Podcasts about wqxr

Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them.100 Years of 100 Things: New York Films  (First) | 100 Years of 100 Things: Best Sellers (Starts at 17:31) | Summer Culture Calendar: Classical Music (Starts at 31:42)If you don't subscribe to the Brian Lehrer Show on iTunes, you can do that here.

Catch up with the summer cultural calendar with this pledge-drive miniseries. Today, Elliott Forrest, midday host of WQXR, reviews some of the classical music highlights of the summer season.

As our centennial series continues, John Schaefer, host of WNYC's New Sounds, takes us through WNYC's musical legacy. 

This month, WQXR released the final episode of its new podcast, If This Hall Could Talk, about the history of Carnegie Hall. Hosted by Broadway actress and singer Jessica Vosk, the podcast dives into different famous nights in Carnegie Hall history, from the opening performance in 1891 to Ella Fitzgerald's performances to a Civil Rights benefit concert. Vosk discusses the podcast alongside Kathleen Sabogal, director of Carnegie Hall's Rose Archives and Museum, and we take your calls. 

Over the weekend, WNYC presented a live event at St. Anne's Warehouse underneath the Brooklyn Bridge, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin's iconic piece 'Rhapsody In Blue,' with a new arrangement from  Edmar Colón that spotlights the piece's sense of place and the idea of a political crossroads. The event was curated by pianist Lara Downes, hosted by WQXR's Terrance McKnight, and featured musicians Christian McBride, Rosanne Cash, Arturo O'Farrill, Time for Three, and the Orchestra Elena. WNYC producer Simon Close recapped the event, and shared some musical excerpts of the evening. 

Tuesday, July 4th, 1944. It's been twenty-nine days since the Allies first stormed the beaches of Normandy. They've continued to slowly push inland, but the battle for control of the Caen has raged onward. CBS is there with up-to-the-minute news. On Saturday July 1st, A counterattack by German Panzer Corps failed to dislodge the British Second Army around Caen. When OB West Gerd von Rundstedt phoned Berlin to report the failure, Chief of Staff Wilhelm Keitel asked, “what shall we do?” Rundstedt replied, “Make peace you fools!” He was fired the next day. Meanwhile the U.S. 133rd Infantry Regiment captured Cecina in Tuscany, Italy. They'd enter Siena on Monday the 3rd. At the same time Allies and Japanese forces began battling in New Guinea and The Battle of Imphal in India ended in Allied victory. On the morning of the Fourth, Minsk, the last big German stronghold on Soviet soil, finally fell. This kind of war created a need for fast news relays, so much so that for the first time, news was being recorded on the battlefront. On Independence Day 1944, needing to push further inland from Normandy, the task fell to the 79th and 90th Divisions as well as the 82nd Airborne, all of whom had to assault uphill and around a large marsh in the low ground, while twelve Nazi divisions lay in wait, including several Panzer units. The troops fought yard by yard, making slow but steady progress at a high cost. The 90th Division alone lost over 500 men that day. This same day, General Omar Bradley had artillery units in the US First Army open fire on the German lines precisely at noon. Some units fired red, white, and blue smoke shells at the Germans. The message was clear: The Americans were in Western Europe and they wouldn't be leaving until victory was achieved. ____________ The man you just heard was Norman Lewis Corwin. He was born on May 3rd, 1910 in Boston, Massachusetts. The third of four children, his mother Rose was a homemaker, and his father, Samuel, a printer. Norman graduated from Winthrop High School, but unlike his brothers, he did not attend college. Instead, he got a job at the Greenfield Reporter as a Cub newsman at seventeen. Corwin was later hired by the Springfield Republican where he worked as an editor. He became known for his column "Radiosyncracies." His first exposure to professional Radio broadcasting came with an opportunity to air an interview regarding one of the human interest stories he'd written. Station WBZA soon needed a newsreader and sought to have the position filled with someone from the local paper. Corwin got the job. By 1929 Corwin fashioned his own broadcast over WBZA, a combination of piano interludes interwoven with Corwin's original poetry readings. He called the program Rhymes and Cadences. In 1931, Corwin traveled to Europe with his older brother, witnessing the growing fascism, social and religious unrest, and political turmoil. It helped shape his broadcasting career. In June 1935, he went to Cincinnati to work at WLW. He soon learned that any on-air reportage of collective bargaining efforts were grounds for immediate dismissal. Objecting, he was fired. Eventually he got the ACLU's backing and got the policy changed. Corwin came to New York, finding work as a publicist for 20th Century-Fox. He soon proposed a poetry and music program for WQXR. The program was called Poetic License, and it wasn't long before both NBC and CBS took notice. A few days shy of his twenty-eighth birthday in 1938, CBS hired Corwin as a director for One-Hundred-Twenty-Five-Dollars per-week. Within a few months he directed his first Columbia Workshop experimental drama, “The Red Badge of Courage,” airing July 9th, 1938. On the night of Sunday October 30th, 1938, Corwin was rehearsing the pilot for a new program, Words Without Music. Downstairs, Orson Welles was broadcasting his infamous Mercury Theater “War of The Worlds.”

In this episode of One Symphony, conductor Devin Patrick Hughes interviews internationally renowned pianist Quynh Nguyen (pronounced Quin Nwen), exploring her remarkable journey in music. Born in post-war Vietnam, Nguyen's path has been shaped by her family legacy, global influences, and dedication to her craft. From her early beginnings at the Hanoi Conservatory to her studies in Moscow, Paris, and the United States, Nguyen's story exemplifies perseverance and the power of music to transcend boundaries. The interview examines Nguyen's direct connections with French composer Olivier Messiaen and studying with his wife Yvonne Loriod, her respect for Germaine Tailleferre's resilience, and her collaboration with Paul Chihara on his Concerto Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra. Nguyen also explores music's capability to promote peace between nations in her touching final remarks.   Quynh Nguyen has performed throughout the United States, Europe, and Vietnam, in venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Smithsonian's Freer Gallery, Berlin Konzerthause, and the Opera House in Hanoi, Vietnam. Broadcast appearances include Voice of America, WQXR, WGBH, NHK Television in Japan, Vietnamese national television, and “Grand Piano,” on cable TV channels across the United States. Her discography includes recordings on Arabesque, Naxos's American Classics Series, and Music and Arts labels.   Dr. Nguyen is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Mannes College of Music and received her Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Graduate Center of City University of New York. She is the recipient of several highly prestigious scholarships and awards, including the United States Presidential Academic Fitness Award, the American Prize, and the Fulbright Fellowship to France.   Thank you for joining us on One Symphony. Thanks to Quynh Nguyen for sharing her music and spirit. You can find more info at https://www.quynhpiano.com   All music selections feature Quynh Nguyen on Piano. The following albums were featured on One Symphony today: “Fleurs de France: No. 2, Coquelicot de Guyenne” and “Berceuse” composed by Germaine Tailleferre from the album The Flower of France available from Naxos.  From Vingt regards sur l'Enfant-Jesus I. No. 15. Le baiser de l'enfant-Jesus ("The kiss of the infant Jesus") composed by Olivier Messiaen from the album Quynh Nguyen: Live in Concert - New York available from Arabesque Records. Concerto Fantasy, composed by Paul Chihara and featuring Nguyen with the London Symphony Orchestra “Drinking Songs for Kittens,” “Like Rising Must,”  and “Kleine Toccata…” from the Twice Seven Haiku.  4 Reveries on Beethoven (2021 Version): No. 2, Pastorale.  All these selections are available on the album Chihara: Concerto-Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra, Bagetelles, Reveries & Ami on the Naxos label.   You can always find more info at OneSymphony.org including a virtual tip jar if you'd like to support the show. Please feel free to rate, review, or share the show! Until next time, thank you for being part of the music!   https://www.quynhpiano.com https://www.priceattractions.com/devin-patrick-hughes-conductor  

In this membership drive mini-series, we run through some of can't miss things to see and do this summer.  Today, Ed Yim, chief content officer and senior vice president at WQXR, shares some of highlights for classical music and opera fans.

