Classical Conversations: Full List

Daniel Abraham

The Bach Sinfonia, with guest violinist Ingrid Matthews, is presenting a concert featuring Vivaldi’s Four Seasons in a completely new context on Saturday May 7 at the Cultural Arts Center at Silver Spring, Montgomery College. Daniel Abraham, Music and Artistic Director of the Bach Sinfonia, spoke with Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley, discussing what a multi-media Four Seasons will be like.

Posted: Tue, May 3, 2011

Rosa Lamoreaux

May is the Czech Month of Love, and the Embassy Series is celebrating on Friday, May 27th at 7:30 with a special concert at the Embassy of the Czech Republic featuring soprano Rosa Lamoreaux, clarinetist Richard Spece and pianist Elizabeth Hill. Rosa Lamoreaux, a singer well known to Washington audiences for the stunning variety of music she performs, spoke with Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix about this concert of music by Dvorak, Spohr, Janacek, Cooke and Mozart...and described her next project, "20th Century American Giants" with Cantate Chamber Singers, Saturday, June 4th at 7:30. Ms. Lamoreaux talks about her favorite music, including a wonderful miniature by Samuel Barber about a cat and a monk.

Posted: Tue, May 24, 2011

Denyce Graves

With a singing career that spans four continents, mezzo soprano Denyce Graves has been called "an operatic superstar of the 21st Century" by USA Today.  She has become particularly well-known to operatic audiences for her portrayals of the title roles in Carmen and Samson et Dalila. These signature roles have brought Ms. Graves to the Metropolitan Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Royal Opera, Covent Garden, San Francisco Opera, and Washington National Opera, to name a few.

Ms. Graves is a featured artist at this year's Castleton Festival as well, singing excerpts from Bizet's Carmen (broadcast at 9pm Monday, July 4th on Front Row Washington,) and as soloist at Castleton's July 21st concert commemorating the 150th anniversary of the Battle of Bull Run, which will be broadcast on Front Row Washington Monday night, July 25th at 9pm.

Classical WETA producer Deb Lamberton spoke with Denyce Graves about the influence of Carmen on her life, and about singing at Castleton for the first time.

Posted: Thu, Jun 30, 2011

Marouan Benabdallah

Moroccan pianist Marouan Benabdallah has been invited by Artistic Director Lorin Maazel to be the soloist in the final concert of the 2011 Castleton Festival this Sunday, July 24, at the Festival House in Castleton. Marouan visited Marilyn Cooley at the Classical WETA studios last month for a conversation about the Festival, his Carnegie Hall debut in May, and his career.

Posted: Wed, Jul 20, 2011

Brenda Harris

Washington Concert Opera, Antony Walker, Artistic Director and Conductor, opens their 2011-12 season with a performance of Verdi's Attila, Friday, September 9th at 7:30 at Lisner Auditorium. Nicole Lacroix spoke with soprano Brenda Harris, starring the role of the vengeful amazon, Odabella, who kills Attila the Hun with his own sword on their wedding day. The performance also features John Relyea in the title role, Jason Stearns as Ezio, Arthur Espiritu as Foresto and James Flora as Uldino. For more information, visit Concertopera.org.

Posted: Thu, Sep 8, 2011

John Relyea

Attila the Hun with a heart? That's how bass-baritone John Relyea describes the hero of Verdi's opera Attila in this Classical Conversation with WETA's Nicole Lacroix. John Reylea portrays the many-faceted Attila and Antony Walker conducts Washington Concert Opera in Verdi's Attila, Friday, September 9th at Lisner auditorium. The performance also features Brenda Harris as Odabella, Jason Stearns as Ezio, Arthur Espiritu as Foresto and James Flora as Uldino. For more information, visit Concertopera.org.

Posted: Thu, Sep 8, 2011

Murry Sidlin

The Embassy of the Czech Republic is presenting its first annual Mutual Inspirations Festival, with the focus this year on Antonin Dvorak. Among the highlights of the Festival is a performance of Dvorak’s New World Symphony at the National Museum of the American Indian, with Murry Sidlin conducting the Catholic University of America Orchestra. Maestro Sidlin stopped by the Classical WETA studios to chat with Marilyn Cooley.

Posted: Fri, Sep 9, 2011

Patricia Racette

Tosca is a diva who faces more drama in her real life than she does in her career as an opera singer. First, she suspects her lover, Mario, of carrying on with another woman...then Mario gets into trouble with the evil Baron Scarpia who has him tortured and sentenced to death. Scarpia also tries to rape Tosca, and she manages to kill him first. Mario then faces a firing squad and Tosca jumps off a parapet. Phew! It's all in a day's work for soprano Patricia Racette, who plays the title role in Puccini's Tosca. Placido Domingo conducts Washington National Opera's production, September 10 through the 24th, with a free Opera in the Outfield simulcast at Nationals Park on Thursday, September 22 at 7:30 p.m. Gates open at 5:30. There's more information at kennedy-center.org/wno.

Posted: Mon, Sep 12, 2011

Thomas Hampson and the NSO

The celebrated American baritone Thomas Hampson joins the National Symphony Orchestra for their Season Opening Ball Concert on Sunday, September 25th, 2011. He'll perform several of Aaron Copland's Old American Songs, including Simple Gifts, The Boatmen's Dance, Little Horses, and The Dodger. Classical WETA will broadcast this sold-out NSO concert in an exclusive radio broadcast on Tuesday morning, September 27th at 11:00 a.m. Senior producer Deb Lamberton spoke with Mr. Hampson about the essence of Copland's Old American Songs, and about how he approaches them in performance.

