WQXR

05/09/2021

Happy Mother’s Day from WQXR! Our hosts (pictured with their own mothers) will be sharing motherly words of wisdom on-air, sent in by our listeners. Tune in for music about, composed by, and performed by moms, and hear what motherly advice your fellow listeners have to share.

Check out this link for more: https://www.wqxr.org/story/mom-lessons-mothers-day/

Photo 1: Robert Sherman with mother
Photo 2: Terrance McKnight with mother
Photo 3: Matt Abramovitz with mother
Photo 4: Paul Cavalconte with mother
Photo 5: Elliott Forrest with mother
Photo 6: Lauren Rico with mother
Photo 7: Nimet Habachy with mother

05/08/2021

This week for 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭, host John Schaefer takes you on a musical tour of his home borough, introducing you to some of the artists who bring classical music to life in 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧.

You will hear live performances from chamber collective The Knights, who started out as a group of friends playing in a Brooklyn apartment. The Park Slope keyboard queen, Simone Dinnerstein, will explore the complexity of Mozart. And you’ll hear about one of the Brooklyn venues that has made waves since the 1970s: Bargemusic.

The episode is broadcast tonight at 7pm ET, and is already available now at this link: https://bit.ly/3esr3RV

This week for 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭, host John Schaefer takes you on a musical tour of his home borough, introducing you to some of the artists who bring classical music to life in 𝐁𝐫𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐥𝐲𝐧.

You will hear live performances from chamber collective The Knights, who started out as a group of friends playing in a Brooklyn apartment. The Park Slope keyboard queen, Simone Dinnerstein, will explore the complexity of Mozart. And you’ll hear about one of the Brooklyn venues that has made waves since the 1970s: Bargemusic.

The episode is broadcast tonight at 7pm ET, and is already available now at this link: https://bit.ly/3esr3RV

05/07/2021

Happy Birthday, Brahms and Tchaikovsky! Born on this day, 7 years apart.

Check out the story of the time Brahms met Tchaikovsky: https://bit.ly/3b7MQwe

Happy Birthday, Brahms and Tchaikovsky! Born on this day, 7 years apart.

Check out the story of the time Brahms met Tchaikovsky: https://bit.ly/3b7MQwe

05/06/2021

Martin Bookspan, a giant of classical music broadcasting on WQXR and elsewhere, died peacefully at his home in Florida on April 29, 2021. He was 94.

As a broadcaster, Bookspan’s career spanned eight decades and included serving as: commentator for the PBS series Live From Lincoln Center for its first 30 years; the voice of the New York Philharmonic; host and commentator for the radio broadcasts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on WQXR; and a charter member of the reviewing panel for the nationally syndicated radio series, First Hearing.

To honor his memory, we’re sharing a few samples of Martin Bookspan’s work at WQXR, listen to these great examples of his work here: https://bit.ly/3uq6Y4r

Martin Bookspan, a giant of classical music broadcasting on WQXR and elsewhere, died peacefully at his home in Florida on April 29, 2021. He was 94.

As a broadcaster, Bookspan’s career spanned eight decades and included serving as: commentator for the PBS series Live From Lincoln Center for its first 30 years; the voice of the New York Philharmonic; host and commentator for the radio broadcasts of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on WQXR; and a charter member of the reviewing panel for the nationally syndicated radio series, First Hearing.

To honor his memory, we’re sharing a few samples of Martin Bookspan’s work at WQXR, listen to these great examples of his work here: https://bit.ly/3uq6Y4r

05/06/2021

Morgen! A gift from Nicola Benedetti, Andrew Staples, Nicholas Collon and Aurora Orchestra

This performance of Richard Strauss’s "Morgen" was made as a birthday gift for our beloved Clemency Burton-Hil back in the Spring, filmed by the Aurora Orchestra (which she co-founded!), with Nicola Benedetti, Andrew Staples, and Nicholas Collon at St John’s, Smith Square.