Get ready for a new season of fearless conversations that reveal the extraordinary in all of us.Critically acclaimed actress, singer, writer and composer Helga Davis returns for a new season of soulful conversations with artists and thinkers from a variety of disciplines, including Brittany Howard, Whitney White, Tremaine Emory, Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo, Suzan-Lori Parks, Noliwe Rooks and Sampha. In each episode, Davis and her guest share stories of struggle and resilience, challenges and victories along their creative journeys, providing inspiration and hope to listeners. Unique in the audio landscape for the depth of inquiry and emotional vulnerability, HELGA's thought-provoking conversations offer to expand our collective perspective on the human condition and the daily stressors of the world today. And each episode leaves listeners with something practical and practice-able: an idea for something they can do everyday to help them stay in touch with their own humanity and creativity, whatever form it may take. Season six is the second season co-produced by WNYC Studios, WQXR and the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University.

We highlight the life of African-American actor, singer, and activist Paul Robeson, was one of the driving forces in the civil rights movement starting in the early 20th century. Educated at Rutgers College and Columbia University, Robeson was a star football player, was named an All-American twice, and was inducted into the College football Hall of Fame. He graduated with a law degree while playing in the NFL for the Akron Ohio Pros. After his football career ended, Robeson became a recording sensation releasing over 276 records, singing mostly gospel and folk songs. Acting in New York and London he became a global celebrity. Robeson was also a movie star appearing in 15 films, the first was in 1925. Using his skills as an attorney, Robeson was an international advocate for human rights, fighting racial discrimination world wide. Due to his activism, conservative politicians branded Robeson as a dangerous radical. You will hear Paul Robeson perform on NBC's Rudy Vallee Show in 1933 during the height of his popularity. Plus, Robeson hosting a radio program on New York station WQXR in 1940 supporting the anti-fascist movement in Spain. Lastly, Robeson being interviewed on Pacifica Network radio station KPFA in San Francisco back in 1958. More at http://krobcollection.com

Shakespeare's “Romeo and Juliet” is the most famous love story in the Western canon. It's a tale so embedded in our culture — one that has seen so many iterations and retellings — it might feel hard to appreciate its original pathos, and the way it perfectly distills the intersections of young romance, idealism, and rebellion. In this episode, host Rhiannon Giddens and guests take a fresh look at this classic by focusing on the character of Juliet and her pivotal decision to take the friar's draught, a concoction that will help her feign death long enough to escape an arranged marriage and run away with Romeo. It's both an act of tremendous courage and one that sets their tragedy in motion. In Charles Gounod's operatic retelling, the aria Juliet delivers as she wrestles away her fear is so difficult that it's often cut from productions. But it's a pivotal moment, and a testament to Juiet's agency. Soprano Diana Damrau is up to the task, and delivers a rendition of “Amour, ranime mon courage” — otherwise known as the “poison aria” — from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera. THE GUESTS Soprano Diana Damrau is among the most celebrated opera singers of her generation. She's graced the stages of opera houses all over the world, and sung the role of Juliette at both The Metropolitan Opera and La Scala. After her debut as Juliette in 2016, it quickly became a favorite. For her, Gounod's “Roméo et Juliette” is “one of the most beautiful operas ever written.” Yannick Nézet-Séguin serves as music director for the Met Opera orchestra, the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Montreal's Orchestre Metropolitain, among many other appointments and collaborations with esteemed orchestras. In his opinion, “Roméo et Juliette” beats out “Faust” as Gounod's best opera. Emma Smith is a Shakespeare scholar and critic at the University of Oxford. Among her publications is the book “This Is Shakespeare,” which was a Sunday Times bestseller and has been translated into several languages. Smith frequently works with theater companies on their productions of Shakespeare plays and consults for film and television.Acclaimed British author and theater director Neil Bartlett, whose novels include “The Disappearance Boy” and “Address Book,” directed “Romeo and Juliet” for the Royal Shakespeare Company in London. He says the experience leaves him feeling “wrung dry with admiration.”

Carmen is maybe the most famous heroine in all of opera. She's a woman of Romani descent living in 19th century Spain, sensual and self-confident, aware of the power she wields over men — and she enjoys it. In her signature aria, popularly known as the “Habanera,” she describes herself as a bird who can't be captured. True to her own word, Carmen — and what she represents — is hard to pin down.  When “Carmen” premiered in Paris in 1875, it was deemed wildly immoral. Carmen becomes intrigued by a soldier, Don José, who initially pays her no attention. She seduces him, Don José abandons his fiancée to run away with her, and one thing leads to another (this is opera, after all) — he winds up murdering Carmen in a fit of jealous rage. One interpretation is that this is the story of a man giving into temptation and meeting his downfall. A more modern view would position Carmen as a proto-feminist. She's a woman who refuses to be controlled, and that puts her life in danger.But perhaps Carmen's greatest irony is that she is both a complex character and a full-blown stereotype of Romani women. In this episode, host Rhiannon Giddens and guests unpack the myth and the magic of Georges Bizet's "Carmen," and Clémentine Margaine brings it home with a performance of “L'amour est un oiseau rebelle” from the Met stage.THE GUESTSFrench mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margaine first performed in “Carmen” as a member of the children's chorus. Shortly after graduating from the Paris Conservatory, she joined the ensemble of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, where she sang her first performances in the title role. Since then, she's performed Carmen at opera houses all over the world. Susan McClary is a pioneer in feminist music criticism. She's a musicologist at Case Western Reserve University whose research focuses on the cultural analysis of music, both the European canon and contemporary popular genres. She's authored 11 books, including "Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality" and the Cambridge Opera Handbook on “Carmen.”Ionida Costache is an assistant professor of ethnomusicology and an affiliate of the Center for Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity at Stanford University. She is of Romani-Roma descent, and her work explores the legacies of historical trauma inscribed in Romani music, sound, and art. Her family likes to pass on the story of the time her great-grandfather performed the cimbalom for Theodore Roosevelt at the 1939 New York World's Fair. Rosamaria Kostic Cisneros wears many hats. She is a professional dancer, dance historian and critic, Romani studies scholar, Flamenco historian, as well as a sociologist, curator and peace activist. A research-artist at Coventry University's Centre for Dance Research, she works to bring arts and culture to vulnerable groups. She was introduced to flamenco by her Spanish-Roma mother during their frequent trips to Seville.

The new film "Maestro" is directed by Bradley Cooper, who stars as famed composer and New York Philharmonic conductor Leonard Bernstein, alongside Carrie Mulligan as his wife Felicia. Their oldest daughter, Jamie Bernstein, host of the WQXR podcast, The NY Phil Story: Made in New York, joins us to discuss watching her parent's love story come to life. "Maestro" is in select theaters now and will be on Netflix December 20.