Posted: Thu, Sep 15, 2011

Zuill Bailey

Cellist Zuill Bailey is in town to perform Bach and Haydn on Saturday, January 7. At Strathmore, he’ll join the National Philharmonic for Haydn’s Cello Concerto No. 1 (in a concert that also includes Mozart’s “Jupiter” Symphony and Beethoven’s Grosse Fuge). At 3:30 that same afternoon, also at the Music Center at Strathmore, he will play the complete solo cello music by J.S. Bach. Hear him tell Marilyn Cooley about the meaning of this music for him, and for the world, as well as the challenge of such a demanding program. And we’ll hear a bit about his new recordings.

Posted: Fri, Dec 30, 2011

Daniel Abraham

The Washington-based Bach Sinfonia has a new recording of the complete Bach motets, one of our Bach Month CD Picks of the Week on Viva la Voce. Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley spoke with Music Director Daniel Abraham about performing these works.

Posted: Fri, Mar 4, 2011

Joaquín Achúcarro

Spanish-born pianist Joaquín Achúcarro's career took off after winning the 1959 Liverpool International Competition. Since then, he has performed in 60 countries with more than 200 orchestras, has been knighted by King Juan Carlos of Spain, receiving both the Gold Medal of Fine Arts, and the Great Cross of Civil Merit honoring a lifetime of achievement, and, for the past 20 years, has been the Joel Estes Tate Professor of Piano at Southern Methodist University in Dallas. He spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about his life, and the new Achúcarro Foundation, which supports emerging artists.

Posted: Mon, Jul 6, 2009

Sylvia Alimena

In 2001, an entrepreneurial group of smaller-budget orchestras banded together and pooled their resources to commission a renowned American composer. Through this unique initiative, the Ford Made in America program was formed. Ford Made in America is the largest orchestral commissioning consortium in the country’s history, and has created a national network through which participating orchestras have access to resources normally not available to orchestras of their size.

This year, 60 orchestras across the country will perform regional premieres of this year's commission, Joseph Schwantner's "Chasing Light..." In our area, the McLean Orchestra, Sylvia Alimena, Music Director and conductor, is the lucky ensemble to bring us this new work. Sylvia Alimena talks with WETA's Marilyn Cooley about the excitement of premiering a work by a living composer. Excerpt courtesy of Reno Chamber Orchestra, Theodore Kuchar, Music Director.

Posted: Tue, Mar 31, 2009

Marin Alsop

BSO Music Director Marin Alsop conducts Mahler's "Das Lied von der Erde" Saturday, May 7, 2011 at the Music Center at Strathmore (with performances also on Friday and Sunday at The Meyerhoff). Joining the Baltimore Symphony are mezzo-soprano Theodora Hanslowe and tenor Simon O'Neill for the concert, which also includes Mendelssohn's "Italian" Symphony. Classical WETA's David Ginder speaks with Maestra Alsop about "The Song of the Earth", Mahler in general, and the challenge of choosing a work to include with Mahler on a concert. (Photo credit: Grant Leighton)

Posted: Mon, May 2, 2011

Placido Domingo

In his last two appearances as General Director of Washington National Opera, Placido Domingo will star with Patricia Racette in the Company's production of Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride May 6-28 . Maestro Domingo will also conduct Donizetti's comedy Don Pasquale May 13-27 for the season finale. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix chatted with Placido Domingo about his 15-year tenure at WNO, his remarkable work ethic, and how he manages to appear in 2 operas at the same time.

Posted: Mon, May 2, 2011

Marin Alsop

The Baltimore Symphony's 2011-12 season is focusing on revolutionary women. One of the centerpieces is Arthur Honegger's oratorio "Joan of Arc at the Stake", being performed November 17 and 18th, 2011 at The Meyerhoff, and on the 19th at Carnegie Hall. Classical WETA's David Ginder chatted with BSO Music Director Marin Alsop, who conducts these performances by the BSO plus many assisting artists, about Honegger's emotionally-charged piece, about the unusual instruments called for in the semi-staged oratorio, and about balancing passionate expression with the job of performing.

Posted: Thu, Nov 3, 2011

Marin Alsop with Jamie Bernstein and Tim Smith

As we celebrate the 90th anniversary of Leonard Bernstein’s birth, the Baltimore Symphony plus many assisting artists conducted by BSO Music Director Marin Alsop are performing Mass on October 26 at the Kennedy Center. In a feature produced for Classical WETA by the Baltimore Symphony, Marin Alsop reflects on the significance of Bernstein’s Mass—in the early-70s and today—and speaks with Jamie Bernstein, eldest daughter of the composer, and Baltimore Sun music critic Tim Smith.

Posted: Wed, Oct 22, 2008

Adele Anthony

Having started playing violin at age 2-1/2 in her native Tasmania, Adele Anthony has grown into a seasoned artist, garnering both international awards and recognition. On March 20 and 21st at the Music Center at Strathmore, Ms. Anthony is the featured soloist in the Brahms Violin Concerto, part of an all-Brahms program presented by the National Philharmonic under Music Director Piotr Gajewski. Deb Lamberton reached Ms. Anthony by phone at her home in Manhattan, where Adele lives with husband, violinist Gil Shaham, and their two young children.

