Tune in on Tuesday, August 4th as we celebrate the supposed 'real' birthday of one of the foundational figures of jazz, trumpeter and vocalist Louis Armstrong. You may have heard our celebration on July 4th, which will be akin to this one, July 4th being the date Satchmo deemed and celebrated his birthday. We will be preempting all regular programming as we honor Pops with 24 hours of swing again.
This Sunday, WKCR's very own Cooper Lynn will be delving into the musical world of Pharoah Sanders, a titan among tenors. Having played with the likes of John Coltrane and Sun Ra, the latter of whom is responsible for the nickname 'Pharoah' (a mangling of the original Ferrell). It was after living in Oakland, CA and touring with Sun Ra that Sanders moved to New York City. He then began playing with Coltrane after he (Coltrane) heard his quartet with Billy Higgins, Wilbur Ware, and John Hicks live at the Village Gate.
Tune in on Thursday, July 30th, to hear an interview by WKCR programmer Kally Patz with Kiarán O’Reilly the cofounder of Irish Repertory Theater and the director of “The Weir,” by Conor McPherson. The play takes place over the course of an evening at a pub in the Irish countryside. Vying for the attention of a newcomer named Valerie, locals exchange ghostly stories over drinks. "The Wier" will be running at the DR2 Theater until September 6th.
Tune in tonight from 6-9 PM to hear guitarist, composer, arranger, vocalist, and songwriter extroardinaire Joel Harrison. Harrison was awarded a Guggenheim fellowship in 2010, and has released over 16 albums as a leader since 1995. He is also a winner of the Jazz Composer’s Alliance Composition Competition, in addition to receiving awards and grants from Chamber Music America, Meet the Composer, the Flagler Cary Trust, NYSCA, New Music USA, and the Jerome Foundation.
Tune in to Afternoon Classical from 3:00-6:00 PM on Thursday July 30th for a special live in-studio interview with K. Scott Warren, organist, pianist, conductor, and composer. We will explore sacred music, discover some of Scott’s compositions, and WKCR Programmer Elisabeth Stam will speak with him about it all. Scott’s experience as a liturgical musician includes serving as Music Director or Interim Director at several Manhattan churches, including Immanuel Lutheran Church, Park Avenue United Methodist Church, and Fifth Avenue Presbyterian Church.
Tune in to Saturday Night At The Opera for a special feature on Metropolitan Opera legend Lucine Amara. With stunning musicality and remarkable technique, the Armenian-American soprano was a stalwart performer at the Met who sang leading roles ranging from Gluck to Britten (and everything in between) for over 40 years. Even at ninety, Ms. Amara remains active as the Artistic Director of the New Jersey Association of Verismo Opera. Ms. Amara also recently played La Duchesse de Krakenthorp in Donizetti's La Fille du Regiment.
Tune in to Early Music on Friday July 31st from 9:30 AM to 12:00 PM for a program entirely devoted to the choral and period-instrument orchestral ensemble The Sixteen. The Sixteen was founded in 1977 by Harry Christophers CBE and is perhaps most well known for its excellence in performing early English polyphony works. The ensemble has grown into international renown and is arguably one of the most vibrant and exciting early music groups performing and recording today.
Maati Baani comes to WKCR, 89.9 FM, NYC --
Operagoers who know Georg Büchner's name will probably know him solely for his play Woyzeck, the source material for Alban Berg's Wozzeck; however, many of the German writer's compositions have inspired extraordinary operatic works. Tune in to Saturday Night at the Opera on Saturday July 25th to hear two vastly different adaptations of Büchner's operas.
Gnawa Diffusion and Innove Gnawa on In All Languages -- Sunday July 26th from 11:00 PM to 2:00 AM: This special show will feature live performances and and interviews with two great bands in the tradition of Gnawa music - trance music from Morocco. First, we will broadcast a live set from WKCR's studio with Innove Gnawa. Then, we will broadcast the live performance of Algeria's Gnawa Diffusion recorded last week at Lincoln Center.
Sun Ra visits WKCR! Is he eating ice cream? Yogurt? Who knows?
WKCR depends on your contributions. With your tax-deductible donation, we can continue to bring you innovative live-hosted radio.