News

Bachfest 2021

WKCR is thrilled to announce this year's Bach Festival, an 8-day long pre-emption where will feature only the music and genius of Johann Sebastian Bach. From Christmas Eve (12/24) through New Year's Eve (12/31), tune in to WKCR-FM NY 89.9 and wkcr.org for 192 hours of Bach as we celebrate another year's end with our annual Bachfest. This year, we celebrate the 44th anniversary of the Bachfest tradition. See our programming schedule below!

Date: 
Fri, 24 Dec 2021, 12:00am to Fri, 31 Dec 2021, 11:59pm

Columbia Student Workers On Strike Live Coverage December 8th 2021

Today the Student Workers of Columbia have called for a complete shutdown of campus, following an announcement by the university that striking workers may be fired and replaced in the coming semester. In lieu of our typical programming schedule, WKCR FM-NY will be broadcasting live strike coverage throughout the day (8am-6pm), interwoven with archival coverage of the 1968 campus strike. Tune in online at wkcr.org or on the dial at 89.9FM-NY.

Date: 
Wed, 8 Dec 2021, 8:00am to 6:00pm

Ragas Live Festival 2021

Starting at midnight on November 19th, and running for 24 hours, WKCR is proud to be presenting the 10th annual Ragas Live Festival. Born as a 24 hour live in-studio broadcast featuring 50 musicians in 2012, the festival expanded to a live concert experience in 2016, beaming to WKCR from Pioneer Works in front of an enthusiastic live audience.

Date: 
Fri, 19 Nov 2021, 12:00am to 11:59pm

John Coltrane Birthday Broadcast: Thursday, September 23rd

On Thursday, September 23rd, WKCR will conduct its annual all-day tribute to John Coltrane on the 95th anniversary of his birth. Born on September 23, 1926 in North Carolina, Coltrane is celebrated to this day for his innovative work on alto, tenor, and soprano saxophones, as well as his enormous contributions to the genres of bebop, hard bop, and free and avant-garde jazz. From the late 1940s to the mid-late 1950s, Coltrane collaborated with numerous jazz titans, performing as a sideman with the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis, among others.

Date: 
Thu, 23 Sep 2021, 12:00am to 11:59pm

Lester Young and Charlie Parker Birthday Celebration: August 27-29

Beginning Friday, August 27, WKCR will have a three-day festival dedicated to the music of saxophonists Lester "Prez" Young and Charlie "Bird" Parker. The 27th marks Prez's birthday, and the 29th, Bird’s. We will play 24 hours of Young on the 27th, 24 hours of Parker on the 29th, and both Young and Parker interchangeably on the 28th. Join WKCR in celebrating two individuals who were true pioneers of their music.

Date: 
Fri, 27 Aug 2021, 12:00am to Sun, 29 Aug 2021, 11:59pm

2021 Louis Armstrong Birthday Broadcast!

In his autobiography, Swing That Music, Louis Armstrong titled the first chapter “Jazz and I Get Born Together.” Dating his birthday July 4, 1900, Armstrong created a mythology that linked his own birth to the birth of Jazz and the birth of America. While he may have been mistaken about the exact date (most historians believe it's August 4th), he was not wrong to connect his life with the beginnings of this American art form. It is now believed that his actual birthday was on August 4th, so we celebrate both dates with an all-day broadcast of the great's music.

Date: 
Wed, 4 Aug 2021, 12:00am to 11:59pm

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Upcoming Events

Emmet Cohen on Out to Lunch

Join us Tuesday, January 17 during our Out to Lunch programming from 1-2:30 pm EST for an interview with New York-based jazz pianist Emmet Cohen regarding his most recent project "Masters Legacy Series featuring Jimmy Cobb." Cohen began Suzuki method piano instruction at age three, and his playing quickly became a mature melding of musicality, technique, and concept. He placed first in both the American Jazz Pianists competition (2014) and the Phillips Piano Competition at the University of West Florida (2011).

Date: 
Tuesday, January 17, 2017 - 1:00pm to 2:30pm
Related Program: 
Out to Lunch
Related Department: 
Jazz

Aspen Matis on Studio A

Tune in to Studio A this Sunday, January 15, from 9:00 PM - 10:00 PM EST for an interview with internationally-bestselling memoirist Aspen Matis. Her book, Girl in the Woods, tells the story of her sexual assault and her flight from college, which led to a journey of self-discovery as she set out to hike the entire Pacific Crest Trail from Mexico to Canada.

A brief account of her experiences appeared first in The New York Times' Modern Love column, and that subsequentally led to her inspiring and heart-wrenching memoir.

Date: 
Sunday, January 15, 2017 - 9:00pm to 10:00pm
Related Program: 
Studio A
Related Department: 
Arts

George Wallington Celebration on Jazz Profiles

Sid Gribetz presents a five hour radio program celebrating the pianist and composer George Wallington on Jazz Profiles this Sunday, January 15 from 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM EST.
George Wallington was one of the legendary pianists of the bebop era but never achieved great fame. With his early retirement from a musical career, he remains a more obscure figure in jazz history and lore.
Date: 
Sunday, January 15, 2017 - 2:00pm to 7:00pm
Related Program: 
Jazz Profiles
Related Department: 
Jazz

Streaming WKCR during Bach Festival Announcement

We, the WKCR Board, wanted to address any of the inconveniences experienced in using our stream. Unfortunately, our online stream regularly approaches maximum capacity during the Bach Festival. As we try to accommodate for more listeners, we implore anyone tuning in within our radio broadcasting range to tune in with a radio receiver.

Date: 
Thursday, December 25, 2014 - 12:00pm to Wednesday, December 31, 2014 - 11:59pm

Gustav Leonhardt Memorial Broadcast

This Friday, January 20th, WKCR will be devoting over eleven hours of programming to the music of Gustav Leonhardt (5/30/1928-1/16/2012). As a harpsichordist, organist, and conductor, Leonhardt was on the forefront of the movement in early music to revive period styles and practices. While best known for his recordings of J.S. Bach, Leonhardt made spectacular recordings of many different early music and Baroque composers. Tune in from 9:30am-9:00pm to hear WKCR's tribute to this legendary musician.
Date: 
Friday, January 20, 2012 - 9:30am to 9:00pm
Related Department: 
Classical
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