WDAV

There are dates that come along once in a generation during which something occurs – usually catastrophic in nature – that indelibly impresses the date in our collective memories.

No one who witnessed September 11th, 2001, even from afar, will ever forget those events. The anniversary of the attacks has been triggering such memories in me for years, and apart from the images of horror we’re all familiar with, my memories revolve around WDAV.

I was actually closer to the events when they happened than comfort would ideally have allowed: on a runway at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport waiting for my flight to take off so I could attend a public radio conference in Baltimore. At least I was among the fortunate whose flights were cancelled before they left home; as is well known, millions were stranded many miles from their loved ones.

As we were shepherded off the plane, no one quite knew what was going on. We were just told that no flights would be leaving today, which seemed decidedly strange. Even as I walked through the terminal and caught glimpses of one of the burning towers of the World Trade Center on TV, the scale of what had happened eluded me. I thought it was just an awful accident.

My first reaction was the irrational desire to call my wife at work and my kids at school (after all, they were safe here in Charlotte; why this instinct to check on them?). Whether to my credit or otherwise, my first call was actually to WDAV so that I could convey instructions to the programming staff I supervise. Obviously, an event of this magnitude was of concern to everyone, so it seemed clear that we needed to expand our schedule of NPR newscasts to hourly throughout the day and night, so that our listeners could stay informed.

Fortunately, General Manager Kim Hodgson had anticipated me and given that instruction already. But Kim went beyond what had occurred to me, and instructed Music Director Ted Weiner to change the music programming for the day. With the disturbing images of the attacks which were becoming inescapable, Kim reasoned that it would not be appropriate to play Offenbach’s Can-Can or similarly frivolous fare.

It was a decision I greatly admire, and one, I might add, that apparently never occurred to many of our colleagues in classical radio across the country, who clung to their usual play lists with myopic indifference. But it was absolutely the right one, as was soon to become clear from the moving testament of countless WDAV listeners we would hear from over the next few weeks and months.

Now, changing the music already scheduled may not seem like much of an undertaking for a lay person from outside radio. But in actuality it was a tremendous task, because it wasn’t just a matter of dropping a few selections here and there. With his usual fervent commitment, Music Director Ted Weiner (who for years has selected all of our locally hosted classical music himself) crafted entirely new days and evenings of programming that achieved just the right tone to help with the emotional upheaval we were all feeling.

There were excerpts from masses and other sacred works, but also gentle instrumental passages that soothed and reassured listeners who could no longer contemplate the full extent of what had occurred. I can still see Ted hunched over the computer in the Music Library with a small television at his side so he could keep track of events while he revised hours and hours of music. It took a lot of extra time and energy on his part, and at one point I had to tell him to go home; the strain of the effort and everything he was watching unfold had become more than he could or should handle.

At first we wondered if anyone was even listening to us over the next few days: surely everyone was riveted to their TVs and all-news radio stations. But it soon became clear that, whatever efforts they may have been making to stay abreast of developments, listeners were in fact eventually turning to us, and were gratified to find a refuge that offered them relief, solace and even occasionally inspiration. And as the distance from the crisis grew and we were all urged to carry on with our lives for the good of the nation, WDAV tried to aid in that transition by gradually returning to the programming guidelines most of our listeners know and love.

Classical music isn’t the most popular or lucrative of radio formats, and its reputation sometimes borders on the irrelevant. But witnessing the power that classical music could have in listeners’ lives during that time has profoundly affected my understanding of my work and this station’s role in the community. I have never for a moment since regretted my choice of occupation.

I realize now that, even if we never see another day like 9/11/2001, we will still provide the same kind of sanctuary to thousands of individual listeners going through their own personal catastrophes. I’ve also come to truly understand the value that there is, especially in these hectic, stressful, uncertain times, to having a place where you can turn for music that gets you through even the routine days.

During this September 11th, WDAV will observe the anniversary as we have the last few years, with occasional brief selections throughout the day. We’ll also present complete performances of two very different types of works associated with 9/11 during our Night Music from 9 until Midnight.

One of those works is perhaps the most high-profile new music to come from the events, John Adams’ Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composition On the Transmigration of Souls. Although I know some will find it challenging, it offers an expression of the totality of the event that I think most would agree is simply amazing. The other is a much more traditional work that has been comforting the bereaved for more than a century, the Brahms German Requiem.