Our guest today, Michael Brofman, was seriously injured during undergraduate school. He tried various teachers and received much medical advice - some of which included chain smoking! That's not a typo. Stay tuned for that outrageous story.Michael came across Taubman Approach expert Robert Durso. Through lessons with Robert Durso, Michael experienced physical healing and a level of artistic freedom that was almost unimaginable during his academic study.  Today's episode is a story of healing and freedom through the Taubman Approach. www.golandskyinsitute.org Pianist Michael Brofman has earned a reputation as one of the finest vocal accompanists of his generation. He has performed over one thousand songs, from Schubert's earliest lieder to premieres of new songs by today's most-recognized composers. He was hailed by the New York Times as an “excellent pianist” and Feast of Music recently praised his “elegant and refined playing… exhibiting excellent touch and clean technique.”  Parterre Box Blog called Mr. Brofman a “master communicator at the piano,” and Voix des Arts praised his “finesse and flexibility.”  Seen and Heard International recently wrote “Brofman got to the core of each song…delving into their emotional depths.”  Opera News stated “Michael Brofman provided exquisite piano accompaniment.”Highlights from Mr. Brofman's 2023-2024 season include performances of Arnold Schoenberg's Das Buch der Hängenden Gärten with Kate Maroney, Poulenc's Tel Jour, Telle Nuit with Michael Kelly, and repeat or premiere performances of works written for him by Daniel Felsenfeld, Libby Larsen, Jessica Meyer, and Reinaldo Moya.  Mr. Brofman also performs works by Benjamin Britten, Johannes Brahms, Michael Djupstrom, Shawn E. Okempolo, Caroline Shaw, Clara Schumann, Anton Webern, Kurt  Weill, and Hugo Wolf.Mr. Brofman has championed new works and has fostered relationships with many living composers, including Katherine Balch, Lembit Beecher, Tom Cipullo, Michael Djupstrom, Daniel Felsenfeld, Herschel Garfein, Mikhail Johnson, Daron Hagen, Jake Heggie, James Kallembach, Libby Larsen, Lowell Liebermann, David Ludwig, James Matheson, Reinaldo Moya, Harold Meltzer, Russell Platt, Kurt Rohde, Glen Roven, Andrew Staniland, Carlos Simon, and Scott Wheeler. In all, he has premiered over 100 songs, many of them dedicated to him. Mr. Brofman is the founder and artistic director of the Brooklyn Art Song Society, an organization dedicated to the vast repertoire of poetry set to music now in its 14th  season. His first CD New Voices on Roven Records includes four world-premiere recordings and was number one on Amazon's new releases for Opera/Vocal and debuted in the top 10 of the Traditional Classical Billboard Chart.  Since then he has recorded world premiere recordings of Kurt Rohde on Albany Records and Herschel Garfein for Acis Records. An eloquent and passionate advocate for art song, Mr. Brofman has been interviewed by Russell Platt for Opera News, for Caught In the Act on Brooklyn Public Television, on the WQXR radio show Soundcheck, on Seattle KING FM 98.1, and for the Linked Music blog. He also hosts his own internet show Song and Wine.  Mr. Brofman has a reputation as a gifted educator and has presented masterclasses at the University of Chicago, Cornell, Ithaca College, the University of Notre Dame and University of South Carolina. Mr. Brofman holds a bachelor of Music from Northwestern University where he studied with James Giles. There he was awarded the Frida A. Pick Award for Piano and featured on Chicago's classical radio station. Mr. Brofman spent several summers at the Aspen Music Festival as a student of Rita Sloan and continues his studies with Robert Durso. He resides in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn with his wife

As part of our 30th anniversary celebrations, we bring you a taste of a very special evening with the Colombian band Monsieur Periné—hosted at the Greene Space at WNYC and WQXR. Catalina García and Santiago Prieto play songs from their latest award-winning album, “Bolero Apocalíptico”, and chat with Latino USA's senior producer Marta Martinez about how they mix classic and modern influences, their love for their Colombian roots and how they found inspiration in the pandemic.

Malcolm X led many lives within his 39 years: as a bereaved but precocious child; as an imprisoned convict; as a firebrand spokesperson for the Nation of Islam and Black nationalism; and ultimately as one of the most pivotal figures of the Civil Rights movement. Today, he continues to inspire passion and controversy, his legacy as nuanced as the man himself.Anthony Davis's opera “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” seeks to gather Malcolm X's many identities and hold them together in the way only an artistic work can. When the piece was premiered by New York City Opera in 1986, it broke ground not just for its unique melding of jazz and blues idioms with contemporary classical traditions, but also for the choice made by Davis and his cousin, the librettist Thulani Davis, to situate recent history on the operatic stage.It turns out that a life as dramatic and urgent as Malcolm X's is ripe for opera. In the aria “You Want The Story, But You Don't Want To Know,” Anthony and Thulani Davis take the occasion of a police interrogation to let Malcolm X's character reflect on the tragedies and injustices that have shaped his life up to that moment — and, in his refusal to deliver “easier” narratives, to presage the often tumultuous search for truth and righteousness that would direct his life in years to come. Host Rhiannon Giddens and her guests explore the drama and the passion of Malcolm X's life and its inherent musicality upon the Metropolitan Opera's premiere of this modern classic.THE GUESTSIt may have taken nearly forty years for composer Anthony Davis to see the Metropolitan Opera stage “X,” but he's kept himself busy in the interim. This prolific composer, which The New York Times described as “the dean of African-American opera composers,” is also known for “Amistad,” “Wakonda's Dream,” and “The Central Park Five,” the latter of which won him a Pulitzer Prize in 2020. If anyone was born to be a musician, it's Davis: People tell him that the first time he played the piano was as a baby sitting in the lap of jazz pianist Billy Taylor.   Grammy Award-winning baritone Will Liverman was described by The Washington Post as a “voice for this historic moment.” Portraying Malcolm X in the Metropolitan Opera's production of “X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X” is only his most recent artistic triumph. Others include his breakout performance as Charles in Terence Blanchard's “Fire Shut Up In My Bones” and the premiere of “The Factotum,” an opera he both starred in and co-created. His hope for “X” is to help “kill some of the preconceived notions about who Malcolm X was and find the humanity in him.”Zaheer Ali is the executive director of the Hutchins Institute for Social Justice at the Lawrenceville School and something of a Malcolm X expert (a Malcolm X-pert?). He served as the project manager of the Malcolm X Project at Columbia University and his work on the Civil Rights icon has been featured in documentaries like Netflix's “Who Killed Malcolm X?” and CNN's “Witnessed: The Assassination of Malcolm X.” He traces his fascination with Malcolm X back to an assignment given by his eleventh-grade English teacher.

Elliott Forrest, weekday afternoon host of WQXR, shares some of the classical music and opera offerings to catch this fall.  

With “a prodigious clarity of diction” (Scherzo) and “a moving tendresse” (BBC Music Magazine), Esther Yoo has been described as “the model of a violin soloist in the modern age.” (The Strad). In 2010, she became the youngest prizewinner of the International Jean Sibelius Violin Competition, and of the Queen Elisabeth Competition two years later. She talks about both. In 2014, she became a BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artist and in 2018 she was selected as one of Classic FM's Top 30 Artists under 30. In 2020, she was named one of WQXR's ‘20 For 20' artists to watch.  We talk about the value of competitions, the physical and mental health of performing musicians and lots more on this delightful episode.