Posted: Mon, Mar 15, 2010

Dominick Argento and J. Reilly Lewis

The Cathedral Choral Society presents the world premiere of a commission by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento on March 2, 2008 at 4 p.m. Scored for symphonic chorus, soprano, treble, narrator and orchestra, Sunday's performance at the Washington National Cathedral features soprano Elizabeth Futral. Created as a tribute to his late wife and in honor of the Cathedral's Centennial, Evensong: Of Love and Angels movingly portrays the transcendent power of the heavenly hosts to heal the suffering of mortals. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton invited composer Dominick Argento and Cathedral Choral Society Music Director J. Reilly Lewis into our studios to discuss the work and its genesis.

Posted: Wed, Feb 27, 2008

Philippe Auguin

Philippe Auguin is the new music director of Washington National Opera and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra.  An accomplished symphonic conductor and opera conductor with sixty-five operas in his repertoire, Auguin made an explosive debut with Washington National Opera in November, 2009, when he stepped in for an ailing Heinz Fricke to lead concert performances of Wagner's Götterdämmerung.  Last October, he conducted Strauss' Salome, and he returns to the Opera House for Madama Butterfly, sharing the podium with WNO General Director Placido Domingo.  Maestro Auguin talks with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about what it's like to stand before a new orchestra, and about why wearing the right cuff links on the podium is so important.

Posted: Tue, Feb 22, 2011

Remus Azoitei and Eduard Stan

Violinist Remus Azoitei and pianist Eduard Stan are based in London and Hanover, respectively, but both were born in Romania. They've performed together for many years, and most recently they released the world premiere recordings of the complete works for violin and piano by George Enescu. The Romanian Cultural Institute presents Enescu-Brahms: European Encounters, in which Azoitei and Stan will perform sonatas by both composers at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre on Wednesday, December 9, 2009. They stopped by the WETA studios to talk to Marilyn Cooley about the challenges and rewards of Enescu and Brahms.

Posted: Mon, Dec 7, 2009

David Balakrishnan

David Balakrishnan, violinist, and Mark Summer, cellist, are both founding members of the genre-blending Turtle Island Quartet, established in 1985. Mark’s playing inspired David to write the cello concerto Force of Nature, and it’s being given its world premiere this weekend when Kim Allen Kluge, music director, conducts the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra. Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley talked with David Balakrishnan about music, both playing it and writing it.

Posted: Fri, Sep 30, 2011

Jerome Barry

How would you like to attend an intimate chamber music concert and reception in another country without ever leaving Washington DC? You can do just that by attending an Embassy Series recital. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton speaks with co-founder Jerome Barry, who with his wife Lisette, started the Embassy Series fifteen years ago. In addition to presenting world-class artists, the series has generated a devoted following, as well as several weddings between audience members.

Posted: Tue, Mar 24, 2009

Gisele Becker

The Cantate Chamber Singers’ 25th season begins on Saturday, October 23 with a concert titled “Modern Songs and Madrigals.” Composers represented include Hindemith, Diamond, Gershwin, Poulenc, Whitacre and others. Artistic Director and conductor Gisele Becker stopped by the Classical WETA studios to chat with Marilyn Cooley about the group and its music.

Posted: Thu, Oct 14, 2010

Joshua Bell

The Washington Performing Arts Society presents violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk in a nearly sold-out recital at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Monday evening, March 3, 2008. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Mr. Bell about his music-making and about his world-wide reputation as an "anonymous" busker in the L'Enfant Plaza Metro station last April 2007.

Posted: Thu, Feb 28, 2008

Joshua Bell

Renowned violinist Joshua Bell returns to the area February 4th in a Washington Performing Arts Society presentation at The Music Center at Strathmore. He's joined by pianist Jeremy Denk for a recital program that includes music by Franck, Brahms, Janáček and Ysaÿe.

Posted: Tue, Jan 27, 2009

Joshua Bell

Over the past four years, Joshua Bell has remodeled his Manhattan home to accommodate musical soirees--eclectic gatherings of musicians, actors, literary figures and others who convene for the sheer joy of sharing their art in an informal setting. Joshua's newest album for SONY Classical, "At Home With Friends," celebrates these livingroom gatherings with works by composers including Ravi Shankar, Edvard Grieg, George Gershwin and Sergei Rachmaninoff. In this music-filled feature, Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton talks with Joshua Bell about the album, and his own approach to music-making.

Posted: Wed, Nov 4, 2009

Joshua Bell

Among the most in-demand classical musicians in the world today, violinist Joshua Bell can be found in concert halls from China to Hungary, Denmark to Australia. In a rescheduled performance on Wednesday, February 2nd, he lands at the Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, Maryland, in a recital sponsored by Washington Performing Arts Society. Earlier, Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton caught up with Mr. Bell at his Manhattan home, where he was spending a few precious days with his 3-year-old son before heading back out on the road.