This programming is offered in the spirit of another human activity which classical music complements so well: remembering.

To view a list of works aired on WDAV on September 11, 2001, click here.

An interview with John Adams about On the Transmigration of Souls is here.

To purchase a recording of On the Transmigration of Souls, click here .

Posted by Frank Dominguez at 2:02 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Is it nose noise or is it music? Some may argue this man had too much time on his hands. Others will relish the creative spark that fueled the following:

Struggling to decide? Definitions of "music"--from organized sound to social construct--can be found here and here.

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 9:53 AM | Permalink | Comments (2)

(From an EMF press release issued 9/5/07)

Greensboro, NC – Samuel LeBauer, Chair of the Eastern Music Festival Board of Directors, announced today the appointment of Gerard Schwarz to the position of Music Director of the Eastern Music Festival & School through 2011. Maestro Schwarz, Music Director of the Seattle Symphony, has served as EMF’s Principal Conductor since 2005 and now assumes the highest artistic position in the organization. LeBauer noted, “Eastern Music Festival will quickly rise to new heights of artistic excellence under Maestro Schwarz’ continued leadership and more intense involvement. The Board, Staff and audience members are elated that he has committed to four more seasons with EMF.”

Having completed its 46th season in July, the Eastern Music Festival & School is recognized for its prodigious contributions to the field of American music and its commitment to nurturing talented American and international youth through a collaborative learning process. The program brings together a cross-section of America’s most sought-after artists with pre-professional students in a five-week schedule of 100 concerts and music-related events. Principal Conductor Gerard Schwarz led a distinguished list of participating artists in 2007, including Sarah Chang, Evelyn Glennie, Hilary Hahn, Lynn Harrell, Vladimir Feltsman, Julia Fischer, Barry Douglas and many others. The Festival also produces a popular fringe series of alternative programming, featuring everything from Americana to alt country, blues, jazz and gospel.