Enjoy, and join us in sending love to our dear Clemmie ❤️

05/05/2021

Fast Forward: ComposerFest

Get to know a new generation of performers! Watch musicians from Kaufman Music Center's #SpecialMusicSchool and #LucyMosesSchool perform works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Adolphus Hailstork, Scott Joplin, Aldo López-Gavilan, Tania León, Jorge López Marin, Florence Price and William Grant Still, streamed from #MerkinHall.

05/05/2021

What do Igor Stravinsky and Johnny Cash have in common? Listen to Aria Code to find out!

Hosted by Rhiannon Giddens, the episode explores Anne Truelove’s aria “No Word From Tom” from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, performed by the legendary soprano Dawn Upshaw in a recording from The Metropolitan Opera stage. The episode also features special guests Michael Bragg, Joanna Tinworth, and Tara Cash.

Listen now at https://bit.ly/3h4gjv2

What do Igor Stravinsky and Johnny Cash have in common? Listen to Aria Code to find out!

Hosted by Rhiannon Giddens, the episode explores Anne Truelove’s aria “No Word From Tom” from Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, performed by the legendary soprano Dawn Upshaw in a recording from The Metropolitan Opera stage. The episode also features special guests Michael Bragg, Joanna Tinworth, and Tara Cash.

Listen now at https://bit.ly/3h4gjv2

05/04/2021

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we will be featuring artists, composers, and conductors of Asian descent on WQXR every morning at 11 am.

From our Chief Content Officer, Ed Yim: "I am honored and excited to feature composers and performers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent on WQXR throughout the month of May at 11am. So many amazing artists who make huge contributions to our country’s musical culture!"

More information here: https://bit.ly/3eWXRBC

In honor of Asian Pacific American Heritage Month, we will be featuring artists, composers, and conductors of Asian descent on WQXR every morning at 11 am.

From our Chief Content Officer, Ed Yim: "I am honored and excited to feature composers and performers of Asian and Pacific Islander descent on WQXR throughout the month of May at 11am. So many amazing artists who make huge contributions to our country’s musical culture!"

More information here: https://bit.ly/3eWXRBC

05/04/2021

Have you caught up with Aria Code? The acclaimed podcast produced in conjunction with The Metropolitan Opera "has found new depths of poetry and resonance" (The New York Times). New episodes released every other Wednesday!

Listen to Aria Code with this link: ariacode.org

05/01/2021

This week’s episode of 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭 is an introduction to some of the great choirs of New York and a reflection on the enduring power of the human voice, especially during the pandemic.

This show includes an interview with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, Caroline Shaw, who performs and composes for the groundbreaking ensemble Roomful of Teeth. You’ll also hear a piece she’s written for the Brooklyn Youth Chorus and performed at The Greene Space at WNYC/WQXR.

And no picture of New York choirs is complete without a profile of conductor Kent Tritle who leads three of the city’s premiere choral groups. The New York Times calls Tritle “the brightest star in New York’s choral music world.”

You’ll also hear from the The Saint Thomas Choir of Men and Boys, Met Opera Chorus, and Chorale Le Chateau, with a piece by Wynton Marsalis.

The episode is broadcast tonight at 7pm ET, and is already available now at this link: https://bit.ly/3e5MSGK

05/01/2021

Tune in at 1PM ET for Donizetti's Roberto Devereux from The Metropolitan Opera starring Sondra Radvanovsky as Elisabetta, Elina Garanca as Sara, Matthew Polenzani as Roberto, and Mariusz Kwiecien as the Duke of Nottingham.
Maurizio Benini conducts.

Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera
📸 Ken Howard

Tune in at 1PM ET for Donizetti's Roberto Devereux from The Metropolitan Opera starring Sondra Radvanovsky as Elisabetta, Elina Garanca as Sara, Matthew Polenzani as Roberto, and Mariusz Kwiecien as the Duke of Nottingham.
Maurizio Benini conducts.

Photo courtesy of The Metropolitan Opera
📸 Ken Howard

04/30/2021

The Baptism

LIVE NOW in collaboration with Lincoln Center: The first live performance of Meshell Ndegeocello's score to Carrie Mae Weems’ The Baptism (rhetoric), based on the poem by Carl Hancock Rux, followed by a conversation with them and New Sounds John Schaefer.