Posted: Mon, Jan 24, 2011

Joshua Bell and the NSO

Violinist Joshua Bell celebrates the National Symphony Orchestra's 80th anniversary as guest soloist at the sold-out NSO Season Opening Ball Concert on September 25th, 2011. Classical WETA will air the event in an exclusive radio broadcast on Tuesday morning, September 27th at 11:00 a.m.

Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton speaks with Joshua Bell about the Bruch Violin Concerto he'll perform with the NSO. Mr. Bell also reveals how he really feels about his 1713 Gibson ex-Huberman Stradivarius violin, and talks about his new appointment as Music Director of the Academy of St. Martin-in-the-Fields.

Posted: Thu, Sep 15, 2011

Thomas Beveridge

Singer, oboist, keyboard player, composer, arranger, teacher and conductor Thomas Beveridge is also Artistic Director of the largest chorus in the DC area: the 250-voice New Dominion Chorale. On May 16th at NOVA's Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall, Beveridge leads them in a performance of his own choral work, Symphony of Peace. The concert, part of the ongoing America Sings festival showcasing American vocal and choral music, also includes Leonard Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms on the program, presented in the rarely-heard version for full orchestra. Thomas Beveridge talks with Classical WETA morning host David Ginder in a conversation that offers excerpts from the 2002 world premiere of Beveridge's Symphony of Peace.

Posted: Thu, Apr 22, 2010

Jonathan Biss

Since he made his New York Philharmonic debut in 2001, Jonathan Biss has appeared with the foremost orchestras of the United States and Europe. Winner of multiple awards, from the Leonard Bernstein Award to Wolf Trap’s Shouse Debut Artist Award as well as an Avery Fisher Career Grant, Mr. Biss returns to perform with the National Symphony Orchestra March 19-21, 2009. Deb Lamberton talks with Jonathan about his career, and his latest EMI recording of Mozart concertos recorded live in concert with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.

Posted: Thu, Mar 19, 2009

Aleksey Bogdanov

How does being in a rock band in high school prepare you for a career in opera? Find out, as baritone Aleksey Bogdanov chats with Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix about his experiences as a member of Washington National Opera's Domingo-Cafritz Young Artist program. From juggling avocados to being Zarastro's right hand man in Mozart's Magic Flute, Aleksey tells us what it's like to be a young opera singer...looking forward to performing with Marin Alsop and the Baltimore Symphony, and to the Young Artists' March 15th production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Kennedy Center Opera House.

Posted: Mon, Feb 21, 2011

Ryan Brown

Opera Lafayette celebrates its 15th anniversary with a new production of Gluck's Armide.  Founder, conductor and Artistic Director Ryan Brown talks with Nicole Lacroix about this work, and some of the other projects on tap for Opera Lafayette.

Posted: Mon, Jan 25, 2010

Sarah Chang

Violinist Sarah Chang made her orchestral debut with the New York Philharmonic at age 8; she had been admitted to the Juilliard School when she auditioned at age 5. On that occasion she played the Bruch first violin concerto. Now she’s joining the National Symphony Orchestra for a performance of the same concerto, conducted by one of her “musical godfathers,” Kurt Masur. The concerts are April 28, 29 and 30 at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall. A few days ago, Chang spoke from London with Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley about Maestro Masur, the Bruch concerto, and even how she chooses her concert wear.

Posted: Mon, Apr 25, 2011

Han-Na Chang

Cellist Han-Na Chang has established an extraordinary international career, performing regularly on the most prestigious concert stages of Europe, North America and Asia. She first won recognition for her exceptional musical gifts in 1994 when at the age of 11 she won both the First Prize and the Contemporary Music Prize at the Fifth Rostropovich International Cello Competition in Paris.  Last year, she was Associate Conductor at the Castleton Festival, working with festival founder and artistic director Lorin Maazel.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Ms. Chang about her love of playing the cello and conducting, and about bringing the music of Beethoven to the Castleton audience, a performance that will be featured on Front Row Washington Monday night, June 27th, at 9:00.

Posted: Thu, Jun 23, 2011

Lorin Maazel

The Castleton Festival continues through July 24th, 2011. Classical WETA's David Ginder spoke with the Festival's Artistic Director, Lorin Maazel, about their new opera house, branching out to the Hylton Center in Manassas, and a new focus for La boheme.

Posted: Wed, Jul 6, 2011

Susan Clermont and Kevin Lavine

On display in the foyer of the Coolidge Auditorium at the Library of congress during February, is a selection of rare items from the Gertrude Clarke Whittall Mendelssohn Collection, including a large and unique iconographic collection and the Mendelssohn family scrapbook. With more than 300 letters, portrait engravings, watercolors, and other documents, the collection is a rich resource for the study of Mendelssohn’s life. Classical WETA’s Nicole Lacroix had the pleasure of touring the exhibit and speaking with Susan Clermont and Kevin Lavine, Senior Music Specialists in the reference section of the Music Division at the Library of Congress.

Posted: Tue, Feb 24, 2009

Sarah Coburn

Soprano Sarah Coburn on Life, Love and Lucia. She stars in Washington National Opera's production of Donizetti's Lucia di Lamermoor at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, November 10th through the 19th. Sarah discusses motherhood and mad scenes, high E-flats, the state of American opera and her father, Senator Tom Coburn with Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix.

