This Sunday, July 28, we’re excited to introduce Sunday Classical with Astral, a new feature for WRTI’s Sunday Classical program.
Between July and October, John T.K. Scherch will be joined by a different artist on the roster of our longtime partners at Astral — a Philadelphia-based musician mentoring program — on the final Sunday of each month from 4 to 5 p.m. Each featured artist has curated a special hour that speaks to their musical inspirations and aspirations, sharing insights into what makes them tick.
John’s Astral co-host this Sunday is cellist Alexander Hersh. A member of a family of professional musicians, Hersh began playing at age five, studying at the New England Conservatory with Laurence Lesser, Paul Katz, and Kim Kashkashian. Alexander made his Carnegie Hall debut in 2022, and regularly appears at major chamber music festivals across the United States, including the Marlboro Music Festival, Music@Menlo, and Chamber Music Northwest. His 2023 debut album, ABSINTHE, features works by Ravel, Janáček, and Nadia Boulanger. Hersh is also a filmmaker and the co-artistic director of NEXUS Chamber Music, a two-week festival based in his hometown of Chicago.
His Sunday Classical with Astral program features an eclectic array of music for the cello and other instruments, including works by Webern, Bach, Schubert, Lutosławski, Dvořák, and Antonio Carlos Jobim. Join John and Alexander this Sunday starting at 4 p.m. for this not-to-be-missed show.