Today, as I’m sure all listeners are aware, is the birthday of Franz Joseph Haydn. While it’s not a special numbered b-day (it’s 277), this year is also the 200th anniversary of his death. We don’t “celebrate” deaths, but we love to honor great composers, and our all-day Haydn-Fest is doing just that. What amazes more…
Archive for March, 2009
Happy 100th Birthday Nelson Algren
Saturday, March 28, 2009 by Louise Frank
Today is the 100th birthday of author Nelson Algren and so I dedicate this entry to him. Born in Detroit on March 28, 1909, he moved to Chicago at the age of three when his father, a Swedish convert to Judaism, and his mother, an American Jew, moved the family to a working-class, immigrant neighborhood more…
La Triviata: The WFMT Game Show!
Tuesday, March 24, 2009 by Matt DeStefano
You may have heard that WFMT is debuting it’s very own classical music game show (to take place via an April 16th live broadcast at 5:00pm (CST) from Marbles The Brain Store‘s downtown Chicago location. It’s been a lifelong dream of mine to have my hand in the creation of a game show. I am more…
FIRST TIME FOR EVERYTHING
Monday, March 23, 2009 by Carolyn Paulin
Well folks, this is my first BLOG ever, and I’m glad to get in touch with WFMT listeners. The life of a WFMT announcer and producer is a very active and involved one, as the piles of papers and CDs on my desk will confirm. But this job is just about the best thing since more…
Music for Spring?
Friday, March 20, 2009 by Louise Frank
Our question of the week has been “What music best accompanies this time of year?” Many of our listeners have shared their inspirations on our web site. Leona suggested Leonard Bernstein’s “Make Our Garden Grow” from Candide, and that inspired me. Here’s June Anderson and Jerry Hadley in the finale to Candide, conducted by the more…
I saw Tony Curtis this morning
Friday, March 20, 2009 by Noel Morris
The hostess explained he was being interviewed and that we could move to another table if it bothered us. My first thought was, “She can’t mean the Tony Curtis–I didn’t think he was still alive.” But there he was: a big guy in a cowboy hat sitting before some TV guy and a cameraman. My more…
The new kid in town
Wednesday, March 18, 2009 by George Preston
Hello WFMT listeners. Beginning on Monday, March 30th, I’ll be your new host on 98.7 from 3pm to 7pm, playing your classical favorites and mixing things up a little bit. By way of introduction, I’m a former classical singer, trained at Oberlin, New England Conservatory, and Boston University. I’ve been in radio for longer than more…
DanceWorks Chicago
Friday, March 13, 2009 by Louise Frank
The other evening Lisa Flynn and I headed over to the Ruth Page Dance Center at Dearborn and Oak to watch two performances called Dance Flights by a relatively new company, DanceWorks Chicago. The first set included Dance Sport, a whimsical piece created by choreographer Harrison McEldowney for the company in 2008. Irreverent and joyful more…
A Tale of Two Orchestras
Thursday, March 12, 2009 by Noel Morris
This past week we traded orchestras with New York. As Philharmonic graced the stage of Orchestra Hall, what do you suppose the resident orchestra was up to? Carnegie Hall, of course. It brings to mind a story. My friend Pete plays trombone, teaches at Indiana, Northwestern and Roosevelt Universities. He frequently subs for the New more…
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