Voice of the Arts

Wheeling Symphony’s Executive Director, Sonja Thoms and Music Director John Devlin, discusses with Anna Singer about their upcoming concert on Thursday, October 19th at 7:30pm, featuring the Violins of Hope Pittsburgh and a world premiere of Walter Bricht’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in A Minor. Visit https://wheelingsymphony.com to learn more.

WQED-FM’s Jim Cunningham was joined by David Allen Wehr, Dean of the Mary Pappert School of Music at Duquesne University, and Mary Ellena, head of the Kosciuszko Foundation Pittsburgh Chapter, to discuss “An Afternoon with Chopin” – a concert at the PNC Recital Hall on Sunday October 22nd at 3pm.

Lenny Young is the Director of Music at Third Presbyterian Church.  He stopped by the QED Morning Show with soprano Lara Lynn McGill, who will be singing a program titled “Bach to Broadway” at the church on Friday October 20th, 7:30pm.

New York Times Bestselling author and PBS regular Brad Meltzer talks with Jim Cunningham about his new book “I Am Mister Rogers” with illustrations by Christopher Eliopoulos.  His series “Ordinary People Change the World” has profiled 31  amazing figures including Frida Kahlo and Walt Disney having started with Amelia Earhart. Brad talks about Fred Rogers and his start in Latrobe, his interest in music, the Mister Rogers neighborhood programs produced for PBS at WQED and his message that we should slow down, be kind, be a good neighbor and look for the helpers when times get tough. Brad explains how he has had a huge career with writing thrillers and a non fiction book, “The Nazi Conspiracy,” looking into the plot to do in Churchill, Stalin and Roosevelt at once which was recently covered on CBS Sunday Morning. Brad says that he is proud to have family in Western PA and looks forward to visiting the Riverstone Books store in McCandless Crossing on October 26th at 7pm for a book signing and meet the author event.

Pittsburgh Opera General Director Christopher Hahn joined Jim Cunningham on the QED Morning Show to talk about Pittsburgh Opera’s Season Opening production of Rossini’s “The Barber of Seville.”   Plus, they talk about the opera “Bon Appetite” featuring WQED-FM’s Anna Singer, taking place Friday October 27th at the Hyeholde Restaurant.

Senior at Slippery Rock University and songwriter Brett McCutcheon discusses with WQED about his newest album, The Ocean – five years. This collection of pop songs with symphonic orchestration from the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra takes an emotional journey through the stages of grief as experienced by Brett in 2017 when he lost his older brother Ryan. With vocals by June Bracken and The Voice Finalist Chris Jamison, and recorded at The Vault in Pittsburgh, this new album hopes to continue the dialogue around helping young people navigate loss. Visit https://thevaultrecording.com to learn more. Find this album on Spotify or Apple Music.

Executive Director of Quantum Theatre, Julie DeSeyn, discusses Quantum’s upcoming two free RAD days on October 15th and October 17th at Rodef Shalom. Both RAD days feature an inside look into their upcoming show, “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk,” a klezmer musical about artist Marc Chagall and his poet wife Bella. Get a backstage tour on the 15th, and hear a symposium about Marc Chagall by Sandy Rosen (Chair, Violins of Hope), Kathy Keinholz (Docent Coordinator, the Carnegie Museum of Art), and Barbara Burstin (History, University of Pittsburgh). “The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk” opens on October 28th and includes a collaboration with the Violins of Hope Pittsburgh. Visit https://www.quantumtheatre.com to learn more about the show, and https://www.radworkshere.org to learn more about RAD Days.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theater’s new Artistic Director, Adam McKinney, talks about PBT’s upcoming free RAD days from September 29th to October 1st at Hazelwood Green, as a part of the Open Air performance series, co-presented with the August Wilson Cultural Center. These three free RAD days feature various performances from dance organizations across Pittsburgh, free classes, food, kids activities and much more. Adam also discusses PBT’s season opener, “Light in the Dark” from October 27th to the 29th, featuring a world premiere of Jennifer Archibald’s Sounds of the Sun. This performance also exhibits an instrument from Violins of Hope played live onstage by a PBT Orchestra musician, as Pittsburgh grapples with the 5th Anniversary of the Tree of Life Synagogue shooting. Visit https://www.pbt.org/performances to learn more.

Prime Stage Theater’s Artistic Director, Wayne Brinda, and Board Member, Sueanne Zoratto, discuss with WQED about their upcoming Cemetery Walk at the Homewood Cemetery on September 30th from 1:30-4pm. They also discuss their upcoming free RAD day at the MuseumLab in partnership with the Children’s Museum that showcases a sneak peak of their season opener, “The Miracle Worker.” Featuring Helen Keller and Anne Sullivan’s story, “The Miracle Worker” at Prime Stage Theater will include sensory performances, and performances with live captioning and ASL interpreters. “The Miracle Worker” runs in November, from the 3rd to the 12th. Wayne also discusses a Pittsburgh connection with Helen Keller. Visit https://primestage.com/events to learn more!

Hill Dance Academy Theater’s Director of Operations Jennifer Phillip, and Pittsburgh jazz drummer Thomas Wendt, discuss HDAT’s upcoming free Rad Day Concert at their site on Bedford Avenue on September 22nd at 5:30pm. Thomas Wendt, Ava Lintz and Mark Strickland will be playing some traditional jazz as HDAT kicks off their new Jazz series, Jazz at BWW. Visit 5678hdat.org/events to learn more.

Director of Music Ministries at Aspinwall Presbyterian Church and former WQED intern, Danny English, discusses their upcoming 8th annual Worship by the Water at the Allegheny River Trail Park on September 24th at 11am. There will be featured live music from Mark Jackovic and the Jazz Influence throughout the service. Danny also discusses his new music programs at the church that feature his own compositions and community musicians, as well as his reviving of the church’s singing program after the pandemic. To learn more, visit http://www.aspinwallchurch.org.

Former Chicago Symphony Principal Oboe, ALex Klein, joins with former Vancouver Symphony Principal Harp Rita Costanzi for a new CD named Amoroso. It features Debussy. Faure, Massenet, Piazzola, de Falla,Rachmaninoff, Rodrigo and Michael Cohen with Michael Amorosi. It’s an hour plus of contemplative music that seems right for the post pandemic, war torn, politically charged world of today. Rita explains how it happened and what she and Alex have done in South America to bring the harp to the continent starting in Brazil. In addition, Rita has a long time connection to Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Harp Gretchen van Hoesen through their work as young musicians at the Eastman School and she know Pittsburgh’s Duquesne University professor Charles Stegeman having worked together a lot at the Sunflower Music Festival. In this conversation with Jim Cunningham she talks about the new Navona CD and her hopes for a better world.”