WKCR 89.9FM NY

Komitas Vardapet is often considered the true father of modern Armenian music. In addition to assembling a 300-person chorus in Constantinople, creating definitive editions of Armenian liturgical music, and advocating this music throughout Europe, Komitas's greatest achievement may be as the country's foremost ethnomusicologist. Over his life, he recorded as many as 4,000 folk melodies (1,800 of which survive today).

Tune in to Arts and Answers on Monday, June 22nd from 9:30-10:00 PM, to hear an interview with Annie Holt, the executive artistic director of Morningside Opera, about the first performance of Harry Lawrence Freeman's opera, Voodoo, since its premiere in 1928. The concert performance will take place in Miller Theatre at 7:00 pm on June 26th and 27th. The performance is a collaboration between Morningside Opera, Harlem Opera Theater, and the Harlem Chamber Players.

Tune in to Late City Edition on Monday, June 22nd from 9:00-9:30 PM, to hear an interview with Dr. Stephen Tsang, Lazlo Z. Bito Associate Professor of Ophthalmology, Pathology and Cell Biology, concerning his research in his opthalmology lab. Dr. Tsang and his associates were able to identify a mutation in the gene ATF6 that causes achromatopsia – a severe form of color blindness. Dr. Tsang speaks with WKCR programmer Danielle Smith about his research, gene therapy, and precision medicine.

Tune in to Arts and Answers on Thursday, June 18th from 9:30-10:00 PM, to hear an interview with Marc Silver, the director of 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets. 3 1/2 Minutes, 10 Bullets is a documentary that follows the aftermath of the murder of Jordan Davis and the trial of Michael Dunn. The film won the U.S. Documentary Special Jury Award for Social Impact at Sundance and the Audience Award for Best Documentary Feature at River Run. The film will be in theaters beginning June 19th.

Tune in to WKCR from 10am-12pm for an interview with James Melo, musicologist, librettist and pianist. Based on the upper east side, Mr. Melo has done work writing liner notes for New York's concert halls, record labels and writes regularly for scholarly journals and music magazines. Currently, Mr. Melo serves as the resident musicologist of the performance group, the Ensemble for the Romantic Century.

Join us as we honor the life, the genius, and the work of Ornette Coleman, who passed away Thursday, June 11th at the age of 85 in Manhattan. Born on March 9th 1930 in Fort Worth, Texas, Coleman would become an important voice and major innovator in the avant-garde jazz movement, with a career that spanned over 55 years. It is with a heavy heart that we announce the Ornette Coleman Memorial Broadcast. The Broadcast will be continuous from Thursday, June 11th until Wednesday, June 17th at 9:30 AM. All regular programming will be preempted during this time.

In remembrance of the legendary Kentucky folk singer-songwriter Jean Ritchie, who passed away this Monday at the age of 92, this week’s Hobo’s Lullaby will be dedicated to her life and her music. Tune in from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. this Saturday, June 6th to listen to some of the music that helped to ignite the folk revival of the mid-20th century and to celebrate the spirit of an incredibly influential folk musician.

Earlier in the year we celebrated Boulez's 90th birthday with a few days of his music on our classical shows. This week on Saturday Night at the Opera we will be focusing on his conducting first with Schoenberg's excruciating Moses und Aron with BBC Symphony Orchestra and Singers, then with Debussy's one completed opera, Pelleas et Melisande with The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden and their Chorus. Jasper Hussong hosts.

Sid Gribetz presents the music of pianist Sonny Clark on Jazz Profiles, this Sunday, June 7, from 2-7 PM on WKCR.

Sonny was a pianist with a funky sound yet a crisp and swinging technique. His style also embodied an element of “cool” suited to the modern jazz of his period. As a composer, his songs were angular and sophisticated, but melodic and bluesy enough to be accessible. Many of his tunes, such as “Sonny’s Crib” and “News For Lulu,” endure in the standard jazz repertory.

Tune in to The Moonshine Show this Sunday, June 7^th, for a live set and interview with folk and bluegrass musician Vincent Cross. He will be joining us to play a few tunes and talk about his music. Then join him at the legendary Caffe Vivaldi at 7 p.m. for a solo set.

The Ragas Live Festival, one of radio’s most ambitious events, expands in its fourth year.

Over 60 world-class musicians will perform Indian Classical Music over a period of 24 hours, all broadcast on WKCR. This year it will now be followed by a free concert in Central Park.

Tune in to Late City Edition on Tuesday June 2nd at 9:00 PM to hear AC4 Director, Joshua Fisher, interview Andre Correa d'Almeida regarding his work on sustainable development and the need for a new "practice" paradigm that involves a multi-discipline perspective and conflict resolution intelligence.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music on Monday, June 1st, for an interview with composer and percussionist Lukas Ligeti. Ligeti has established a large body of compositions often combining influences of jazz, contemporary classical, electronic, and world music. His work has been performed by a variety of premier ensembles, such as the London Sinfonietta, the Ensemble Modern, Kronos Quartet, and the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. He will be in our studio to talk about his music and thoughts. Listen!

