at the Met's production of Porgy and Bess to stellar reviews and is now, like most of us, hunkered down at home. Blue gives insights into how she approaches her roles and talks about the upside of not being able to perform during the current crisis, as well as her Faithful Friday sessions. Merrin Lazyan, HostRosa Gollan, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
Pianist and composer Chad Lawson has just released his new EP ‘Stay’. And as he, like all of us, are staying indeed at home, WQXR's Zev Kane spoke to him via video call about his compositional process, the driving force of melody, and the value of simplicity. Right now we have so many things pulling at us and so many distractions, that we've forgotten that we need to breath Zev Kane, HostMax Fine, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
This week IN CONVERSATION is mezzo-soprano Lucy Dhegrae with WQXR's James Bennet to talk about her unique approach to singing, the voice as an instrument (with imperfections), and her projects Resonant Bodies and the Processing Series. James Bennett, HostMax Fine, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
This week we are in conversation with the members of the genre defying ensemble and "classically trained garage band" Time For Three. Our host and artistic director Clemmie Burton-Hill talked to them earlier this year after being "in awe" of their interpretation and performance of J.S. Bach's Chaconne, Partita No.2 at a private Soiree at Joshua Bell's New York home. Here, Ranaan Meyer, Charles Yang, Nick Kendall, talk about improvisation, connection with the audiences, taking the freedom of moving between genres and playing hungover. And then they play that piece, their desert island companion: Bach's Chaconne – or their take on it. You can also watch their performance as part of WQXR's "Offstage" series here. Chaconne in Winter J.S. Bach/Arranged Hackman & Time For Three Clemency Burton-Hill, Host and ProducerSapir Rosenblatt, ProducerRosa Gollan, ProducerGeorge Wellington, Technical ProducerLukas Krohn-Grimberghe, Executive Producer
Kiyoe Kaimana Delphine Wellington is on an inspiring journey through the music world. After picking up the violin at an early age, Kiyoe switched to bass at age six and began daily lessons on the instrument with her renowned grandfather George Wellington. Kiyoe was a part of the Hawaii Contrabass Festival as she grew up, and she has been attending International Society of Bassists conventions for the past 20 years. After spending her senior year of high school at the Interlochen Arts Academy, Kiyoe studied with Todd Seeber at the New England Conservatory. Todd actually studied with George Wellington while he was living in Hawaii and returned many times to take part in the Hawaii Contrabass Festival. After New England Conservatory, Kiyoe went to graduate school at the University of California San Diego, where she worked with Mark Dresser. She is a passionate advocate of solo bass explorations, and she appeared on the PBS’s show playing solo bass on From the Top when she was 15. Kiyoe is currently a fellow at the Luzerner Sinfonieorchester in Switzerland, and she will be taking part in the Lucerne Festival this summer. We talk about her grandfather, her path through music, some recent contemporary music projects that she has been involved with, how practicing on the bass has changed for her over the years, advice for students at the beginning of their careers, and much more! Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by: D'Addario Strings This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut. Kolstein Music The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production. Steve Swan String Bass Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast’s largest selection of double basses between Los Angeles and Canada. Located in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, their large retail showroom holds about 70 basses on display. Their new basses all feature professional setups and come with a cover at no additional cost. Used and consignment instruments receive any needed repairs and upgrades before getting a display position on the sales floor. A440 Violin Shop An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440's commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools. Upton Bass String Instrument Company Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players. The Bass Violin Shop The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome! Contrabass Conversations production team: Jason Heath, host Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing Mitch Moehring, audio engineer Trevor Jones, publication and promotion Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!
Fumiko Wellington’s father George Wellington left a lasting legacy upon the double bass world. Raised in Boston and exposed at an early age to music, George studied with Warren Benfield at Northwestern University. George moved with his family to Hawaii, one of the few places in which his multiracial family could live and work in the United States at that time. Fumiko shares all kinds of reminiscences in this conversation about George and the impact he had on the double bass in Hawaii, including bringing Francois Rabbath to the state, starting the Hawaii Contrabass Festival and ushering young bassists like Shawn Conley and Kiyoe Wellington into thriving careers. Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by: D'Addario Strings This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut. Kolstein Music The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production. Steve Swan String Bass Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast’s largest selection of double basses between Los Angeles and Canada. Located in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, their large retail showroom holds about 70 basses on display. Their new basses all feature professional setups and come with a cover at no additional cost. Used and consignment instruments receive any needed repairs and upgrades before getting a display position on the sales floor. Upton Bass String Instrument Company Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players. The Bass Violin Shop The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome! A440 Violin Shop An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440's commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools. Contrabass Conversations production team: Jason Heath, host Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing Mitch Moehring, audio engineer Trevor Jones, publication and promotion Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!
Despite the persistent rain in New York a few days ago, the usual crowds celebrated New Year's Eve in Times Square, shoulder to shoulder. We are, after all, in this together. When we do things not only together, but in the same key, in the same way, with the same steps, sounds, or movements, it has a particular power. Here is this archival Fishko Files. (Produced in 2010) Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Paul Schneider and George WellingtonEditor: Karen Frillmann
If there’s one thing Gonads taught us, it’s just how complicated human reproduction is. All the things we thought we knew about biology and sex determination are up for debate in a way that feels both daunting and full of potential. At the same time, we're at a moment where we’re wrestling with how to approach conversations around sex, consent, and boundaries, at a time that may be more divisive than ever. So host Molly Webster thought: what if we took on sex ed, and tried to tackle questions from listeners, youth, reddit (oh boy), and staff. But instead of approaching these questions the way your high school health teacher might’ve (or government teacher, who knows), Molly invited a cast of storytellers, educators, artists, and comedians to grapple with sex ed in unexpected and thoughtful ways. To help us think about how we can change the conversation. In this episode, an edited down version of a Gonads Live show, Molly's team takes a crack at responding to the intimate questions you asked when you were younger but probably never got a straight answer to. Featuring: How Do You Talk About Condoms Without Condom Demonstrations? Sanford Johnson. Wanna see how to put on a sock? What Are Periods? Sindha Agha and Gul Agha. Check out Sindha's photography here. Is Anything Off-Limits? Ericka Hart, Dalia Mahgoub, and Jonathan Zimmerman Why Do We Do This Anyway? And Other Queries from Fifth Graders Jo Firestone "Sex Ed" is an edited* recording of a live event hosted by Radiolab at the Skirball Center in New York City on May 16, 2018. Radiolab Team Gonads is Molly Webster, Pat Walters, and Rachael Cusick, with Jad Abumrad. Live music, including the sex ed questions, and the Gonads theme song, were written, performed, and produced by Majel Connery and Alex Overington. One more thing! Over the past few months, Radiolab has been collecting sex ed book suggestions from listeners and staff, about the books that helped them understand the birds and the bees. Check out the full Gonads Presents: Sex Ed Bookshelf here! For now, a few of our favorites: Share book reviews and ratings with Radiolab, and even join a book club on Goodreads. *Our live show featured the following additional questions and answerers: How do you talk to your partner in bed without sound like an asshold or a slut? Upright Citizens Brigade, featuring Lou Gonzales, Molly Thomas, and Alexandra Dickson What Happens to All the Condom Bananas? Rachael Cusick With live event production help from Melissa LaCasse and Alicia Allen; engineering by Ed Haber and George Wellington; and balloons by Candy Brigham from Candy Twisted Balloons Special. Special thanks to Larry Siegel, Upright Citizens Brigade, and Emily Rothman and the Start Strong Initiative at the Boston Public Health Commission. Radiolab is supported in part by Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation initiative dedicated to engaging everyone with the process of science. And the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, enhancing public understanding of science and technology in the modern world. More information about Sloan at www.sloan.org. Support Radiolab today at Radiolab.org/donate.
Woody Sez, the Irish Repertory Theatre production now in New York through September 10th, is the latest in a long line of biographical and musical treatments of the life and work of Woody Guthrie. Sara Fishko visited Nora Guthrie, his daughter, for this Fishko Files. (Produced for the Guthrie centennial in 2012) For tickets and more information, visit the Irish Repertory Theatre's website. Fishko Files with Sara Fishko Assistant Producer: Olivia BrileyMix Engineer: Paul Schneider and George WellingtonEditor: Karen Frillmann