WRTI | Your Classical & Jazz Source

Jazz Album of the Week: Allan Harris Nostalgic Yet Forward-Looking on 'Kate's Soulfood'

June 7, 2021. If you have any questions about where vocalist Allan Harris grew up or for whom he sings, you haven’t heard Kate’s Soulfood yet. One listen to the silky baritone’s 14th album as a leader will leave no doubt; Harris represents that same historic slice of Upper Manhattan that he honored all pandemic long with his popular weekly livestream Harlem after Dark.

TIME IN with The Crossing's Donald Nally: Daily Reflections, Beach Walks, New Ways to Sing Together

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Opera on WRTI: The Schedule for Summertime Broadcasts Is Here!

By WRTI Staff • Jun 8, 2021

Love opera? Check out our upcoming broadcasts from Haymarket Opera Company in Chicago, London's Royal Opera House, Swedish Royal Opera, Opera de Paris, Opéra National de Bordeaux, and more. WRTI brings you opera from around the world every Saturday at 1 PM. Join us!

A Story Retold by Alfred Hitchcock Is Now a Suite for Orchestra

By Susan Lewis • Jun 7, 2021

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The psychological thriller that inspired Alfred Hitchcock's 1964 film Marnie has been reborn in Nico Mulhy's opera, and has also spawned a new suite for orchestra. WRTI's Susan Lewis has more.

More Ensembles Now on WRTI's Friday Choral Connection! The Schedule Is Here

By Debra Lew Harder • Jun 6, 2021

Good news for fans of the Philadelphia region's choral music scene! By popular demand, our Friday Choral Connection, which airs every Friday at 1:30 PM, will be extended into June. And we’ve expanded our offerings to include four more choirs.

Hear Bach's Music Like You've Never Heard It Before: Upside Down

By NPR Staff • Jun 4, 2021

Sitting at the Yamaha grand piano in his Brooklyn apartment, surrounded by two laptops, an iPad, a monitor, a video camera and studio lights, Dan Tepfer plays the first of Bach's "Goldberg" Variations. The piano is a Disklavier, which can record and play back. When he finishes, Tepfer taps a button on his iPad, triggering the piano to play back what he's just recorded with the notes inverted, as if the score were turned upside down.

The Philadelphia Orchestra on WRTI: Yannick, Trifonov, Mozart, Beethoven, Bates, and Liszt

By Gregg Whiteside • Jun 1, 2021

Join us on Sunday, June 6th at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1 and Monday, June 7th at 7 PM on WRTI HD-2 to hear a 2017 Philadelphia Orchestra concert that was broadcast live from Verizon Hall, highlighted by the return to Philadelphia of Russian pianist Daniil Trifonov. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts.

Jazz Album of the Week: Airmen of Note Go Supersonic with Peter Bernstein and Chris Potter

By Matt Silver • May 28, 2021

May 31, 2021. It takes a lot to ground a squadron of fighter jets when they’ve got a mission to fulfill; the same goes for the Airmen of Note, the United States Air Force Band’s premier jazz ensemble. Especially when they’ve secured featured guests like Peter Bernstein (electric guitar) and Chris Potter (tenor sax).

The Story Behind the Famous Bugle Call, "Taps"

By Meridee Duddleston • May 27, 2021

The powerful sound of a bugler playing “Taps” is a call to remember those who gave their lives in the service of the United States.

All About Decoration Day

By Bobbi I. Booker • May 27, 2021

Today it’s considered the unofficial start of summer, but the final Monday of May was originally known as Decoration Day. It originated in the years following the Civil War and became the official holiday of Memorial Day in 1971. The initial name was derived from the fact that decorating graves was, and remains, a central activity of an ancient folk custom established long before America’s Civil War. Join WRTI jazz as we celebrate this custom throughout the weekend with songs of freedom and patriotism.

Branford Marsalis' 'Ma Rainey' Score Makes 100-Year-Old Blues Sound Relevant Today

By Gwen Thompkins, Raina Douris & John Myers • May 26, 2021

There has been plenty to discuss since the release of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom last year. It tells the story of August Wilson and other Black Americans in the 20th century who fled the south and headed north. The film was adapted from a play by Wilson, directed by George C.

Jazz Singer Nnenna Freelon Works Through Grief With New Album And Podcast

By Mandalit del Barco • May 26, 2021

Nnenna and Phil Freelon were a power couple: He was the lead architect for the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History & Culture, and she was a Grammy-nominated jazz singer, composer, actress and playwright. They enjoyed an exciting, full life of work, travel, friends and family.