04/29/2021

Kinan Azmeh Cityband

Watch a special performance from The Greene Space at WNYC/WQXR with Syrian-born, Brooklyn-based genre-bending composer and clarinetist Kinan Azmeh كنان العظمة, part of Carnegie Hall's Voices of Hope Festival.

Kinan Azmeh Cityband creates spellbinding music by blending classical and jazz with the sounds of Azmeh’s Syrian homeland. His dark-hued clarinet—called “intensely soulful” by The New York Times—is featured in this performance of works Azmeh wrote in response to events in Syria, the aftermath of the revolution, and ongoing conflicts in the Middle East. The cornerstone of the program is the world premiere of On Resilience, commissioned by Carnegie Hall—a new piece in which Azmeh incorporates audio testimonies from Syrians after 10 years of war and conflict.

04/29/2021

Harlem Walking Tour: The Negro String Quartet

The fifth episode of the Harlem Walking Tour Video Series presented by The Harlem Chamber Players features the Negro String Quartet, a group that performed in the early 20th century, mainly in churches, community organizations and college venues in New York City.

The quartet was founded by violinist Felix Weir who toured widely in the early 20th century in duet with cellist Leonard Jeter. The pair expanded with the addition of Jeter's sister Olyve at piano. In 1914 Weir and Jeter expanded once again and formed the American String Quartet by dropping pianist Olyve and adding violinists Joseph Lymos and Hall Johnson. Weir made additional changes in 1920. He renamed the group the Negro String Quartet and replaced Jeter with cellist Marion Cumbo, Lymos with first violinist Arthur Boyd and Johnson became the quartet's viola player.

Members of The Harlem Chamber Players — violinists Ashley Horne and Claire Chan, violist Tia Allen, and cellist Wayne Smith — pay tribute to the Negro Quartet in a performance of the slow movement from Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 “American”.

04/27/2021

Solar Flare: Luna Composition Lab

Musicians from Kaufman Music Center and across New York City premiere works by the 2020-21 Luna Composition Lab Fellows: Vera Gjaja, Alisha Heng, Jordan Millar, Zola Saadi-Klein, Azalea Twining and Marina Zurita McKinnon. A national mentorship program founded by 2018 Grammy nominee Missy Mazzoli and 2018 Pulitzer Prize winner Ellen Reid with Kaufman Music Center in 2016, Luna Lab is “changing the playing field by providing mentorship and exposure to teen-age female, non-binary, and gender nonconforming composers” (The New Yorker). The event will include interviews and Q&As with the Fellows and mentors.

The performers include the Advanced Chamber Ensemble and Advanced Jazz Ensemble from KMC's Face the Music program, a piano trio and percussion quartet from KMC's Special Music School High School, the Manhattan School of Music Precollege Woodwind Ensemble, and a string quartet from The Juilliard School's Pre-College Division.

04/27/2021

National Symphony Orchestra | Voices of Hope

As performed by the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Gianandrea Noseda, Casella’s large-scale Symphony No. 2 sets an ominous tone with tolling bells and dark orchestral colors. The opening passage may recall Mahler, but there are also flashes of R. Strauss and even Russian music in this highly emotional work. Casella’s stylistic voice, however, stands out in the tumultuous tone, surging rhythms (including a wild Italian dance), and steady stream of melody. Written before the start of World War I, the rarely heard symphony might have been victim of cultural bias stoked by nationalist beliefs.

Carnegie Hall's Voices of Hope Festival is supported by the National Endowment for the Arts and TD.

04/26/2021

WQXR joins the classical music world in mourning Christa Ludwig, whose death was announced yesterday morning. The 93-year-old mezzo-soprano was one of the century’s greatest singers, whose warmth and intelligence was apparent in everything she sang, from Bach to Bernstein.

WQXR joins the classical music world in mourning Christa Ludwig, whose death was announced yesterday morning. The 93-year-old mezzo-soprano was one of the century’s greatest singers, whose warmth and intelligence was apparent in everything she sang, from Bach to Bernstein.

