Debra Lew Harder

While Easter has inspired Bach's Saint Matthew Passion and many other beloved classical works, the holiday of Passover—being celebrated by millions of the Jewish faith this week—claims no famous pieces in the concert repertoire. WRTI's Debra Lew Harder explores why, and finds out what music you can find at a seder.

On Friday, March 27th at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1, our Philadelphia Orchestra in Concert re-broadcast from 2019 brings pianist Jonathan Biss to the stage, for a performance of Robert Schumann’s Piano Concerto in A minor, a work that transports the piano concerto into the realm of symphonic music. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts.

Recorded live in the WRTI performance studio, Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane plays music from his 2019 album, The Celtic Lute. WRTI's Debra Lew Harder is host.

Born in New York City to German-Jewish immigrants, Lorenz Hart penned some of Broadway’s most haunting, sophisticated lyrics. At age 24, he began collaborating with composer Richard Rodgers who was 17 at the time.

Tap your toes to the music of Grammy-nominated lutenist Ronn McFarlane and his ensemble, Ayreheart. They perform an intriguing mix of music from the Renaissance to now, with a traditional Celtic tune to round out the program. WRTI’s Debra Lew Harder hosts.

Listen to baritone Keith Spencer sing four powerful African-American spirituals, as we usher in Black History Month at WRTI. Debra Lew Harder is host.