Wagner's Der Ring des Nibelungen is back for three complete cycles in spring 2013, on the occasion of the 200th anniversary of the composer's birth. In this second installment, the focus of the story shifts from the realm of the gods to the human world. Deborah Voigt sings Brünnhilde and Mark Delavan sings Wotan. Stephanie Blythe, Martina Serafin, Simon O'Neill, and Hans-Peter König also star. Principal Conductor Fabio Luisi is on the podium. Join us on Saturday, April 13th, *11 am to 4:30 pm. *Note early start time.

Cast:

On a few occasions in his long life, the famed nonagenarian trumpeter Clark Terry has lead a big band. Listen to some wonderful recordings with Terry as conductor, and a couple of pianist Bill Evans' compositions this Sunday evening on Big Band Jazz, 7 to 8 pm. And in the birthday spotlight, it's Henry Mancini and Shorty Rogers. Join us!

Listen on Sunday, April 14, 2 to 4 pm to two works, composed 52 years apart, that are tailor-made for the dense, glorious string sound of The Fabulous Philadelphians: Franz Schubert's Symphony No. 8 in B minor, also known as the "Unfinished Symphony," and Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 4, "Romantic."

Actor, director, producer, novelist, journalist, comedian, broadcaster, technology maven - Stephen Fry has been an international success wearing all of these hats, and more! He's also penned the book for a hugely successful musical, and co-written an authoritative book on the history of classical music. He's the quintessential modern polymath. 

Critically acclaimed singer Giacomo Gates is Bob Craig's guest this Sunday at 5 pm on Voices in Jazz. He'll sing from his new CD, Miles Tones...Giacomo Gates Sings The Music of Miles Davis.

Voices in Jazz can be heard Sundays from 3 to 6 pm on WRTI HD-2 and the all-jazz stream at wrti.org.

WRTI's Jazz Hot 11 is a weekly countdown of your favorite new jazz releases in rotation. 
This week's Hot 11: 
1. Melton Mustafa - The Traveling Man - THE TRAVELING MAN 

A new Philadelphia tourism initiative is encouraging visitors and residents alike to explore restaurants, galleries, culture, and nightlife in neighborhoods just beyond Center City. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, the campaign by the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, or GPTMC, paints portraits of nearby neighborhoods that are attracting visitors.

A new section of GPTMC's website is devoted to 14 neighborhoods, with maps, videos, and social media integration. Check it out here!

A Dutch-born conductor, who walked away from a pre-eminent position in his homeland to find success abroad, conducts in Philadelphia this week. WRTI’s Jim Cotter says the former instrumentalist made the move against the advice of his compatriots but with the encouragement of a classical-music legend. Information about the concert here.

Jaap Van Sweden; The Man and the Music (Part 1)

Jaap Van Sweden; The Man and the Music (Part 2)

Once ignored by conservatories and reviled by audiences, Schoenberg’s half-spoken, half-sung Pierrot Lunaire is being intensively rehearsed for performances by Curtis Institute of Music musicians on Monday and Tuesday of next week (April 15th and 16th).

As The Philadelphia Inquirer’s David Patrick Stearns reports, the instigators are visiting professors who don’t look much different from the students: the modern music ensemble eighth blackbird, who are in the first year of a three-year residency that should extend the Curtis tradition to the cutting edge.