At last! After much anticipation, Aria Code returns! We're guiding listeners through highlights from the Metropolitan Opera's 2023-2024 season, pairing beloved classics with investigations into modern masterpieces. So get ready for a night at the opera — from the comfort of your own home. (Or wherever!) Arias from the likes of Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking and Anthony Davis's X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X will tackle some of the most complex social and ethical questions head-on, while classics like Bizet's Carmen and Gounod's Roméo et Juliette plunge us into the thick of opera's favorite themes of desire, love, and longing. Hosted by Grammy Award-winner, MacArthur “Genius” Fellow, and (most recently) Pulitzer Prize-winning musician Rhiannon Giddens, each episode features a signature combination of music and riveting storytelling, paired with Met Opera performances by world-renowned opera stars, including Joyce DiDonato, Matthew Polenzani, Will Liverman, Clémentine Margaine, Diana Damrau, and Ailyn Pérez.    Aria Code is produced by WQXR in partnership with The Metropolitan Opera. This season, we'll be releasing episodes on a biweekly basis, starting October 4.

At the heart of “Aida” is an African love story: the Ethiopian princess Aida is torn between loyalty to her country and passion for her captor, the Egyptian general Radamès, who loves her in return. But when “Aida” premiered in Cairo in 1871, very few Africans went to see it, let alone could afford the price of a ticket. The original audience for “Aida,” in fact, was the European elite in Egypt, whose economic fortunes and imperial ambitions were inextricably linked to the American Civil War. Verdi's “Aida” often portrays Egyptians as white and free and Ethiopians as Black and enslaved, reinforcing colonial stereotypes and colorism. It's a practice still present in many modern-day productions.  What role has opera played in colonialism, empire, and capitalism? Does art imitate life, or does it obscure it? Join McKnight's investigation in this radio special featuring  WQXR's own Nimet Habachy, as well as opera talents Limmie Pulliam, Angela Brown, Raehann Bryce-Davis, Sir Willard White and more.  “Every Voice” is hosted by Terrance McKnight. The Executive Producer is Tony Phillips. The Executive Producer for WQXR Podcasts is Elizabeth Nonemaker. Our research team includes Ariel Elizabeth Davis, Pranathi Diwakar, Ian George, and Jasmine Ogiste. Sound design and engineering by Alan Goffinski. Original music composed by Jeromy Thomas and Ashley Jackson. Special thanks to The Met archives.This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov.

WQXR's new podcast examines the hidden voices of classical music in American history. The first season of Every Voice with Terrance McKnight is a history of Blackness in opera, with stories about "The Magic Flute," "Otello," and more. McKnight joins us to discuss the podcast, and also commemorate the late Harry Belafonte.

In Giuseppe Verdi's “Aida,” Princess Aida is torn between her homeland of Ethiopia (ruled by her father, King Amonasro) and her captor, the Egyptian leader Radamès who loves her and whom she loves in return. It's a powerful love story, an African love story - so why are Egyptians portrayed as white and the Ethiopian as Black and enslaved? This week on Every Voice with Terrance McKnight: We're joined by tenor Limmie Pulliam, the first Black man to take on the role of Radamès at the Metropolitan Opera, soprano and arts activist Maleasha Taylor, and WQXR host, opera expert, and Cairo native Nimet Habachy on how Aida was commissioned to help position Egypt as the “Paris of the East” and what that means for Egyptians like her today. This episode is hosted by Terrance McKnight. The  Executive Producer is Tony Phillips. The Executive Producer for WQXR Podcasts is Elizabeth Nonemaker. Our research team includes Ariel Elizabeth Davis, Pranathi Diwakar, Ian George, and Jasmine Ogiste. Sound design and engineering by Alan Goffinski. Original music composed by Jeromy Thomas and Ashley Jackson. Special thanks to The Met archives.This project is supported in part by the National Endowment for the Arts. To find out more about how National Endowment for the Arts grants impact individuals and communities, visit www.arts.gov

The New York Philharmonic has been performing for over 180 years and is America's oldest operating orchestra. A new podcast from WQXR, The NY Phil Story: Made in New York, launched last week. The podcast dives into the history of the orchestra and the people who have played in it. Host Jamie Bernstein joins us to discuss the history of the NY Phil and take your calls.

Terrance McKnight, evening host on WQXR, unearths the hidden voices that shape our musical traditions in the new podcast "Every Voice with Terrance McKnight.” McKnight has spent decades interrogating the classical world, raising questions about race relations in the genre and therefore introducing his listeners to often overlooked or forgotten music and voices. Kai Wright joins McKnight live from The Greene Space stage to celebrate the launch of McKnight's new WQXR podcast “Every Voice.” We're bringing you a portion of this event that also features Sharon J. Willis, founder of Americolor Opera Alliance, and musical performances from singers Asha Lindsey and Ian George. Watch the full event here.   Companion listening for this episode:  How Singer Marian Anderson Dominated the Global Stage (12/22/2022) At a time when the dominant art form was anti-Black minstrelsy, famed contralto Marian Anderson made a name for herself performing classical music. Host Kai Wright is joined by WQXR's Terrance McKnight to discuss Anderson's legacy, and her journey to global music stardom. “Notes from America” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on notesfromamerica.org or on WNYC's YouTube channel. We want to hear from you! Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter @noteswithkai or email us at notes@wnyc.org.

Recovering from a brain injury can be a challenging experience, and often the social supports required simply do not exist. David Putrino, Director of Rehabilitation Innovation for the Mount Sinai Health System, Jenny Clarke, co-founder and CEO at the advocacy organization SameYou, and Clemency Burton-Hill, a former classical music broadcaster at WQXR who suffered a brain injury in 2020, discuss the recovery process, and what systemic changes could help patients who survived brain injuries. Former WQXR classical music presenter Clemency Burton-Hill had to re-learn how to play music, which she then used as a therapeutic part of her recovery from a brain injury. (Courtesy of Clemency Burton-Hill)  

Black people know this: There's a difference between what you say and what you mean. It's been a matter of survival for us. For over 30 years, American visual artist and cinematographer Arthur Jafa has captured the histories and experiences of Black Americans with projects that exemplify both the universal and particular facets of Black life. In the second part of this masterclass in Black thought, Jafa continues his free-from improvisation through his breadth of knowledge and understanding of visual culture — embedded with all the references, rhetorics, and personal reflections of someone who has spent a lifetime dedicated to centralizing the varied experiences of Black Being. 

I don't want to be the prisoner in a box, even if it's a box I made. For over 30 years, American visual artist and cinematographer Arthur Jafa has captured the histories and experiences of Black Americans with projects that exemplify both the universal and particular facets of Black life. In this masterclass in Black thought — the first episode in a two-part series — Jafa shares a free-from improvisation through his breadth of knowledge and understanding of visual culture — embedded with all the references, rhetorics, and personal reflections of someone who has spent a lifetime dedicated to centralizing the varied experiences of Black Being.