Columbia University's Baseball Team has been at the NCAA Division I tournament in Florida this weekend. As of Sunday, May 31 at 10:20pm, they won their 4th game taking them into their 5th and last game of the tournament. This final game will be broadcast Monday, June 1 at 6:45pm. Jazz Alternatives will end early and normal programming will begin again with either 'Arts and Answer' or 'Caribe Latino.'

All updates will appear here as well as the @wkcrsports and @wkcrfm Twitter accounts as the information comes in.

Go Lions go!

Thursday's Afternoon Classical will be dedicated exclusively to the renowned German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, in celebration of his birthday. Born on May 28, 1925 in Berlin, Germany, the late Fischer-Dieskau would have turned 90 on this day. An incredibly talented, versatile performer, Fischer-Dieskau brought his clear and iconic sound to a wide range of operas, lieder, oratorios, song cycles, and more in a myriad of languages and styles.

Don't miss Gioachino Rossini's massive Guillaume Tell. Other than its beloved overture, Rossini's final score is a monumental achievement that places extraordinary demands on every part of an opera house. This week's recording is a 2010 live performance of the original French edition with Antonio Pappano leading the orchestra and chorus of the Academy of Santa Cecilia. The cast features Gerald Finley in the title role, Malin Bystrom, and John Osborn. Stepan Atamian hosts.

Tune in Wednesday evening from 6-9 PM to hear this week's edition of the Musician's Show, where we will be joined by multiple Grammy-winning trumpeter and composer Terence Blanchard. Since he embarked on his solo recording career with his eponymous Columbia Records album in 1991, the New Orleans-born and -based artist has traveled many paths musically, including delivering adventurous and provocative acoustic jazz outings of original material, composing over 50 soundtracks and even, in 2013, debuting Champion: An Opera in Jazz.

Tune in to Afternoon New Music, on Monday, May 25th from 3 to 6PM to hear an interview with bassist and composer Mark Dresser. Dresser has played in a variety of jazz and avant-garde contexts, having recorded records with John Zorn, Anthony Braxton, Anthony Davis, and many others. He has also released a number of records as a leader, as well as several explorations into the limits of solo bass performance. Dresser came in to our station last week to talk about his music and his upcoming residency at the Stone. Listen!

There are many operatic adaptations of episodes from the Oresteia (most famously Richard Strauss's Elektra), but we will explore the work through two lesser-known operas. Vittorio Gnecchi's Cassandra retells the murder of Agamemnon in verismo fashion to be understood within the context of other Italian composers such as Zandonai and Cilea. This work is paired with Johann Christian Haeffner's Electra.

In keeping with the spirit of Memorial Day and with a many-years old tradition, WKCR will be dedicating all Jazz programming this Holiday Weekend exclusively to the Big Band Sound. This glorious event will begin on Saturday at 6pm during Traditions in Swing.

Saturday, May 23:
6-9pm Traditions in Swing

Sunday, May 24:
1-6am Jazz 'til Dawn
2-7pm Jazz Profiles

Tune in tonight on Som do Brasil to listen to an interview with Walson Botelho, founder and director of the Balé Folclórico da Bahia (Folkloric Ballet of Bahia). They will be performing at the Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) as part of DanceAfrica 2015.

In honor of Richard Wagner's birthday on May 22nd, Afternoon Classical on Thursday May 21st (3:00-6:00 PM) and Friday May 22nd (3:00-4:30 PM) will be dedicated exclusively to Richard Wagner.

Thursday's Afternoon Classical will feature an unforgettable live 1956 performance of Der Fliegende Holländer from Bayreuth with the legendary George London in the title role, Astrid Varnay as Senta, and Joseph Keilberth conducting. Elisabeth Stam hosts.

WKCR will be celebrating and mourning the illustrious life of the one and only B.B. King from 6am to 6pm on Saturday, May 16. King's music can be heard in the airwaves on 89.9FM NY or online at WKCR.org.

Mitch Goldman and drummer Pheeroan akLaff put Eric Dolphy in Deep Focus tonight, Monday May 11th, during Jazz Alternatives from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM. Startling rare recordings from the WKCR archives will be brought to light. Please join us.

For the third consecutive year, Columbia Baseball hosts Dartmouth in the Ivy League Championship Series. The Lions seek their third straight Ivy Title and another trip to the NCAA tournament. Coverage begins Saturday at 11:55 a.m. on the MP3 stream for Game 1. Game 2 will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of Game 1 and can be heard both online and on 89.9 FM. If necessary, Game 3 would be played on Sunday, with coverage beginning at 12:50 p.m. on 89.9 FM and online. Follow @WKCRsports for further updates.

In honor and celebration of Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky's 175th Birthday, the WKCR Classical Department will be dedicating select Classical programming exclusively to Tchaikovsky's compositions. Please join us in commemorating Tchaikovsky's birthday and his remarkable contributions to classical music by tuning in to the following programs: