WDAV

I was looking for something funny from singer and comedienne Anna Russell to post and stumbled across this clip from a stop motion puppetry version of Humperdinck's opera Hansel and Gretel . It's a delight! (Anna Russell's is the witch's voice in the clip.)

It turns out this 1954 film is a cult classic titled Hansel and Gretel: Opera Fantasy.

Here are a few more details from a Wikipedia entry :

The puppets used in the film are called "kineman" characters. They took fifteen years to develop. The filmmakers used a secret chemical for "flesh" and "hair", and the characters had magnetized feet. They were also called "exemplary actors," and are able to duplicate natural movements, and they have a variety of facial expressions.

A DVD version of the film was released in 2001. There are some complaints about the quality of the transfer to DVD, but still plenty of raves about this little gem.

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 1:00 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WDAV received this note today from Judy Watson of Winston-Salem, our "silver prize" winner in our recent Yo-Yo Ma Monday Giveaway:

Thanks to all of you at WDAV for the unbelievable Silver Prize of tickets to Yo-Yo Ma with the Charlotte Symphony and overnight at the Dunhill Hotel!!

My husband and I had a wonderful time in the "Big City" and the concert was an overwhelming experience. The Charlotte Symphony did an excellent job but Yo-Yo Ma was the real star, what a magician he is! We were mesmerized. And with our wonderful seats we could see every move he made, both in the cello concerto and when he sat in with the orchestra for the Mozart! We also enjoyed meeting the Gold Prize winner and her daughter sitting next to us. In addition, the Dunhill Hotel was delightful in its services and its decor.

We remain devoted fans of WDAV and your thoughtful programming, and thank you again for this wonderful gift.

Judy Watson
A WDAV Listener & Member Since 1979

- Learn more about The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
- Learn more about The Historic Dunhill Hotel

Posted by Lisa Gray at 11:14 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Classical music education will get some welcome attention next week when Michelle Obama opens the White House for a special concert, reports David Ng in today's Los Angeles Times.

Next Wednesday, the first lady will host a Classical Music Student Workshop Concert, which will feature an appearance by superstar violinist Joshua Bell, guitarist Sharon Isbin, cellist Alisa Weilerstein and pianist Awadagin Pratt. The afternoon concert, which will be held in the East Room, is part of the White House's ongoing Music Series, which was created by the first lady to celebrate the arts and demonstrate the importance of arts education.

The White House said that the concert will include two young performers: cellist Sujari Britt and marimba player Jason Yoder, who will perform with Weilerstein. On the same day, the White House will hold music workshops for 120 middle and high school students from around the country.

- Read the LA Times article
- Listen to Jennifer Foster's chat with Alisa Weilerstein
- Listen to WDAV's Artist Spotlight on Joshua Bell
- Watch WDAV's video of Awadagin Pratt conducting a masterclass at Eastern Music Festival

Posted by Lisa Gray at 10:30 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Spend a few seconds watching Ayako Uehara play the piano in the video below. That's all it takes to see she's the real thing. Captivating, articulate, genuine. There's something rare, something special going on here. I think just found my favorite pianist.

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

So, it's an ad that uses classical music. Anything new here?

HOW THEY DID THAT: Part 1

HOW THEY DID THAT, Part 2:

Posted by Lisa Gray at 11:26 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Christian Science Monitor's Mark Guarino posts the following story on classical music's dance with new media and new instruments. I disagree with several of Mr. Guarino's assertions about the vitality of classical music, but this article is still worth the read -- especially the comments at the end.

FROM CSMONITOR.COM:
Every season at your local concert hall, the drill is the same: Musicians tune up their instruments, a conductor walks onstage, taps a baton, and works of past compositional masters spring to life.

This scenario has not been tampered with for centuries, a fact that many cherish and others lament about the symphonic experience. Now, threatened by the high costs of producing orchestral concerts, shrinking endowments, an aging subscriber base, and the slashing of music curriculums across the country, which diminishes the role of music in young people's lives, classical music has arrived kicking and screaming into the Digital Age. Computers are helping change the way people make, perform, and listen to symphonic music. Read on...

Posted by Lisa Gray at 9:33 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As grand as grand opera sounds on the air, to know what unfolds on stage can take the music from grand to glorious. Here's the Triumphal March from Verdi's Aida. Lorin Maazel conducts at Teatro alla Scala (Milano):

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 1:13 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Just look at these images of the landscape swirling in Sibelius' mind's eye as he composed his rough-hewn, vigorous, aurora-dappled Karelia Suite . Is it any wonder he chose to spend his honeymoon here?