This [term] 'femme' becomes more possible to me as a figure for not just embodiment, but for thought, action, engagement, connection. Macarena Goméz-Barris is Professor and Chair of Modern Culture and Media at Brown University, founder of the Global South Center at Pratt Institute, an organization which supports artists, activists, and scholars in their efforts to decolonialize local and global communities. In this episode, Goméz-Barris talks about how one can and must find beauty in the most ambiguous of places, how she uses the word “femme” to escape the embattled histories of the word “female," and how she has—and hasn't—moved on from a traumatic early swimming lesson with her father.   References: Constantine Petrou Cavafy Waiting for the Barbarians Audre Lorde Uses of the Erotic, The Erotic is Power Saidiya Hartman Octavia E. Butler Parable of the Talents

There are whole histories of African American artists wrestling with stereotypical depictions and minstrelsy - and it seemed worthy anyway to me as an artist to consider them as some kind of artwork. American painter and silhouettist Kara Walker rose to international acclaim at the age of 28 as one of the youngest-ever recipients of a MacArthur Genius grant. Appearing in exhibitions, museums, and public collections worldwide, Walker's work wrestles with the ongoing psychological injury caused by the legacy of slavery.  In this episode, Walker shares how she navigates her own inner conflicts, how a curiosity for history led her to the silhouette, and what happens when making use of symbols of Black servitude brings one acclaim.  References: Buster Browns RISD - Rhode Island School of Design My Complement, My Enemy, My Oppressor, My Love University of the Pacific Robert Wilson Einstein on the Beach Stanley Whitney Glen Ligon Kehinde Wiley

Called the “Yo-Yo Ma of the harp,” by Vogue Senior Editor Corey Seymour, Bridget Kibbey is in demand for her innovative, virtuosic performances that expand the expressive range of the harp. Kibbey has received a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and a Salon de Virtuosi SONY Recording Grant. She is the winner of the Premiere Prix at the Journées de les Harpes Competition in Arles, France, the Concert Artists Guild competition, and the Juilliard School's Peter Mennin Prize for Artistic Excellence and Leadership. She is a graduate of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Bowers Program and is annually featured with the company. She made her NPR TinyDesk debut in 2020, and her debut album “Love is Come Again,” was listed as a top ten debut by TimeOut, NY. Bridgett has been featured as soloist on Front Row Washington, A&E's Breakfast with the Arts, WQXR, WRTI, among others. In addition, she is also curating a new classical music concert series at Our Savior's Atonement in Washington Heights. For a schedule check out www.mosaconcerts.org

I like to say we're living in a precedent time, not an unprecedented one. How do we understand that? Being at the museum or writing histories both in poetry and in non-fiction are ways of trying to understand that.  “Gatekeepers” hold an essential role in our culture as those in positions of power who determine what we see and hear — and therefore how we understand our world. The poet Kevin Young holds dual gatekeeping roles as both director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture as well as the poetry editor for The New Yorker magazine.  In this episode, Young talks about how he holds these responsibilities and likens reading a poem to entering into a museum. He also shares his belief in the power of unexpected transformations, which songs have brought him comfort, and how it's always easiest to write about the place you've just left.  References: Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture Public Enemy Chuck D Parliament Funkadelic African American Vernacular English Sister Sonya Sanchez Langston Hughes Gwendolyn Brooks Harriet Tubman's shawl David Hammonds' African American Flag Willie Nelson Earth, Wind and Fire John Coltrane's Love Supreme I Want You - Marvin Gay Mary Lou Williams Jean-Michel Basquiat Make Good the Promises Ida B. Wells Book of Hours - Kevin Young Stones - Kevin Young

It's hard when you try to talk across racial groups about race ... I do believe that there's a better chance of them getting further if we can create spaces of both accountability and connection.  Tricia Rose is a pioneering scholar in the field of hip-hop, Chancellor's Professor of Africana Studies at Brown University, co-host with Cornel West of “The Tight Rope” podcast, and Director of the Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America.  In this episode, Rose discusses how she balances her love of the early days of hip-hop with the global profit powerhouse it has become, the beauty of chaos, and how essential it is to build safe, stable communities at a time when everything is being done to isolate and separate.   References: Fannie Lou Hamer Clarence Thomas Tightrope with Cornell West Center for the Study of Race and Ethnicity in America

Within seriousness, there's little room for play, but within play there's tremendous room for seriousness. It's through the act of serious play that wonderful ideas are born.  Carrie Mae Weems is one of today's most influential and generous contemporary American artists, as devoted to her own craft as she is to introducing other artists into the world. Her photography and diverse visual media has won her numerous awards including the Rome Prize, a MacArthur genius grant, and four honorary doctorates, and she was even named one of the 100 most influential women of all time by Ebony magazine.    In this episode, Weems explores the struggles artists must maintain to find balance and reach an audience, how the field cannot advance without the deep and profound inclusion of Black artists, and what the concept of “grace” means to her and her mother.   References: Dawoud Bey The Black Photographers Annual Joe Crawford Roy DeCarava Anthony Barboza Ming Smith Langston Hughes's ‘Black Nativity' Cassandra Myth

Throughout her career, American contralto Marian Anderson performed a repertoire well ahead of her time. At a time when the dominant art form was anti-Black minstrelsy, famed contralto Marian Anderson made a name for herself performing classical music. Host Kai Wright is joined by WQXR's Terrance McKnight to discuss Anderson's legacy, and her journey to global music stardom. Companion listening for this episode: Billy Porter on Bringing Blackness, Queerness and Fullness to Art (12/19/2022) What does a next level victory look like for an Emmy, Grammy and Tony winner? For actor Billy Porter - it's an authentic sense of self. “Notes from America” airs live on Sunday evenings at 6pm ET. The podcast episodes are lightly edited from our live broadcasts. To catch all the action, tune into the show on Sunday nights via the stream on notesfromamerica.org or on WNYC's YouTube channel.   We want to hear from you! Connect with us on Instagram and Twitter @noteswithkai or email us at notes@wnyc.org.

I knew that there was a power I had when I stripped off my shirt and looked you in the eye as I moved my hips. But I also knew the other side of that attraction to me was the impulse to kill me. Legendary dancer and choreographer Bill T. Jones has made a career of engaging his audience with brutal, unapologetic honesty. His seductive work has grappled with provocative political issues ranging from sexuality, race, and censorship to power and the AIDS epidemic — while also innovating in the expressive possibilities of movement itself.  In this episode, Jones talks about what it meant to grow up as a “Black Yankee” in the 1950s and 1960s and as one of 12 children. He also reflects on the adjacency of violence to the power of seduction, and how, after decades as a performing artist, the body may retire but the mind never will.  References: Alvin Ailey Percival Borde Pearl Primus Sammy Davis Jr. Bojangles Shirley Temple Sydney Poitier Charles Weideman Doris Humphrey Arnie Zane Lois Welk Rod Rogers Louise Roberts Arthur Aviles Marcel Proust Merce Cunningham George Balanchine Hannah Arendt Max Roach Freda Rosen

Nancy Lombardo,  has performed her unique comedy from coast to coast.  TV credits include The Colin Quinn Show on NBC, SNL, The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, PBS, Comedy Tonight, Nickelodeon. 7 PM weekly on The Nancy Lombardo Show channel 56/83/34 NYC and worldwide on www.mnn.org. " She is a member of The Friars Club.  https://www.amazon.com/dp/1513684272?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860 A POCKETFUL OF CONFIDENCE and  https://www.amazon.com/AH-MUSINGS-INNER-MUSE-LOOSE/dp/151369362X David Dubal (Photo Susie Lang) former professor of piano at Juilliard, author, and radio host of WQXR.  An Emmy Award winner and friend of the late piano legend Vladimir Horowitz, Dubal is an expert on the golden age of the piano. His latest book, “Selected Paintings and Drawings of David Dubal,” is a collection of paintings, drawings, and sketches by the author, and includes written commentary about Dubal's artistic journey and the nature of art as a whole. The book is eclectic, containing colorful abstracts, quirky renderings of geldings and bejeweled dogs, surreal black-and-white sketches, and classical portraits of great musicians such as Prokofiev, Bizet, and Sibelius. The book is both adventurous and personal, showing the full range of one man's emotions and artistic expression. "The Piano Matters" on WWFM.org every Wednesday at 10pm,  repeated Sundays at noon. Tuesdays 5:30-7pm “Piano Evenings with David Dubal” at Grace and St. Paul's Church, 123 W. 71st Street in Manhattan, NYC  https://www.pianoevenings.com/  