Posted: Fri, Nov 4, 2011

Kevin Cole

American pianist Kevin Cole is regarded by members of the Gershwin family as the foremost interpreter of George Gershwin compositions.  Irving Berlin once said to him, "Kid, if I could have played piano like that, I would never have become a songwriter!"  Mr. Cole brought his sparkling talent to this year's Castleton Festival, performing both Rhapsody in Blue and Gershwin's Concerto in F for piano and orchestra.  He spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about what got him hooked on Gershwin's music, and why it's become his signature repertoire.

Posted: Fri, Jul 8, 2011

Thomas Colohan

The name Washington Master Chorale may sound familiar, but it is in fact the name of a new semi-professional chorus in town led by Artistic Director Thomas Colohan. On Sunday, March 20th at 4pm, the Washington Master Chorale presents a concert of British music from the early 20th century at National Presbyterian Church. In addition to well-known anthems from the "English Cathedral" tradition, the program features the beautiful, poignant and even hilarious cantata In Windsor Forest by Ralph Vaughan Williams, based on Shakespeare's comedy The Merry Wives of Windsor. Also featured is Benjamin Britten's Ballad of Little Musgrave, an exciting work for male chorus that was first premiered by a chorus of British prisoners of war during WWII. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Artistic Director Thomas Colohan about the choir, and this concert.

Posted: Tue, Mar 15, 2011

Ronald Copes

The Fortas Chamber Music Series at the Kennedy Center is featuring three concerts this week emphasizing ensembles who collaborate. The Emerson String Quartet and Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio perform on Tuesday the 15th. On Wednesday the 16th, it’s the Orion String Quartet and Windscape. And on Thursday the 17th, the Juilliard String Quartet joins their protégés, the Afiara String Quartet. Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley had a chat with the Juilliard Quartet’s second violinist, Ronald Copes.

Posted: Mon, Feb 14, 2011

Thomas Dausgaard

The Washington Performing Arts Society brings the Swedish Chamber Orchestra and pianist Piotr Anderszewski to the Music Center at Strathmore on Tuesday, April 1, 2008 at 8 p.m. On the program: Beethoven's First Piano Concerto and Coriolan Overture, and Schumann's 2nd symphony. Conductor Thomas Dausgaard spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton from the studios of Swedish Radio Orebro.

Posted: Wed, Mar 26, 2008

Emil de Cou

Lost scores resurrected, live avian accompaniment, bombast and beauty--it's all part of the National Symphony Orchestra at Wolf Trap this summer. Conductor Emil de Cou and WETA's Deb Lamberton explore the music, mayhem, and movies on tap at the Filene Center with the NSO during July.

Posted: Thu, Jul 9, 2009

Emil de Cou and NSO at Wolf Trap

National Symphony Orchestra Associate Conductor Emil de Cou is also the NSO @ Wolf Trap Festival Conductor.  He joins Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton for a music-filled survey of the NSO's season this summer at the Filene Center, featuring music from Prokofiev to Gershwin, Respighi to Rossini, and Franz Liszt to John Williams.

Posted: Fri, Jul 9, 2010

Emil de Cou

Wednesday evening May 25th at 7 pm in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, conductor Emil de Cou leads The Space Philharmonic, US Army Field Band Soldier's Chorus, select high school choirs, and special guests in a celebratory concert honoring 50 years of American spaceflight. The program includes a Special Tribute to Human Spaceflight, and musical selections by Copland, Holst, Beethoven, Bernstein, Mancini, Courage/Roddenberry, Silvestri, Vaughn Williams, and Saint Saëns. High definition images of space from National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) television will be projected above the orchestra in this free concert. Reserved tickets are required; information online at the Kennedy Center's calendar. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with self-professed "space nerd" Emil de Cou about this concert.

Posted: Sun, May 22, 2011

Glenn Dicterow

In a new series of conversations, The Heart of Music, Marilyn Cooley explores the deepest meaning of music for musicians who have dedicated their lives to this art. In our first installment, she talks with New York Philharmonic Concertmaster Glenn Dicterow.

Posted: Wed, Nov 18, 2009

Joyce DiDonato

Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato performs a recital with pianist David Zobel at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on February 15th at 8 p.m. The concert is sponsored by both Washington Performing Arts Society and Vocal Arts DC. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix caught up with Ms. DiDonato in Houston where she was rehearsing Dead Man Walking with the Houston Grand Opera, prior to embarking on the 8 stop tour that will take her to Washington. We also found out about her brand new recording, Diva, Divo.

Posted: Wed, Feb 2, 2011

T. Herb Dimmock

The Bach Concert Series presents free Sunday afternoon concerts at Christ Lutheran Church, 701 S. Charles St. in Baltimore's Inner Harbor. Concerts are held at 4:00 the first Sunday of each month from October through June, and are performed by the Bach Concert Series Orchestra, Choir and soloists, T. Herbert Dimmock, music director and conductor. Each concert also features one of the region's leading organists performing a major work on the church's new Andover organ. WETA's Nicole Lacroix spoke to Maestro Dimmock about the free concert series, as well as their May 3rd presentation of the Bach Mass in B Minor.

Posted: Tue, Dec 2, 2008

Simone Dinnerstein

American pianist Simone Dinnerstein has fast been gaining international attention since making a triumphant New York recital debut at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall in 2005, performing Bach’s Goldberg Variations. When she was in town for her February 7th Washington Performing Arts Society Kennedy Center debut, Ms. Dinnerstein stopped by Classical WETA to speak with producer Deb Lamberton.