(Photo: Oleg Kuznetsov)

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 11:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

We recently received an email from a loyal WDAV listener and member who asked some great questions about WDAV's budget and financial priorities. WDAV General Manager Ben Roe thought other listeners might be interested in the answers to these questions, and so we post their Q&A below!

Easy access to WDAV financial information: In 2008, WDAV began posting our audited financial statements on our website. Click here to find the statements for FY2007 and FY2008. As of this writing, our FY2009 financials are with the audit firm. We anticipate receiving the FY2009 audited financial statement shortly. We will also post that statement to the web page referenced above as soon as it's available.

WDAV On-Air Fund Drives On The Rise? I have only been with WDAV for a year, but in checking with WDAV's veterans (who have been with the station 10 years or more), none can remember a time when we held only one on-air campaign per year. Our "normal" fundraising efforts over the last ten years have involved two on-air campaigns annually, and there have been several times in the past when WDAV had three on-air campaigns (although the less frequent end-of-year campaigns are really more of a "half-campaign" of only 3-4 days).

Have WDAV's costs gone up over what was raised in earlier campaigns? In FY2009, we spent a little more than $7,000 more than what we spent in FY2008 - and much more of that year's expense was dedicated to programming and technical endeavors than in the previous year. For FY2010, we cut our budget by approximately $128,000 (from FY2009 actual) - in a clear-eyed understanding of the challenge of raising funds and garnering support in the business and philanthropic community in the current economic climate.

Here's what our FY2010 budget looks like:

$308,376 - General & Administrative
$463,365 - Programs
$93,500 - New Media
$112,330 - Technical
$304,059 - Development & Members
$125,329 - Marketing
$1,406,959 - TOTAL

You may have been listening recently when we hit our 100% goal for the Fall 2009 On-Air Membership Campaign. We had pledges of $187,210 from 1,307 individuals who listen both regionally via 89.9 FM and online at wdav.org. As you can see, this is only a portion of what we need to raise in FY2010, but it is always encouraging to meet our goals! And just for comparison's sake, in the Spring 2009 On-Air Membership Campaign, we raised $155,000 during the same number of days on the air.

Does the cost of certain programs such as online streaming justify having them? Absolutely! Our online stream reaches listeners in the radio-bereft "skyscraper canyons" of Uptown Charlotte, as well as listeners in Japan (and with no additional cost). At a time when fewer and fewer people are listening to music via traditional radio waves, WDAV must provide a multitude of delivery methods to stay competitive in audience development, underwriting and fundraising. You can see from the breakdown above that only $93,500 is dedicated to New Media this year (most of that expense is human resources - producers who are developing content for on-air and online distribution). To be sure, there are also some technical expenses that relate to online only - but they are nominal, compared to the cost of maintaining our much more costly radio operation.

Do contributions from Japan and other places pay for their costs? The vast majority of our current online listenership comes from right here within the Carolinas. And given the way the Internet functions, there is really no additional cost to serve listeners from other parts of the country or world. Our hope is that WDAV will continue to attract new over-the-air listeners throughout our region, but that is far better achieved via partnerships (such as teaming up with ETV Radio of South Carolina for our Spoleto Festival coverage - effectively bringing WDAV voices and talent to Columbia, Charleston, Greenville, and beyond), and via internet and mobile wireless technologies. It is highly unlikely that WDAV will invest more funds in the exorbitant expense of new transmitters or towers when we can so much more cost-effectively reach listeners via these methods.

Thank you to Mr. Frank Burns of Mint Hill, NC for these great questions!

Posted by Lisa Gray at 5:24 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The New York Times reports today that the nonprofit Center for Arts Education found that New York City high schools with the highest graduation rates also offered students the most access to arts education.

The report, which analyzed data collected by New York City's Education Department from more than 200 schools over two years, reported that schools ranked in the top third by graduation rates offered students the most access to arts education and resources, while schools in the bottom third offered the least access and fewest resources.

- Read the story in the NY Times
- Read more about the study from the Center for Arts Education

Posted by Lisa Gray at 2:09 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

On Tuesday, October 20 in WDAV's Mozart Café, The American Chamber Players dropped by the WDAV studios to perform selections of Bach and Mozart - and to chat with Frank Dominguez about chamber music. Watch a video excerpt from their visit!

Founded in 1985, the American Chamber Players has toured throughout North America, and its performances are heard frequently on National Public Radio's Performance Today. The group features Sara Stern on flute, Joanna Maurer on violin, Miles Hoffman on viola, Alberto Parrini on cello, and Anna Stoytcheva on piano.

The American Chamber Players were in town to perform at Davidson College on Tuesday evening, October 20 and at Queens University of Charlotte on Saturday evening, October 24.

