Voice of the Arts

Wayne Brinda of Prime Stage Theatre, and formerly Pittsburgh Playhouse Jr. sits down with John Robbins, WQED Intern, to discuss their new program, Prime Stage Sprouts. The new program opens with a production of The Amazing Lemonade Girl. This production is based on the real story of Alexandra Scott. She suffered from a rare disease but decided to not let that bring her down and she was able to help many kids just like her. The running of this show is June 16th-19th at the New Hazlett Theater.

Colin Aikins , tenor, presents his Senior Recital June 8 at 7pm in a free concert at Carnegie Hall in Oakland which he previews with Jim Cunningham. Colin is on to Juilliard in New York next year after completing his degree at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. He has invited soprano Sarah Fleiss to sing Monteverdi with him. She is also a singer from the vocal department at Curtis and also studies with Julia Faulkner of Chicago Lyric Opera.. Mezzo Soprano Alexandria Zallo will join in the program and the accompanist is Djordje Nesic pianist. Colin is a Central Catholic graduate who has won fans in western Pennsylvania including soprano Marianne Cornetti. He has performed at the Aspen Music Festival and in Europe at Salzburg, at Chautauqua, Las Vegas and other cities along the  way winning multiple awards at prestigious competitions..The plan for the program is operatic dazzlers, favorite Italian songs by Tosti and Cole Porter at the end of the evening.

Emmy Award winning producer Beth Dolinar joins Bryan Perry, Executive Director of the Great Allegheny Passage and Jim Cunningham to discuss events relating to the screenings of the new documentary “The Great Ride Landmarks Along the Trail,” which airs on WQED June 16th at 8pm. Recently praised by the New York Times and other national media, the trail continues to generate tourism in the bicycle route from Pittsburgh to Washington DC. Three screenings with questions and answers from the principals will celebrate the film closing with Confluence, PA and Frostburg, Maryland.

Elizabeth Barker, the Executive Director of the Frick Art and Historical Center, discusses the excitement over bringing the two paintings together in the exhibit “Slay: Artemisia Gentileschi and Kehinde Wiley.” Elizabeth Barker shares with Jim Cunningham her excitement over the plans for music in the outdoors this summer, including a Juneteenth concert and much more.

Unisound is a hub for unifying Youth Music Organizations with a Black Teaching Artist Residence Program. Each year starting in November, the Teaching Artists put together a workshop, recital or lecture. Hear all about it with Jim Cunningham and the artists for this season.

It was elements of the CIA who were responsible for the death of President John F. Kennedy says Dr. Cyril Wecht. He has been certain of it since 1964 and says so again with new evidence in two new books – “The JFK Assassination Dissected: An Analysis by Forensic Pathologist Cyril Wecht with Dawna Kaufman” and “The Life and Deaths of Cyril Wecht: Memoirs of America’s Most Controversial Forensic Pathologist,” written with WQED Producer Jeff Sewald. Dr. Wecht is the retired Allegheny County Coroner and Medical Examiner who served as County Commissioner, holds degrees in law and medicine, taught at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School and has presided over 21,000 autopsies and written over twenty books.

In this conversation with Jim Cunningham Dr. Wecht discusses his violins and holding down the concertmaster’s chair in the University of Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He admired Jascha Heifetz, Zino Francescatti and the greats who appeared under Fritz Reiner and William Steinberg at the Syria Mosque. He marvels at Beethoven writing the Ninth Symphony while deaf and thinks it may have been lead poisoning that killed Ludwig.

His criticism of the Warren Commission’s findings regarding JFK and the single bullet theory that involved Lee Harvey Oswald as the assassin is pointed and backed up with first-hand knowledge including lunch meetings with Oswald’s widow Marina. There must have been three shooters he says.

Dr. Wecht is still waiting for the release of documents promised by the Trump and Biden administrations. He knows he ruffled feathers and made enemies along the way, but he had to do it his way.  Dr. Wecht’s wife, his children and the memories of his parents are what he holds most dear. Will there be a civil war in America? He thinks not, but he is deeply concerned about the health of the political scene in the country he served as a Navy man. At age 91, he is pleased to speak for those who can not tell tales.

Opera star Rolando Villazon returns to Pittsburgh for a recital on Sunday November 21st, 4pm at Pittsburgh Opera headquarters. Rolando was a Pittsburgh Opera Resident Artist in 1998-1999. WQED-FM’s Anna Singer spoke with him about his time as a resident artist, his upcoming performances, and how he is a huge Pittsburgh Steelers fan!

Maria Sensi Sellner talks about Decameron Opera Coalition’s presentation of “Heroes”, seven world premiere opera short films presented in three episodes, all framed by original art songs by Hilliard and Boresi, featuring renowned soprano Karen Slack, mezzo-soprano Tesia Kwarteng, tenor Javier Abreu, and baritone John Castillo. Maria spoke with WQED-FM’s Anna Singer.

Chris Cox, Director of Marketing and Communications at Pittsburgh Opera has the story for Jim Cunningham on the Rising Stars Concert at Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters October 3 6pm at Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters with the Resident Artists. It’s free with support from the Regional Asset District but reservations are necessary. You’ll hear opera hits and some discoveries presented in a high wire audition format. Chis explores the season with Magic Flute in November at the Benedum, Carmen and brand new operas sung by world clas singers. There are also concerts in Market Square and Brown Bag programs for free. Wear your mask and bring the vaccination card.

Matthew Rygelski spoke with New York City clarinetist Pavel Vinnitsky about his life as a performer, learning classical and klezmer music, teaching during the pandemic, his opinion about Pittsburgh’s classical music scene, and gives some advice to aspiring musicians.

Susan Medley, Music Director of the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale, has been rehearsing online since mid-September, so they can present a Virtual “Sounds of the Season” Concert online on Friday, December 11 at 8:00 pm. (It’s free.) The singers have recorded themselves and compiled their videos into a virtual choir. Susan says ” It’s pretty amazing how well it is coming together, particularly since they weren’t hearing each other as they were singing. I am assembling the audio part of it and Janine Michael, the sister of two of the PCC singers, is putting the “Brady Bunch faces” on the screen and adding some other video as well. It’s incredibly labor-intensive putting the final product together, but it’s keeping the choir singing in some way and the singers have really enjoyed making music and seeing each other on screen every week.”

Chris Rawson – Post Gazette theater critic and long time contributor to the WQED-FM Arts Magazine – fills us in on “Off The Record 19 2.0 Pandemic Edition.” The event takes place in the virtual world October 8th with Ken Rice host and features great moments from the first two decades taking a light hearted satirical look at the local scene with the Mayor, WQED pledge efforts, Sophie Masloff, and other notables making cameo appearances all to raise funds for the Greater Pittsburgh Community Foodbank. Chris begins with a rundown of his efforts on behalf of the August Wilson House. Details on “Off the Record” can be found on the event Facebook page.