Posted: Tue, Feb 17, 2009

Simone Dinnerstein

Playing the piano has been a good choice for Simone Dinnerstein; from her self-promoted recording of the Goldberg Variations to her chart-topping new album on SONY Classical called BACH: A Strange Beauty, Ms. Dinnerstein is now touring the globe. Saturday night, April 9th, she's in town for a recital with Washington Performing Arts Society at the historic Sixth and I Street Synogogue in downtown DC. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Ms. Dinnerstein about her new album, and about her life as a performer, and instigator of an outreach concert series called "Neighborhood Classics."

Posted: Wed, Apr 6, 2011

Marta Domingo and Elizabeth Futral

The Washington National Opera opened their 2008-09 season with Verdi's La Traviata, which runs at the Kennedy Center Opera House through October 5. Classical WETA evening host Nicole LaCroix spoke to director Marta Domingo and to soprano Elizabeth Futral, who plays Violetta, about this popular opera.

Posted: Wed, Sep 24, 2008

Avner Dorman

The music of Avner Dorman has drawn standing ovations from audiences worldwide. His new piano concerto, Lost Souls, was written for local pianist Alon Goldstein. He will perform it with the Fairfax Symphony at George Mason Center for the Arts on Saturday March 13. Classical WETA's Marilyn Cooley spoke with the composer about how he created the concerto, and the pianist about how the piece speaks to him.

Posted: Fri, Mar 12, 2010

Angèle Dubeau

The Canadian Chamber Ensemble, La Pietà, performs Sunday at Lisner Auditorium. Classical WETA's David Ginder speaks with the group's founder and director, Angèle Dubeau

Posted: Thu, Sep 23, 2010

Robert Eisenstein

For its final program of the season, Folger Consort, the early music ensemble in residence at Folger Shakespeare Library, presents Highland Ayres, a selection of Scottish and Continental music associated with Scotland from the 13th to the late 18th centuries. The program is on stage April 18-20, 2008, and will include a number of works for traditional Scottish instruments -- harp, fiddle, and bagpipes -- as well as other period instruments in styles ranging from traditional to courtly. Classical WETA's Midday Music Host Marilyn Cooley spoke with the Folger Consort's Robert Eisenstein about the program.

Posted: Wed, Apr 16, 2008

Robert Eisenstein

The Folger Consort concludes their current season with an evening of music and the words of Shakespeare's great play, "The Tempest," as rendered by renowned actors Sir Derek Jacobi, Richard Clifford, and Holly Twyford. In addition, celebrated countertenor David Daniels joins the Folger Consort's expanded 20-piece Baroque orchestra for music of the era. Robert Eisenstein, founding member and program director of the Folger Consort, chats with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about the event. Performances are Friday, June 10th at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation in Washington, DC, and Saturday, June 11th at The Music Center at Strathmore.

Posted: Mon, Jun 7, 2010

Joyce El-Khoury

Soprano Joyce El-Khoury returns to the Castleton Festival to reprise her role as Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, and to make her debut as Mimi in Puccini's La Boheme.  A graduate of both the Met Opera's Lindemann Young Artist Development Program and the Academy of Vocal Arts, Miss El-Khoury has already made her Met Opera debut as Frasquita in Carmen and Esmerelda in The Bartered Bride under James Levine.  She spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about what happens when you have a role like Mimi, which requires you to both cough and sing.

Posted: Wed, Jul 6, 2011

Christoph Eschenbach

Christoph Eschenbach has just been appointed Music Director of both the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center, starting next season. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton caught up with Maestro Eschenbach backstage at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Posted: Tue, Sep 30, 2008

Christoph Eschenbach

Christoph Eschenbach is now in his first season as Music Director of the National Symphony Orchestra, as well as Music Director of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He is also in great demand as a distinguished guest conductor with the finest orchestras and opera houses throughout the world, and has an extensive discography spanning five decades, including as solo pianist. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton sat down with the maestro at the Kennedy Center.

Posted: Mon, Oct 18, 2010

Christoph Eschenbach and the NSO

Music Director Christoph Eschenbach begins his second season with the National Symphony Orchestra on Sunday, September 25, 2011, as he leads the NSO with guest atists, violinist Joshua Bell and baritone Thomas Hampson, in the Season Opening Ball Concert. This sold-out event celebrating the NSO's 80th anniversary will be broadcast on Classical WETA Tuesday morning, September 27th, at 11:00 a.m.

Classical WETA senior producer Deb Lamberton sat down with Maestro Eschenbach to explore the upcoming NSO season, and to delve into the role music and music-making plays in his life.

Posted: Thu, Sep 15, 2011

Michael Beckerman: Dvorak in America

A highlight of the Mutual Inspirations Festival, exploring and celebrating Antonin Dvorak's American years and pieces, is Michael Beckerman's symposium and lecture-recital on Saturday, October 1, 2011 at the Library of Congress. Michael Beckerman is NYU Music Department Chair, and his October 1st event centers on the American Dvorak connection. Classical WETA's David Ginder spoke with Michael Beckerman about what we can learn from a composer's manuscripts, and Dvorak's great interest in African-American spirituals.

Posted: Fri, Sep 23, 2011

Elizabeth Field

The Vivaldi Project is a Washington-based period instrument ensemble that is playing some very rarely-heard music Sunday, September 19 at National Presbyterian Church. Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley had a chat with music director and violinist Elizabeth Field.

Posted: Fri, Sep 10, 2010

Leon Fleisher

The Baltimore Sun's music critic, Tim Smith, commented in his blog, Clef Notes, that "Leon Fleisher['s] every performance is treasurable for the wealth of musical depth it reveals." WETA's Nicole Lacroix visited Mr. Fleisher at his Peabody studio, and chatted with him about overseas travel, his new CD of Mozart Piano Concerti (his first 2-handed concerto recording in more than 40 years), the challenge and simplicty of Mozart, the Kennedy Center Honors and the role of the artist in society. Mr. Fleisher's new CD is just released on the Sony Classical Label, and contains three Mozart Piano Concerti: K.414 in A Major; K.242 in F Major for 3 pianos; and K. 488 in A Major.

Posted: Fri, Apr 17, 2009

Denise Freeland

EcoVoce is a trio of classical musicians whose motto is, "A Music Voice for Nature." Now in its 12th season, the ensemble offers innovative concert programs around the theme of Nature, peforming in venues from the concert stage to outreach programs in schools, nature centers and at festivals.

EcoVoce founder and artistic director Denise Freeland spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about the ensemble's history, and about their upcoming multi-media performance Sunday evening, June 20th at Immanuel Church-on-the-Hill in Alexandria, VA, called "Breathing Naturally: Music, Poetry, and Art of Women Inspired by Nature."

Posted: Tue, Jun 15, 2010

Sol Gabetta

Grammy-nominated cellist Sol Gabetta joined the National Symphony Orchestra and Music Director Leonard Slatkin June 26, 2008 for her American debut, performing Shostakovich's Cello Concerto No. 2. Ms. Gabetta returned to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on June 28 for the NSO's "Salute to Slatkin", where she and cellist Yo-Yo Ma performed Slatkin's composition, "Dialogue for Two Cellos and Orchestra." Prior to the concerts, Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton invited the 27-year-old cellist to talk about her career.

Posted: Tue, Aug 12, 2008

Piotr Gajewski

On Saturday June 4, the National Philharmonic takes the stage at its home, the Music Center at Strathmore, for an all-Tchaikovsky program, featuring violinist Soovin Kim in the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto. Maestro Piotr Gajewski stopped by to talk with Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley about how he chose the other work on the program, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony, why it is so effective, and more.

Posted: Tue, May 31, 2011

Robert Moran

Classical WETA's Choral Showcase program on September 11th (at 9pm) focuses on the anniversary of the attacks 10 years ago. The centerpiece of that program (which also includes On the Transmigration of Souls by John Adams and Samuel Barber's Agnus Dei) is a work written for the 10th anniversary events at Trinity Wall Street--the "Ground Zero Church." It's called Trinity Requiem, and it was composed by Philadelphia-based composer Robert Moran. Classical WETA's David Ginder spoke with Robert about recording the piece a few months ago (for the Innova CD label), and about the idea of a Requiem being performed by a youth choir.

Posted: Fri, Sep 2, 2011

Sir James Galway

Sir James Galway, "The Man with the Golden Flute," along with his wife Lady Jeanne Galway and their longtime accompanist Phillip Moll perform at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall Monday night, February 25, 2008 as part of the Washington Performing Arts Society. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Sir James about the art of his music-making.

Posted: Wed, Feb 20, 2008

Brian Ganz

Pianist Brian Ganz embarks on a ten-year journey to perform all of Frederic Chopin's 250 works, beginning with a solo recital at the Music Center at Strathmore on Saturday, January 22nd at 8 pm. Future recitals will include all the chamber works and songs, as well as the complete solo piano works. Chopin's orchestral works will be performed with the National Philharmonic, led by Music Director and Conductor Piotr Gajewski, who initially approached Brian Ganz with the idea to present all Chopin's works in concert. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Brian Ganz about the Chopin Project, and his passion for Chopin's music.

Posted: Tue, Jan 18, 2011

Glenn Garlick and Aaron Goldman on NSO Youth Fellowships

The National Symphony Orchestra under Principal Pops Conductor Marvin Hamlisch presents their annual holiday pops concert at the Kennedy Center through Sunday, December 12th. Along with traditional holiday music and a visit by Santa Claus, two high school musicians will make their debut with the NSO. Both are part of the NSO's Youth Fellowship program, which gives talented players one-on-one lessons, master classes, and access to NSO concerts, musicians, and soloists. NSO Assistant Principal Cellist Glenn Garlick and Assistant Principal Flutist Aaron Goldman are the two students' teachers. They spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about their roles as both teacher and mentor to a new generation of classical musicians.

Posted: Thu, Dec 9, 2010

Emil George

In 2000, horn player Emil George founded the Fessenden Ensemble to perform a wide variety of chamber music featuring up to a dozen players. Now celebrating its 10th season, the Fessenden Ensemble continues to present seldom-performed works by both known and unknown composers. Deb Lamberton spoke with Mr. George about the group, and his passion for chamber music.