Once I could feel grounded in an East African context and value who I am in an American context - suddenly it was so apparent that music was where I was supposed to be. The dynamic, ascendant jazz singer Somi has been celebrated for her artistry as much as her activism. She became the first African woman ever nominated in any of the Grammy's Jazz categories last year, and she has performed at the United Nations' General Assembly by invitation from UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon. Somi describes herself as a “East African Midwestern girl who loves family, poetry, and freedom” and yet hers is a story of survival, adversity, and transformation. In this episode, she discusses what happens when a teacher steals your joy, the power of a meditative practice that connects her to her ancestors, and how she is still finding her voice.   References: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon Miriam Makeba The Babiito and Bunyoro-Batooro people Curtis Institute of Music ‘Dreaming Zenzile:' Somi Kakoma and Miriam Makeba Zap Mama

I was making it for the people who feel like they don't really get a shot or are not seen, talked about, or cared about at all.   Even with his surging popularity in indie and rock scenes, Bartees Strange strives to bring his music to unexpected audiences and to tease apart the racial boundaries between them. He reckons with the concept of what it means to write music for the kids who are not seen, heard, or cared about.  In this episode, Stange talks about growing up on a military base in England, working in the labor and climate movements in D.C., and how seeing an appearance by TV on the Radio on the Late Show with David Letterman was the cheat code for writing his own music.  References: NSYNC Backstreet Boys Cleopatra (Group) "Cleopatra Comin At Ya" 50 Cent Get Rich Or Die Tryin Linkin Park Tunde Adebimpe Parliament Sun Ra Brothers Johnson Beach House Slowdive ”Super Spirit” by Junie Morrison and George Clinton Burial Gorgon City Courtney Barnett Phoebe Bridgers Lucy Dacus Car Seat Headrest The National Mahershala Ali Fugazi Beauty Pill Chuck Brown Moses Sumney Serpent with Feet Tasha Wow - L'Rain Dan Kleederman TK Johnson John Daise

Usually the things that are the farthest out — that look the least like art to me — are the things that become the most important.   American painter Glenn Ligon is one of the most recognizable figures in the contemporary art scene. His distinctive, political work uses repetition and transformation to abstract the texts of 20th-century writers. In this episode, Ligon talks about childhood and what it means to have a parent who fiercely and playfully supports you. He also discusses the essential lesson that there's value in the things you do differently, and why he won't take an afternoon nap in his own studio.  References: Courtney Bryan Pamela Z  Samiya Bashir Thelma Golden Robert O'Meally Romare Beardon Toni Morrison Lorna Simpson Margaret Naumberg The Walden School Mike D - Beastie Boys Murders of Chaney, Goodman, and Schwerner Davóne Tines Chris Ofili  Henry Threadgill Frédéric Bruly Bouabré “How It Feels to Be Colored Me” Saidiya Hartman Fred Moten Jason Moran

There are times in life when you need to be able to live in the vision, where you are making a leap of faith into something unknowable. Claudia Rankine is a professor of the Creative Writing Program at New York University, a recipient of fellowships from the MacArthur, Guggenheim, and National Endowment of the Arts, and one of the most celebrated writers of our time. In this episode, Rankine talks about who holds the power in our democracy and what it means to earn a mother's understanding of your work. She also reveals her superpower and the advice she would offer everyone who looks for fresh inspiration.  References Jennifer Lewis August Gold Alex Poots The Shed “Ain't Nobody Got Time For That” “Animal Joy” by Nuar Alsadir Robert Wilson and Bernice Johnson Reagon's “The Temptation of St. Anthony”  

We had a great conversation with Kyle P. Walker: Activist Concert Pianist and Educator as our guest of Season 3 Episode 6. Kyle, a strong advocate for social equality, believes music can speak to social issues better than verbal language. Having extensive experience both as a performing artist and journalist, he feels a strong responsibility and passion for raising awareness of social justice issues through music in an accessible and engaging way.In this episode, you will hear Kyle's thoughts on how music can speak towards current social issues, how he brings awareness to influential Black music through his innovative and inclusive programs, and more.[Kyle P. Walker – Activist Concert Pianist]A strong advocate for social equality, critically-acclaimed pianist Kyle P. Walker, believes music can speak to social issues better than verbal language can, the understanding of which he brings to both traditional Western repertoire and that of the living world-wide composers with whom he collaborates. Many of his performances have been featured on media broadcasts, including The Green Space at WNYC, WQXR's Mcgraw-Hill Financial Young Artists Showcase, Sunday Baroque, NPR's Public Radio East, CNN, and PBS. He has been featured in recitals at New York's Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, and with an orchestra in Stern Auditorium at Carnegie Hall. Mr. Walker was featured in residency alongside the Boston-based ensemble Castle of our Skins at The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. The online series of free digital programs explore the ways some Black American composers have found inspiration in the rich tradition of spirituals. Walker is a pianist of DARA + KYLE, an innovative piano/cello duo, and 2021 recipient of the Chamber Music America “Ensemble Forward” career grant. The award-winning duo is committed to bringing excellence and respect to all under-represented composers in the canon. Walker also performs with The Harlem Chamber Players, an ethnically diverse collective of professional musicians dedicated to bringing high-caliber, affordable, and accessible live classical music to people in the Harlem community and beyond. As an advocate of social justice, Walker is a founding member and chamber musician of The Dream Unfinished, an activist orchestra that supports NYC-based civil rights and community organizations through concerts and presentations. As a teaching artist and educator, he has co-presented at the Human Rights Center, New York Society for Ethical Culture, and the Brooklyn Public Library. A dedicated educator, Walker is a member of the piano faculty at NYU Steinhardt's program in Piano Studies. In addition he is also on the faculty of the Lucy Moses School at Kaufman Music Center and on the chamber music faculty of The Artist Program at Suzuki on the Island. He has presented recitals, residencies, and masterclasses at various institutions such as The University of Dayton, The University of Virginia, Belmont University, Allen University, The Harlem School of the Arts, and The Duke Ellington School of the Arts. He has also co-presented extensive workshops alongside The Dream Unfinished, including the Carnegie Hall Music Educator Workshop, speaking about arts activism and building diverse curriculums for students to include composers that reflect the communities they serve. 