Maestro Schwarz remarked, “My first three seasons at Eastern Music Festival have been personally and professionally rewarding beyond my expectations. The Festival allows me to fuse my love of orchestral music with my passion for educating the next generation of artists. I look forward to continue spreading the Festival’s artistic goals throughout North Carolina and the national and international community.”
On behalf of the eighty members of the Eastern Philharmonic Orchestra, Musicians’ Committee Chairman Gregory Cox, stated, “I would like to congratulate Gerard Schwarz on his appointment as Music Director of EMF through 2011.
During our five-week festival each summer, the EMF Faculty serves a dual purpose: acting as teacher/coaches for 200 students, and also acting as solo, chamber and orchestral performers. Maestro Schwarz understands the dual purposes of EMF, and he has brought innovative ideas to each area.
Through his conducting, programming and access to international soloists, he has elevated the profile of the Eastern Music Festival, Similarly, his thoughts on scheduling, programming, soloists and conductors for the two student orchestras have made the EMF program more challenging and exciting for the students.”
LeBauer also announced the appointment of General Manager Stephanie Cordick to the position of Executive Director, and said, “Eastern Music Festival welcomes Cordick who will draw on her years of non-profit management experience to build capacity, secure new funding sources and market EMF nationally and internationally.”
“With Tom Philion’s move to Seattle and his continued involvement with the Festival as Artistic Advisor, the EMF Board of Trustees has acted to preserve and strengthen EMF’s financial and music future. The appointment Stephanie Cordick as Executive Director, coupled with Maestro Schwarz’s contract extension, will enable the Festival to confidently approach its 50th anniversary,” noted Gregory Cox.
Cordick stated, “Eastern Music Festival enhances the lives of thousands of students, faculty and audience members each year through its internationally recognized teaching program and festival. I look forward to working with Maestro Schwarz in the coming seasons to continue to build upon the unprecedented growth of the Festival which former President and CEO Tom Philion envisioned. Schwarz emanates an infectious passion for teaching and conducting classical music which he graciously shares with EMF students, faculty and the greater musical community.”
Gerard Schwarz is internationally recognized for his engaging performances, innovative programming and renowned recording history. This season, Maestro Schwarz’s exciting work with Seattle Symphony enters into its 23rd year. He continues the tradition of annual festivals with this year’s season theme, Coming to America: Composers in Pursuit of a Dream, celebrating music by émigré composers as well as works premiered in the U.S. by some of the world’s greatest voices.
Maestro Schwarz’s extensive discography of some 250 releases showcases his collaborations with some of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, including The Philadelphia Orchestra; the Tokyo, Czech and Royal Liverpool philharmonics; the London Symphony Orchestra, Orchestra National de France and Berlin Radio Symphony; the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; and the New York Chamber and Seattle symphonies. He recently worked with six composers and Starbucks Entertainment to release the landmark CD, Echoes. Other recently released recordings include several works by Shostakovich; Howard Hanson’s only opera, Merry Mount; and a host of William Schuman symphonies. Soon to be released are Mahler’s Symphonies Nos. 7 and 9 and the first complete recording of Kurt Weill’s Eternal Road.
Maestro Schwarz is a member of the National Council on the Arts. He has received 11 Grammy nominations, six ASCAP awards, and numerous Stereo Review and Ovation awards. In June 2007, he received an Emmy for his performance with Seattle Symphony of Shostakovich’s Eighth Symphony. Moreover, Maestro Schwarz won critical acclaim last season for his remarkable collaboration with Dale Chihuly to present Bartók’s Bluebeard’s Castle.
Born to Viennese parents, Schwarz is a recipient of the Ditson Conductor’s award from Columbia University, and was the first American to be named Conductor of the Year by Musical America. He holds numerous honorary doctorates, including ones from The Juilliard School, Cornish College of the Arts, Seattle University, University of Puget Sound and Fairleigh Dickinson University.
He has served as Music Director of New York’s Mostly Mozart Festival, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and New York Chamber Symphony, as well as Artistic Advisor to Tokyu Bunkamura's Orchard Hall in conjunction with the Tokyo Philharmonic.
A graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University’s Non-Profit Management Certification Program, Stephanie Cordick has more than two decades of experience as a board or staff member of various cultural arts organizations in North Carolina and Florida. She brings extensive experience in administration, financial development, and marketing to the Festival. Her most recent positions have included Managing Director of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra and Executive Director of the Greensboro Opera Company.

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 12:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The opening theme from Hugo Alfven's Swedish Rhapsody appears to have caught the fancy of many a musician. Be advised: not all performances are created equally. Be warned: this tune will be going through your head for the rest of the day.

Guitarist Chet Atkins helped popularize the tune with a version currently out of print.

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 11:47 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

After a long battle with pancreatic cancer, tenor Luciano Pavarotti has died at age 71.

Read the New York Times tribute to the "Italian singer whose ringing, pristine sound set a standard for operatic tenors of the postwar era" here. View and listen to NPR's tribute to "The King of the High Cs" here.

Hear a celebration of Pavarotti's life and career on Performance Today.

Read "Pavarotti: High Cs and other heights" in the LA Times here.

Nessun Dorma

Schubert's Ave Maria

Celeste Aida

Una Furtiva Lagrima

A sensational moment from The Three Tenors phenomenon

Pavarotti at age 33

I think a life in music is a life beautifully spent and this is what I have devoted my life to.

--Luciano Pavarotti, 1935 - 2007

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 5:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Long-time Mozart fans, newcomers and the just plain curious can find a wealth of information about Mozart, his life and his work--biography, compositions, essays and opportunities to listen--at a website called The Mozart Project. Click and explore!

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The nerves, the work, the emotion, the triumphs--the experience of pianists (including Olga Kern and Jon Nakamatsu, Charlotte area '"regulars") at the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition are condensed into a three-minute experience:

Celebrating Van Cliburn's sensational victory at the first Tchaikovsky International Competition in Moscow in 1958, a group of music teachers and citizens in Fort Worth, Texas, created the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. First held in 1962, and repeated every four years since, the competition has established itself as a joyous festival dedicated to music and the discovery of the world's finest young pianists.

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

You heard Natalie Dessay in the Mozart Cafe today, now see how she does that thing she does:

(Credo, from Mozart's Mass in C Minor from a 2006 broadcast on French TV, FR3).

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)