04/24/2021

Although New York City performance spaces are still closed, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭 is your ticket to revisit some of the best concerts from recent years

In the first episode, host John Schaefer takes you all around New York, in a whirlwind tour of the city's musical venues. You’ll visit the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, the Morgan Library in Murray Hill, Le Poisson Rouge downtown and even Carnegie Hall - all without hitting a lick of traffic.

The performers include Ensemble LPR, violinist Pekka Kuusisto - Musician, and the 2017 Carnegie Hall gala concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra, conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin, and soloists Lang Lang - 郎朗, Chick Corea, and Maxim Lando.

The first episode is broadcast tonight at 7pm ET, and is already available now through this link: https://bit.ly/3dA0z0H

📸 Chris Lee / Carnegie Hall

Although New York City performance spaces are still closed, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐘𝐨𝐫𝐤 𝐈𝐧 𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐫𝐭 is your ticket to revisit some of the best concerts from recent years

In the first episode, host John Schaefer takes you all around New York, in a whirlwind tour of the city's musical venues. You’ll visit the Naumburg Bandshell in Central Park, the Morgan Library in Murray Hill, Le Poisson Rouge downtown and even Carnegie Hall - all without hitting a lick of traffic.

The performers include Ensemble LPR, violinist Pekka Kuusisto - Musician, and the 2017 Carnegie Hall gala concert with The Philadelphia Orchestra, conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin, and soloists Lang Lang - 郎朗, Chick Corea, and Maxim Lando.

The first episode is broadcast tonight at 7pm ET, and is already available now through this link: https://bit.ly/3dA0z0H

📸 Chris Lee / Carnegie Hall

04/24/2021

Tune in at 1PM ET for Strauss’s 'Die Frau ohne Schatten' from The Metropolitan Opera starring Anne Schwanewilms as the Empress, Christine Goerke, Soprano as Dyer's Wife, Ildiko Komlosi as the Nurse, Torsten Kerl as the Emperor, Johan Reuter as Barak, and Richard Paul Fink as the Messenger.
Vladimir Jurowski conducts.

📸 Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

Tune in at 1PM ET for Strauss’s 'Die Frau ohne Schatten' from The Metropolitan Opera starring Anne Schwanewilms as the Empress, Christine Goerke, Soprano as Dyer's Wife, Ildiko Komlosi as the Nurse, Torsten Kerl as the Emperor, Johan Reuter as Barak, and Richard Paul Fink as the Messenger.
Vladimir Jurowski conducts.

📸 Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera

04/23/2021

Happy 457th Birthday, William Shakespeare! 🎂 🎁 🎈

Here are 20 great music compositions inspired by The Bard, which is your favorite?
https://bit.ly/3viYex9

Happy 457th Birthday, William Shakespeare! 🎂 🎁 🎈

Here are 20 great music compositions inspired by The Bard, which is your favorite?
https://bit.ly/3viYex9

04/22/2021

Happy Earth Day from WQXR! 🌎 🌳 🌻

Check out our feature on four composers who were inspired by nature: https://bit.ly/2GxfTdV

Happy Earth Day from WQXR! 🌎 🌳 🌻

Check out our feature on four composers who were inspired by nature: https://bit.ly/2GxfTdV

04/21/2021

Welcome back, Annie Bergen! Our fearless host is back tomorrow after her elbow surgery.

Welcome back, Annie Bergen! Our fearless host is back tomorrow after her elbow surgery.

04/21/2021

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro: Count On a Reckoning | Aria Code | WNYC Studios

The next episode of Aria Code with The Metropolitan Opera explores the Count Almaviva’s aria “Hai già vinta la causa” performed by bass-baritone Gerald Finley, from Mozart’s beloved comedy Le Nozze Di Figaro. ⁣
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Hosted by Rhiannon Giddens and featuring professor Sharon Marcus and journalist Laura Bassett, this episode examines the intersections of gender, class, and the abuse of power both in Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro and the world today. ⁣
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Listen to the episode now: https://bit.ly/3atHtHs

A powerful man abuses his privilege then lashes out when he learns women are not his playthings. Classic Mozart comedy? Yes! Real life? Most definitely.