Posted by Lisa Gray at 11:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

(Brevard, NC ) - John Candler, President and CEO of Brevard Music Center, has announced his upcoming retirement. He will continue to serve as president until the search for his replacement is successfully concluded and the position is filled. Candler joined the Music Center's governing board in 1981 and has served as the Center's first president with great distinction since 1993.

A 2008 retirement announcement, in order to spend more time with his wife, was rescinded following the unexpected death of Linda Candler. John Candler remained President of the Music Center without interruption. The Executive Committee of the BMC Board of Trustees will conduct a national search to find a replacement. The Committee's process will actively solicit input from the Center's key constituencies of faculty, trustees, employees, volunteers, patrons, and supporters.

Candler's tenure has overseen the successful transition of artistic and instructional leadership, and has strengthened the organization's financial framework. Keith Lockhart, a BMC alumnus and conductor of the famed Boston Pops, was appointed Artistic Advisor and Principal Conductor of the Music Center in 2007, the fourth to hold this position in the Center's 73 year history. Candler has secured a strong endowment fund and significantly increased the net asset value of the Music Center, which completed fiscal year 2009 with a balanced budget for the 31st consecutive year.

Candler, age 68, said, "Being part of the growth and development of the Brevard Music Center for the past twenty-eight years has been a joyful experience. I can't imagine anything more satisfying than working in an organization that is so dedicated and committed to investing in the future achievement of such promising young people."

Mitchell Watson, Chairman of the Board, said, "John Candler has been an outstanding leader, guiding BMC to national prominence as a summer music program. His belief in and understanding of our educational and artistic mission combined with a business approach to fiscal responsibility and strategic foresight have prepared BMC well for the future."

The Brevard Music Center was founded by James Christian Pfohl in 1936, whose vision to establish a music program for talented young people has since matured into one of this country's finest summer institutes and festivals for aspiring musicians. Nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western North Carolina, BMC welcomes to its 180-acre campus each year 400 students, representing over 40 states and eight foreign countries, as well as 65 distinguished faculty artists drawn from America's most prestigious conservatories, universities and orchestras. Each summer, the Center invites an array of celebrated guest artists to appear in performance with the students of BMC. BMC's unique learning environment--students living and working alongside faculty and guest artists--creates an unparalleled sense of community.

- WDAV's 2009 Residency at The Brevard Music Center
- The Brevard Music Center's Website

Posted by Lisa Gray at 12:20 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 12:45 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Thank you, WDAV, for all the years of beautiful music and "symphonic ecstacy" you have provided me and my family.

Symphonic Ecstasy
By Paul Ray (a WDAV listener from Charlotte, NC)

As horns from the orchestra silence, and stillness is felt in the air,
The bows of the strings move together, and play as if God were there.
A lush sound of celli infusing the theme that the violins play,
While each note that's played and suspended, takes everyone's breath away.
Then up from the glorious rapture, with tones that are all heaven sent;
The sound of the English Horn rises and pours out its dark lament.
What beauty is heard from an angel who sings in a lower key,
Through grains of the Grenadilla, with it's haunting melody.
But then in an instant there's fanfare, as trumpets and baritones soar;
The timpani joins with the tuba while all play the recap once more.
And when the last chord played has ended, and when all the echoes have died,
The walls and the ceiling start shaking, because the creator has cried.

Posted by Lisa Gray at 4:25 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Music is to love.

Something I love about music? The endless buffet of trailheads that fans out before anyone who takes an interest in it. Today, I'm hiking the path that leads to Pérrier, France, the mountain range just beyond called the Cévennes, and songs sung there long ago.

For all the times I've aired Vincent D'Indy's Symphony on a French Mountain Air on WDAV, I've only recently enjoyed immediate access to the sights and sounds that inspired D'Indy to write his sparkling, sylvan work for piano and orchestra. Today, I've seen the contours, citizens and cottages of the Cévennes, run an eye across pages of music that filled D'Indy's days off, and I'm sharing:

The two older images above come from a magnificent book about the region by Sabine Baring-Gould published in 1907 - only 21 years after D'Indy's work premiered. You can leaf through the whole thing online.

Whether you can read French, music or neither, it's also worth taking a peek at this collection of folk songs from the era and a more northerly region that similarly served as inspiration for D'Indy. Pages 10, 12 and 14 are where the tunes begin. Happy humming. I'm off to renew my passport.

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

This video was filmed live on the air at 5:00 PM on Friday, October 9, 2009 -- WDAV General Manager Ben Roe gives the good news to Joe Brant, Frank Dominguez, Jennifer Foster and WDAV listeners!