'Safe' also has another connotation of being not willing to take risks or to push a boundary. Michael R. Jackson is the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of A Strange Loop, a play into which he poured almost 20 years of self-investigation. He's also fresh from a Tony Award for Best New Musical as well as being named one of Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2022. In this episode, Jackson talks about what it means to be fearless as an artist, the lies of our “if this, then that” culture, and how the illusion of identity is a powerful means to foster understanding. References: "A Strange Loop" Time Magazine's "100 Most Influential People of 2022" "When We All Get to Heaven" Gestalt Therapy Peabo Bryson Jeffrey Osborne Luther Vandross    

  Award winning pianist Donna Weng Friedman enjoys a varied career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, curator, producer and app developer.   Her album Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings, featuring exclusively AAPI/BIPOC artists, aims to promote understanding and tolerance and combat racism, with all proceeds donated to an organization that supports the AAPI community and fights against racism.  Recorded and released during the pandemic, the album was presented with two Silver Medals at the 2022 Global Music Awards.    In collaboration with WQXR, Donna created and produced Heritage and Harmony, a virtual concert series in celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month.  As an American of Chinese descent, her work with Friends of Thirteen on  Asian Americans of New York & New Jersey | WLIW21 - expanding the story-sharing website, highlighting first-person stories about the Asian American experience in our region- was not only meaningful to her, but to her family, friends and community as well.   She is the co-creator and co-host of HER/MUSIC;HER/STORY, a mini-series on WQXR as well as a concert series that shines a light on women composers, past and present.  Donna was awarded a New York Women Composers grant for 2022. She was the guest speaker on TEDx Santa Barbara's series Making Waves: Conversations with Influencers and Disruptors. Donna is the Artistic Advisor of Ariel Rivka Dance, an all-female dance company. Together they will share stories of heritage and harmony through music and dance.   In January and April 2021, Donna was the featured guest artist on the National Women's History Museum's series NWHM Presents: Sundays@Home, honoring women whose activism and talents serve to inspire others.  On March 8th, 2022, she launched a new education program in collaboration with the National Women's History Museum called Heritage and Harmony: Her Art, Her Voice, featuring leading female BIPOC role models in the arts who share their stories of heritage, their challenges and their triumphs, as they seek to inspire and empower future generations of groundbreaking young women.    Donna has performed in concert halls worldwide, and appeared as soloist with major symphony orchestras, including the Atlanta, Philadelphia and Shanghai Symphony Orchestras.  The curator of the Donna Weng Friedman '80 Master Class Series at Princeton University, she is also a member of Princeton University Music Department's Advisory Council.  Donna received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Princeton University where she was a University Scholar and a Master of Music Degree from the Juilliard School. She had the honor of studying with the great pedagogue Nadia Boulanger, as well as the incomparable pianist Radu Lupu. She was the music supervisor and recording artist for the award-winning film documentary “Frames of Life” as well as for the documentaries “Living Liberty” and “Morris Engle: The Independent”.  Ms. Weng Friedman created “The Music Bee Club” interactive classical music app series for children ages 2-8 featuring world class musicians, such as principal cellist of the NY Philharmonic Carter Brey and flutist Elizabeth Mann, produced by twentyone-time Grammy Award winner David Frost.     I really admire in her story the instinct to take action, the willingness to use her strengths to create change in the world. How can you imagine doing something similar?  Find Donna at her website, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and Twitter. Building a creative business? You need to check out the Ultimate Music Business Summit this January! I'll be presenting, and so will over two dozen other musicpreneurs!  Thinking of trying FONS to streamline scheduling and payment for your music studio? Click HERE for my affiliate link and a free two week trial!  Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance. You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode! Or you could hop on a short call with me to brainstorm your next plan.  I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!

Artist, performer, and host Helga Davis brings a soulful curiosity and love of people to the podcast Helga, where she talks about the intimate lives of creative people as they share the steps they've taken along their path. She draws listeners into these discussions with cultural change-makers, whether already famous or rising talents, whose sensibilities expand our imaginations as we explore what we think we know about each other. The new season of Helga is a co-production of WNYC Studios and the Brown Arts Institute at Brown University. WNYC Studios is a listener-supported producer of other leading podcasts including Radiolab, On the Media, and Death, Sex & Money. The Brown Arts Institute at Brown University is a new university-wide research enterprise and catalyst for the arts at Brown that creates new work and supports, amplifies, and adds new dimensions to the creative practices of Brown's arts departments, faculty, students, and community.

This weekend, our sister station, WQXR will hold its 4th Classical Kids Fair, this time in Queens. Chief Content Officer Ed Yim joins to preview the event.

This week: We learned something interesting about Netflix, Cross-promotions work but you might be doing them wrong, Anchor continues to be the top podcast host by episode share, and the FTC sues a data broker. All we know about Netflix's ad plans so far Shreya: Once again we bring you an article that doesn't feature the world “podcast”, but could have big implications for the industry. Last Friday Kelsey Sutton published a brief roundup of all the news about Netflix that had dropped during the week. The world learned about polarizing new ad-supported tier, charging between $7 to $9 a month. We also learned they're targeting 15 and 30 second spots for preroll and midroll ads.  “The flurry of reports helps provide a better picture of how Netflix is strategizing the rollout of its ad-supported tier after eschewing Madison Avenue for years. There are still many unknowns, including what kind of metrics the service will provide to measure ad effectiveness. Even without all the details, media buyers are buzzing with anticipation.”  Podcasters and advertising folk alike should take note of how much Netflix is paying per thousand impressions. According to Sutton the streamer is paying $65 CPM, with expectations of that going up to $80 in future.  With those rates in mind for the biggest streaming platform, average podcast CPM is fair to underpriced in comparison.  Do Cross-Promos Work? Hell Yes, But You Are Likely Doing Them Wrong…And We Can Fix That Manuela: On Monday Eric Nuzum published an issue of The Audio Insurgent that aims to introduce podcasters to a vital lesson learned while conducting research for terrestrial radio nearly two decades ago.  Nuzum is of the opinion that on-air and in-episode content promotion is frequently misunderstood and often poorly executed. This and the next two issues of Audio Insurgent are dedicated to covering the three Rs of program promotion: Reduction, Repetition, and Real Content.  In 2004 Nuzum conducted a study for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting titled ON-air Program Promotions Insight Study, a study of cross-promotion in the radio industry so helpful he continued to get messages asking where to find the study long after the original webpage hosting it had decayed.  For this newsletter series he has done some light editing and uploaded the entirety of the 18 year-old study to Google Drive for preservation.  “Yet despite its age, it can still be very effective and useful to all audio professionals today. But the whole project boils down to one simple sentence: A well-constructed message, delivered to the right listeners often enough for them to recognize it, can increase listening.” His issue on Reduction stresses the importance of stripping fat from a promotion and ensuring it isn't airing in a block of multiple other promotions that could distract from the message. An example given from when the promo study was first conducted is Nuzum playing a promo for A Prairie Home Companion. The promo rapid-fire announced the town, state, college auditorium in said town the performance would take place at. Following that, three musical acts and the name of the famous News from Lake Wobegon segment.  “Immediately after playing it, I would ask those in the room to name a single artist or location mentioned in that promo. On a rare occasion, someone could remember “Iowa”--but most times, no one could remember anything. And these people were (supposedly) paying attention.” Top Podcast Hosting Companies by Episode Share (August 2022) Shreya: Last Thursday Livewire Labs updated their substantial snapshot of the industry via episode share.     “One of the ways to measure the health of the current podcast ecosystem is to measure the number of new episodes published in a given period. We look at every single new podcast episode published (about 1.6 million in August 2022, up 5.4% from last month) and identify which podcast hosting company it belongs to.” One of the first things that jumps out about both the list of hosting companies by new episode share and the ranking of hosts by new episodes published in August is the gulf between first and second place. In a ranked list of 234 podcast hosting services Anchor dominates first place at 22.9% of new episodes published. Buzzsprout showed gains in solidifying a strong second place at 9%.  Livewire's data pairs nicely with the Podnews podcast hosting change tracker, which observes RSS feed hosting changes across the system's sample size of over 73,000 podcasts. Over the past week 211 podcasts changed from one hosting service to another, 26 which moved from various other services to Anchor. Pundits are fond of depicting Anchor as a dumping ground for single episode or dead podcasts due to their free tier, but they clearly are attracting a lot of new creators.  A sociologist on what advertisers should know when they use health data And:  FTC picks fight with data broker Manuela: Over the past week Ryan Barwick of Marketing Brew has published two closely-related articles covering the use of data collected in a healthcare environment for advertising.  First, yesterday's article features an interview with Mary F. E. Ebeling, an associate professor of sociology at Drexel University and recently-published author of a book on the effects of collected data on individuals' lives. Ebeling provides an anecdote of how a child she lost to miscarriage in the real world continued to live a false life through parenting-related marketing emails.  “Though it's near impossible to audit a digital ad—how, why, or where it was served—Ebeling connects the experience to her research in the healthcare industry, where patients rarely know they're feeding “massive databases maintained by healthcare providers and public and private insurers, or payers—often called data ‘lakes' and ‘oceans.'” With Ebeling's account in mind, we look back to last Friday when Barwick covered a much-publicized lawsuit filed by the Federal Trade Commission.  “On Monday, the agency brought a lawsuit against Kochava, a data broker, for allegedly collecting and selling location data “that can be used to trace the movements of individuals to and from sensitive locations” like reproductive-health clinics and places of worship.””  The suit comes several weeks after a preemptive lawsuit from Kochava towards the FTC. Barwick details the two businesses within Kochava in its data marketplace and measurement service. Kochava argues the user is forewarned when they initially agree to share their location data with the third-party apps they purchase the data from. The FTC, clearly, disagrees.      “By the end of the week, many were wondering: Why Kochava? And though we don't know the answer yet, the FTC's lawsuit could put the entire location data collection industry under the microscope.” Quick Hits: Recommended Weekend Reading Shreya: Finally, it's time for our semi-regular roundup of articles we're calling Quick Hits. These are articles that didn't quite make the cut for today's episode, but are still worth including in your weekend reading. This week:  The Ambies, the flagship award program of The Podcast Academy, designed to celebrate excellence in podcasting in the same way the MPA celebrates film with the Oscars, is now taking nominations. In addition, they've also announced a membership program sponsored by Spotify to enable independent creators to submit.  WQXR hires a podcasting chief by Laura Holt. Music remains one of the most untapped categories in podcasting. WQXR is a great example of a station that produces its own content and has access to a number of resources for original content, which is the key to making music podcasting work in a world where licensing music under copyright is still financially not viable in podcasting. Apple is staffing up its ad business by Ryan Barwick. This might not be breaking news for dedicated audience members of The Download, but it is crystal clear confirmation that apple is fully embracing its advertising business.  The BBC Shares podcast stats by Podnews. A recent talk at Radiodays Asia in Malaysia featured rare info about the BBC's daily download data, the show in question's audience profile, and comparison to other podcasts.  Finally, in accordance with The Download's love of sharing news of podcasting's performance on a global scale: Otonal has published Podcast Report of Japan, a survey of podcast usage in Japan in 2021.  The Download is a production of Sounds Profitable. Today's episode was hosted by Shreya Sharma and Manuela Bedoya, and the script was written by Gavin Gaddis. Bryan Barletta and Tom Webster are the executive producers of The Download from Sounds Profitable.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

