Remembering Bob Wilber, A Standard Bearer For Traditional Jazz

By • Aug 15, 2019

The saxophonist and clarinetist, a student of Sidney Bechet and a specialist in early styles of the music, died Aug. 4 at the age of 91. He spoke with Terry Gross in 1988, excerpted here. (Hear the full interview through the Fresh Air archive.)

Live from WRTI 90.1: Winners of the Tri-County Concerts Association Youth Festival Piano Competition

By • Aug 14, 2019

The four winners of the Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival Piano Competition visit the WRTI Performance Studio on Wednesday, August 14th at 12:10 pm to play works by Mendelssohn, Chopin, Liszt, and Liebermann. WRTI's Kevin Gordon is host.

The Philadelphia Orchestra In Concert on WRTI 90.1: Emanuel Ax Plays Brahms' Second Piano Concerto

By • Aug 14, 2019
Wikipedia Commons

The Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert broadcast on Sunday, August 18th at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1 brings pianist Emanuel Ax to the stage of Verizon Hall, in a performance of Johannes Brahms’s Second Piano Concerto. Also on the program is the U.S. premiere of Stacey Brown’s Perspectives, and a work by a composer whom Brahms ardently championed, Antonin Dvořák, whose impassioned Symphony No. 7 closes the afternoon’s concert.

The Story of the Composer Who Wrote Suspenseful Music for Alfred Hitchcock's Films

By • Aug 13, 2019
MGM Studios/Getty Images

Alfred Hitchcock created films filled with mystery, danger, and suspense—with music playing a major role. 

This Is How Canadian Composer Stacey Brown Found Inspiration For Her Work, Perspectives

By • Aug 12, 2019
Stacey Brown

A sculpture created by her composition teacher inspired Stacey Brown’s work for orchestra, which explores the way we experience art and life. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, it’s all a matter of perspective,


Live Video From The WRTI Performance Studio: Trombonist Ernest Stuart and Friends

By • Aug 10, 2019
Ernest Stuart

Ernest Stuart has performed with an impressive list of artist including The Roots, Orrin Evans, Billy Paul, Aretha Franklin, Terell Stafford, Seal and John Legend.  Ernest and his band join J. Michael Harrison in the WRTI Performance Studio on Tuesday, August 13th at 2 pm, prior to performing at the Kimmel Center's free monthly series, Sittin' In, the following evening.

Take A Closer Look At The SUMMER Concerto from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons

By WRTI Staff • Aug 10, 2019
Sean O. / Unsplash

Comprised of four violin concertos written by Antonio Vivaldi in 1723, The Four Seasons is probably the Baroque composer's best-known work. Each of the four concerti is based on a sonnet —supposedly written by Vivaldi himself. Each sonnet is divided into three sections (fast, slow, fast), which correspond with the three movements in each concerto. Read the "Summer" sonnet and listen to each movement of The Four Seasons, Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315, "L'estate" (Summer)

Watch and Listen: 2019 PYPA Winners Play Chopin and Liszt In The WRTI Performance Studio

By • Aug 8, 2019

Listen to the winners of the 2019 Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA), directed by Ching-Yun Hu, perform live in our studio. Kevin Gordon is host.

In a Family Filled With Musicians, A Young Pianist Finds Her Voice

By • Aug 7, 2019

From the Tudors to the Windsors, Britain boasts a lot of dynasties. But there's another British household that's becoming something of a musical royal family. The Kanneh-Mason family, with seven sibling musicians aged preteen to early 20s, is a classical clan filled with promising careers.

Classical Album of the Week: Barbara Strozzi & the Women Composers of the Baroque

By Heather McDougall • Aug 5, 2019

August 5, 2019. It’s not every day we have an opportunity to mark a 400th anniversary, even in classical music circles. This week, we’re excited to celebrate the work of Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)—one of the most important composers of 17th-century Venice.

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The Story of the Composer Who Wrote Suspenseful Music for Alfred Hitchcock's Films

By • Aug 13, 2019
MGM Studios/Getty Images

Alfred Hitchcock created films filled with mystery, danger, and suspense—with music playing a major role. 

This Is How Canadian Composer Stacey Brown Found Inspiration For Her Work, Perspectives

By • Aug 12, 2019
Stacey Brown

A sculpture created by her composition teacher inspired Stacey Brown’s work for orchestra, which explores the way we experience art and life. As WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, it’s all a matter of perspective,


Classical Album of the Week: Blue Hour with Clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer and Pianist Yuja Wang

By • Aug 12, 2019

August 12, 2019. Summer nights feel especially precious now that we’re well into August, and summer twilights seem especially magical.

Jazz Album of the Week: 12 Reasons To Swing With The Eyal Vilner Big Band's New Release

By • Aug 12, 2019

August 12, 2019. Eyal Vilner grew up in Tel Aviv, loving the music of the swing era. But he didn’t fully appreciate what it meant to swing until he started swing dancing himself. Now, fully indoctrinated, his 16-piece big band is a driving force behind New York City’s surprisingly robust Lindy hop scene. Their latest, Swing Out!, provides a dozen very clear reasons why.

Classical Album of the Week: Barbara Strozzi & the Women Composers of the Baroque

By Heather McDougall • Aug 5, 2019

August 5, 2019. It’s not every day we have an opportunity to mark a 400th anniversary, even in classical music circles. This week, we’re excited to celebrate the work of Barbara Strozzi (1619-1677)—one of the most important composers of 17th-century Venice.

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