Grab a Hankie...
Call me sentimental, but this truly is a moving performance of "Danny Boy".
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June 30, 2008
Farewell and Good Luck Kim!
When I retire from WDAV at the end of June, I will have been the general manager of this station for eight years and eight months. I don’t know if eight is considered a lucky number by anybody, but I consider myself extraordinarily lucky to have spent this time at this station in this community with these wonderful colleagues, associates and friends.
I came here from Washington, DC, where I managed a station that was all news, talk – and bluegrass! I’m very grateful to the folks at Davidson College for taking a chance on someone with such a checkered past.
When I left Washington, some people said it was because I wanted to spend more time with my boat. That’s odd, because I don’t have a boat. No, I came to Davidson because I thought this was a great job, and I was right. Davidson College may well be the best institutional licensee in public radio. We have a terrific staff of dedicated professionals, and it turns out that these folks are just as nice in person as they sound on the air (and the ones you don’t hear on the air – they’re every bit as nice as the others).
I got to participate in the planning and building of WDAV’s new headquarters. If you’ve seen the results, you know how that turned out. If you haven’t, you should drop by. I love the building, and the opportunities it affords for staff to do their creative best.
However, the most gratifying part of the whole job has been knowing just how much WDAV means to our listeners. To get a sense of what I mean, look at the comments on our website from people who completed the sentence, “WDAV is my source for…” Many people talk about how soothing or calming the music can be; others talk about the excitement, the joy, the urge to dance, and the pure pleasure of it all. Over the years I’ve heard countless stories: some poignant, some inspiring, some touching, and all indicative of the tremendous impact this station, and this music, has had on countless lives.
I’ve done many things, radio-wise, over the past 40+ years. I’ve been a reporter, a writer, an editor, a voice, an actor, a recording technician, a producer, a programmer and a manager. I’ve dealt with varying content: news, feature stories, lectures, drama, kids’ shows, and music – all kinds of music. I’ve taken part in programs broadcast in English, in Spanish, in Siswati (the native tongue of Swaziland), and in Navajo. This journey concludes now at a station whose format evokes unequivocally positive feelings from nearly all of its listeners. Given the alternatives, that’s not at all a bad way to have spent my last years as a full time radio person.
Thanks for letting – and helping – me do what I do. It’s been a real pleasure. I look forward to joining your ranks as an enthusiastic WDAV listener, over the air or online, wherever I may be.
June 27, 2008
Russian Gypsy Guitarist on The Main Street Sessions
Meet Vadim Kolpakov. You'll hear him this Saturday at 2 on The Main Street Sessions. He's just wrapped up a two-year stint teaching at UNCC. Now he's preparing to tour with Madonna.
The first video shows Vadim (on the left) performing "Vengerka", a duet for Russian seven-string guitars, with his uncle and teacher, Aleksander Kolpakov:
"Maljarka" - Recorded on September 30th 2007 at Colorado Festival of World Theatre. VIA Romen: Vadim Kolpakov, Arkady Gips, Oleg Timofeev, Katya Bolotovskaya, Alex Gorodezky led by virtuoso guitarist and artist of the Moscow Gypsy Theater "Romen", Vadim Kolpakov.
June 26, 2008
Welcome Ben Roe, WDAV's New Manager!
June 25, 2008
The Magic of Martha
Martha Argerich performs Chopin's "Heroic" Polonaise. Even more mesmerizing to watch than her hands is her face. Those shots are worth the wait:
June 13, 2008
Dudley Moore: A Beethoven Parody
In this clip from the 1950's-60s British comedy group "Beyond the Fringe," Dudley Moore plays a very funny, musically adroit parody of a Beethoven Piano Sonata, using the famous whistling tune from "Bridge Over the River Kwai" as a thematic subject:
June 11, 2008
Andre Watts on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood
A remarkable performance of Chopin's "Revolutionary" Etude by Andre Watts on Mister Rogers' Neighboryhood in the 1980s. "I'm so proud to be your friend".
Mark your calendar: Andre Watts will perform at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro on July 19th.
June 4, 2008
Julius Katchen Performs at Rolling Stones Event, 1968
A few months before his death in 1968, Katchen played at a two-day show in London hosted by the Rolling Stones. Katchen played two works (de Falla's Ritual Fire Dance and the first movement from Mozart's Sonata In C