WNYC/ WQXR news host Sean Carlson breaks down some of the most recent news headlines this week including back-to-school COVID protocols, monkeypox and New York gun law enforcement. *This segment is guest-hosted by Kerry Nolan.

Mozart, Haydn and Rachmaninoff - not you jam? Well they will be after you check out our guest, WQXR radio host Terrance McKnight. Terrance drops some knowledge on us about how the Moors in 16th century Spain were the original hit makers of what we now call classical music. We also learn of Joseph Bologne, the Chevalier de Saint Georges: a mulatto, Marie Antoinette's best boo, the rock star of his day in 18th century France and Mozart's idol - he was crazy jealous of the brother! So boogie on down to Baroque town and pizzicato your way to the surprisingly colorful origins in classical music.  To get 10% off your first month at Better Help, ➡️ www.betterhelp.com/gilesfiles Or use discount code, “GILESFILES” at checkout. Follow Nancy Giles: https://hurrdatmedia.com/the-giles-files-links/ A Hurrdat Media Production. Hurrdat Media is a digital media and commercial video production company based in Omaha, NE. Find more podcasts on the Hurrdat Media Network and learn more about our other services today on: https://hurrdatmedia.com/ See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

I've long been fascinated by automatons – wind up mechanical beings that create the illusion of life. People have been making automatons for centuries, but how many automatons get to sing opera? This week's episode comes from the podcast Aria Code from WQXR, WNYC Studios and The Metropolitan Opera. The show breaks down famous arias and looks at the meaning behind them. Host Rhiannon Giddens, along with Soprano Erin Morley, conductor Johannes Debus, machine learning researcher Caroline Sinders, and psychologist Robert Epstein explore Jacques Offenbach's 1881 opera The Tales of Hoffmann and how its automated character Olympia echoes current day concerns about A.I. technology. This episode is sponsored by Nord VPN. Exclusive deal -- grab the NordVPN deal at https://nordvpn.com/imaginaryworlds. Try it risk-free now with a 30-day money-back guarantee! Our ad partner is Multitude. If you're interested in advertising on Imaginary Worlds, you can contact them here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

To celebrate Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we invited Donna Weng Friedman— Award-winning pianist, chamber musician, producer, and educator -- for this upcoming episode. Clara & Yukimi had a wonderful conversation with Donna this morning. She is such a great storyteller--we all got choked up during the show hearing her incredible stories! During the interview, we covered topics such as: Donna's upbringing/training at Princeton and Juilliard, and with Nadia Boulanger.Her international performance careerHer Heritage and Harmony programsHer creation of "The Music Bee Club" -- interactive classical music apps for children. [Donna Weng Friedman] Ms. Friedman created the Heritage and Harmony programs - including the video series in collaboration with WQXR, and the education program Heritage and Harmony: Her Art, Her Voice in collaboration with the National Women's History Museum – with the aim of promoting empathy, understanding, and tolerance among people of all backgrounds. Ms. Friedman has performed in concert halls as a soloist with major symphony orchestras internationally and as a chamber musician, collaborating with world-renowned musicians. As a recording artist, she released an EP during the pandemic, named Heritage and Harmony: Silver Linings, which was recently honored with two silver medals at the 2022 Global Music Awards. Ms. Friedman currently serves as a faculty member at the Mannes School of Music while conducting master classes worldwide including at the Shanghai and Beijing Conservatories. She is also the creator/developer of “The Music Bee Club”—an interactive classical music app for children, which was produced by multiple Grammy-Award winner, David Frost. [Links] WQXR Her/Music Her/Story: https://www.wqxr.org/shows/her-music-...Heritage and Harmony: https://www.wqxr.org/story/heritage-h...About Quiet Poems: https://icareifyoulisten.com/2022/03/...Listen to Quiet Poems: https://youtu.be/qLWQJXyAldoSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/album/7iJ84K...Mannes: https://www.newschool.edu/mannes/facu...[Check out Donna's upcoming concert] On May 26 (THU) at 7:00 pm EDT, Donna will be performing and interviewed for the event “WQXR Celebrates AAPI Heritage Month (Live and in-person)”: https://thegreenespace.org/event/wqxr...