WDAV's Fall Membership Drive '09 Is Over! from WDAVfm on Vimeo.

Posted by Lisa Gray at 6:41 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Watch a musician perform and you'll never hear his or her recordings the same way again. Here, Boston-born violinist Ariadne Daskalakis, hailed for her warm, carmel-like tone and performances bordering on poetry, plays two movements from violin sonatas by Handel on a Baroque violin.

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 10:34 AM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Hello, WDAV friends! I just returned from Italy, where I heard some beautiful music. But I must tell you---it was no more beautiful than the music I hear every single day on WDAV.

I renewed my membership during the spring drive, but I want to pledge an additional gift now, just to say "thank you." I would also like to encourage all the Union Symphony Orchestra enthusiasts to pitch in right now and help to perpetuate this great blessing we call "WDAV!"

Posted by Lisa Gray at 9:50 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

"I live in Winston-Salem where your signal is weak. I found two small speakers in one of my children's room and hooked them up to WDAV online. Now I have a symphony in my office."

Thank you, Mr. Jadoff!

It's easy to listen to WDAV via your computer. Click on "Listen Live" at the top of every page on our website or go to our Listen Live page.

Posted by Lisa Gray at 3:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)

Here's a very brief film clip from the summer of 1937. James Christian Pfohl conducts at the music camp at Davidson College that would later move and become the Brevard Music Center. Film provided by Bill Vinson, listener and supporter of WDAV 89.9 Classical Public Radio.

Davidson 1937 from WDAVfm on Vimeo.

Posted by Lisa Gray at 10:26 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

I am more excited about WDAV than ever before. Let me tell you why:

I joined the board of WDAV around 1998. During my early years on the board, I had no idea how radio in general or our station in particular worked. I had been a WDAV listener (and I think a WDAV member) since around 1983.

In the early 1990s I became more active in the cultural community, serving on boards of The Charlotte Boys Choir, The Symphony Guild, chairing our church's Music Committee, the Youth Orchestras and fundraising for lots of others. During the late 1990s I joined the CSO and Opera Carolina boards. WDAV was always ready to do PSAs, set up a table at an event, donate CDs or mugs, and include events in its monthly magazine.

I noticed they often played music that I would then hear at a live performance by our own Symphony or Opera. By listening to WDAV, I always got a 'heads up' when someone special would be performing here. The more involved I became in our city's performance culture, the more I realized the vital service WDAV provided.

After the building was finished, Kim Hodgson thought we should have a strategic plan to take advantage of the new facilities. The committee work was an education for us. I have always said that WDAV has its finger on the pulse of our cultural community. Now I knew the 'why' and the 'how' of WDAV's success. WDAV's involvement with performers, ensembles, recordings and festivals connects all of us through the arts.

When Wilton & I started looking at major gifts, my experience on our cultural boards convinced me that the success of our cultural community is tied to WDAV's success. So now you have the Catherine & Wilton Connor Broadcast Studio.

Under your leadership, our cultural community is growing. WDAV is and will continue to be successful by feeling the heartbeat of our culture and sharing that with our listeners.

I am thrilled with where we are going and how we are getting there.

Catherine Connor

Posted by Lisa Gray at 12:08 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

WDAV listener Deborah Woods sent us this message at 9:15 AM today -- the first day of our Fall 2009 On-Air Membership Campaign:

Thank you! I've recently been tuning in every morning and had forgotten how much I so enjoy classical music! It's wonderful to be able to tune you in upstairs and downstairs...great stereo!...and enjoy the music as I ready my day! I realized how much this station means to me and decided I had to support it financially. Thank you again!

We thank Ms. Woods for taking the time to write -- and especially for her generous gift to WDAV. If great classical music is valuable to you too, we hope you'll follow Ms. Wood's lead and make your gift to WDAV today. Call 1-877-333-8990 or give online. And thank you!

Posted by Lisa Gray at 5:44 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

The Business Committee for the Arts has recognized ten national corporations for their support of the arts, and three - count em, three! - Carolinas corporations made the prestigious list. Congratulations and thank you to Duke Energy (Charlotte, NC), Hanesbrands Inc. (Winston-Salem, NC) and Wiliams & Fudge (Rock Hill, SC). To read all about the award - and to learn who else made the list, click here!

Posted by Lisa Gray at 5:21 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

Here are a couple of shots from across the console taken during the opening hours of our fall membership campaign. Behold, "The Sacred Cube" in action and WDAV's dear friend, Wilton Connor, with General Manager Ben Roe in the broadcast studio named for Wilton and his wife, Catherine:

Posted by Jennifer Foster at 3:34 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)