Debra Lew Harder

Classical Album of the Week: Igor Levit Plays Beethoven's 32 Piano Sonatas

By • Aug 3, 2020

August 3, 2020. This is is Beethoven’s 250th anniversary birth year. It’s also the year the coronavirus pandemic has forced the cancellation of countless live concert tributes to Beethoven across the globe. This calamitous turn of events makes the release of important Beethoven recordings especially welcome.

How a Historic Philadelphia Music Program is Preparing Young Musicians for the Future—Virtually

By • Jul 30, 2020

Philadelphia's All City Music Program has been teaching kids for over 70 years. The All City Orchestra Summer Academy—ACOSA, now in its second year—is going one step further, teaching the technology skills students need to share their music in 2020 and beyond.

The Philadelphians in Concert on WRTI: Pianist Daniil Trifonov and Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto

By • Jul 14, 2020
Dario Acosta

The 2019-2020 Philadelphia Orchestra season was built around two themes – BeethovenNow (in this 250th anniversary year of his birth), and WomenNOW. And our Sunday, July 19th re-broadcast at 1 PM on WRTI 90.1 and repeated on Monday, July 20th at 7 PM on HD-2 begins and ends with compositions by French women of the 19th and early-20th centuries, with Beethoven right in the middle.

A Celebrity Guest Barista Joins Debra Lew Harder In The Saturday Classical Coffeehouse on WRTI 90.1

By • Jun 17, 2020

It's a first: this Saturday, June 20th, a local luminary will be serving up musical shots with me in the Classical Coffeehouse. Be sure to tune in as we celebrate Father’s Day weekend on WRTI with David Kim—concertmaster of The Philadelphia Orchestra, a devoted dad, and a longtime family friend of mine. What an honor to welcome him to the show!

A Special Saturday Classical Coffeehouse for Mother's Day Weekend

By • May 5, 2020

Tune in on May 9th from 6 am to 12 noon for a Mother's Day Weekend edition of Saturday Morning Classical Coffeehouse featuring music by women composers and performers, as well as classical favorites and surprises.

The Music You Hear At Passover Seder

By • Apr 7, 2020
Wikipedia Commons

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.

The Philadelphians In Concert on WRTI 90.1: Yannick Conducts Weber, Schumann, and Beethoven

By • Mar 23, 2020
Benjamin Ealovega

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.

Watch and Listen: GRAMMY-Nominated Lutenist Ronn McFarlane Plays Celtic Music Live from WRTI

By • Mar 17, 2020

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.

Classical Album of the Week: Her Voice — Piano Trios by Three Important Women Composers

By • Mar 2, 2020

March 2, 2020. The Neave Trio gives glorious voice to piano trios by three prominent women composers in our Classical Album of the Week. Her Voice shows how Louise Farrenc (1804-1875), Amy Beach (1867-1944), and Rebecca Clarke (1886-1979) were masters of the chamber music genre.

The Perfect, Imperfect, Lyrics of "My Funny Valentine"

By • Feb 11, 2020
Getty Images/Michael Ochs Archives

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.

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