Susan Lewis

Mozart himself never went to Havana, but his music thrives there. WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports on a 2017 project of American pianist Simone Dinnerstein and a Cuban orchestra with ties to Vienna.

The Allentown Band's first documented performance was July 4th, 1828. Almost two centuries later, the ensemble is going strong, playing old favorites, connecting with the community, and looking to the future. WRTI's Susan Lewis spoke with the Band's longtime conductor and music director, Ronald Demkee. 

Tchaikovsky wrote his violin concerto in 1878, but his friends and family were critical and he didn’t find a violinist to premiere it for over three years. Now, as WRTI’s Susan Lewis reports, the concerto is one of the most frequently performed concertos in the repertoire.

Edward Hopper’s 1962 painting, Road and Trees, now on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, finds musical expression in a new work for chamber orchestra, which Network for New Music premieres Sunday, July 22 at the PMA. Composer Pierre Jalbert talked with WRTI’s Susan Lewis about his three-movement piece for woodwinds, strings, and percussion: Light, Line, Shadow.

Alexander Bui was described in 2010 by America's Got Talent judge Piers Morgan as "the most naturally talented person" they'd heard all year.  Now embarking on a solo career, the pianist performed LIVE from the WRTI 90.1 Performance Studio and chatted with WRTI's Susan Lewis on Tuesday, July 17th.

They are 18 teenage girls from across America who dream of careers writing music. They're now wrapping up two intensive weeks at Young Women Composers Camp on Temple University's Campus. They're studying composition for strings, winds, percussion, brass, and voice; writing classical works, songs, and jazz.

Jennifer Higdon’s concerto, On a Wire, was inspired by images of birds, as well as the innovative versatility of the musicians of Eighth Blackbird, the contemporary soloist ensemble. WRTI’s Susan Lewis has more.

Puccini’s opera Tosca has all the elements of a grand melodrama, including overwhelming passion, torture, and murder. But the character of Tosca is also very human, says the soprano who sings the title role in several recent and upcoming productions. WRTI’s Susan Lewis has more.

The Crossing has been callled "Extraordinary" by The New York Times, "ardently angelic' by the Los Angeles Times, and "something of a miracle" by The Philadelphia Inquirer.  This 24-member, professional chamber ensemble sang out from the WRTI 90.1 Performance Studio on June 14, 2018.