Posted: Fri, Feb 12, 2010

Angel Gil-Ordóñez

Since its debut in 2003, Post Classical Ensemble has gained a reputation for it's innovative and engaging presentations. Music Director Angel Gil-Ordóñez spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about their upcoming season, which includes everything from a bass trombone virtuoso to the DC stage premiere of a ballet-pantomime composed by Manuel de Falla.

Posted: Thu, Sep 24, 2009

Evelyn Glennie

Classical WETA's evening host, Nicole Lacroix chats with percussionist Evelyn Glennie who appears with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra as soloist in Michael Daugherty's UFO. The performances took place September 18-20th at Joseph Meyerhoff Hall in Baltimore, and the Music Center at Strathmore in Bethesda.

Posted: Thu, Sep 18, 2008

Yuliya Gorenman

Russian-born American pianist Yuliya Gorenman joins the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra this Valentine's Day weekend for two performances of Beethoven's Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major. Currently a professor of piano at American University, Gorenman's life story includes everything from selling coconuts on a beach in Italy, to performing the complete cycle of 32 Beethoven piano sonatas. Producer Deb Lamberton spoke with the irrepressible Ms. Gorenman, who has been called "a pianist without fear."

Posted: Wed, Feb 10, 2010

Joan Gregoryk

The Children's Chorus of Washington is the go-to ensemble for performances of major repertoire, from Mahler's 3rd and Bach's St. Matthew Passion with the NSO,  to Berlioz' Te Deum with the Cathedral Choral Society on May 10th, and Carmina Burana with the Master Chorale of Washington on May 17th.  They're also performing The Nightingale, a children's opera, May 2-3 at the Harman Arts Center.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton catches up with Children's Chorus Founder and Artistic Director Joan Gregoryk.

Posted: Mon, Apr 27, 2009

Joan Gregoryk

Now celebrating its 15th year, the Children's Chorus of Washington (CCW) is recognized around the country for its program and artistic excellence. Comprising three ensembles, the Treble, Bel Canto and Concert Choruses, CCW boasts over 170 young singers, ages 9-18, hailing from over 100 public and private schools in the greater Washington DC area.

Sunday, May 8th at 4pm in National City Christian Church, CCW presents its 15th Anniversary and CD release spring concert. Two weeks later, on Sunday, May 22nd, CCW's Concert Chorus joins the Choral Arts Society of Washington for their "Northern Lights" concert of Scandinavian music at the Kennedy Center. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with CCW founder and Artistic Director Joan Gregork.

Posted: Tue, May 3, 2011

Pianist Ádám György

Hungarian pianist Ádám György (he says to just pronounce his last name like "Georgie") performed in recital for The Embassy Series on January 26, 2011. That just happened to be the day of a massive snow storm in Washington DC, but nevermind that. Shoes and tux in hand, Adam walked from his hotel to the concert venue at the Hungarian Embassy, where, minutes before he sat down to play, the electricity went out.

And so, Ádám György performed his recital the old-fashioned way--by candlelight! The next day, he joined Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton in the studio, where they talked about playing, and loving, music. His Hungarian Embassy candlelight recital can be heard Monday, October 3, 2011 at 9 pm on Classical WETA's Front Row Washington.

Posted: Wed, Sep 29, 2010

Hillary Hahn

Violinist Hilary Hahn joins the National Symphony Orchestra this weekend for Paganini's 1st Violin Concerto. Music Director Leonard Slatkin conducts the program which also includes Del Tredici's Final Alice and the Overture to Verdi's vespri siciliani. Weekday morning host David Ginder spoke with Ms. Hahn about her violin, the fun of playing "chamber music" with an orchestra, and Paganini, the tunesmith as well as virtuoso wild man.

Posted: Mon, May 12, 2008

Hilary Hahn

Violinist Hilary Hahn and pianist Valentina Lisitsa give a recital at Strathmore on Sunday, February 27, 2011 at 4pm, presented by Washington Performing Arts Society. Classical WETA's weekday morning host David Ginder speaks with Hilary about playing Bach alone on stage, the complexities of Ives, and about teaching.

Posted: Wed, Feb 23, 2011

Marc Andre Hamelin

Pianist Marc-André Hamelin is coming to Strathmore on April 29 to play an eclectic program presented by Washington Performing Arts Society. Listen in as he talks with Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley about his musical influences and choices, and his own compositions, including a set of variations for his fiancée, WGBH Radio host Cathy Fuller.

Posted: Tue, Apr 26, 2011

Daniel Harding

35-year-old conductor Daniel Harding has made quite a name for himself since his debut at age 17 with Sir Simon Rattle's City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. He's currently on his third tour as guest conductor with the Dresden Staatskapelle, leading concerts from the West Coast to New York and Washington, where Washington Performing Arts Society brings them to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Wednesday, November 3rd. Their program includes Brahms' second symphony and Schumann's Manfred Overture and A minor piano concerto featuring pianist Rudolf Buchbinder. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton managed to catch Mr. Harding by telephone in his San Diego hotel room.

Posted: Fri, Oct 29, 2010

Angel Gil-Ordóñez and Joseph Horowitz

The music of Igor Stravinsky was "forbidden fruit" for Russians growing up in the Soviet Union. How do Russian performers interpret his music today? You can find out April 8-10, as the Music Center at Strathmore in cooperation with the Post-Classical Ensemble presents "The Stravinsky Project." From five Russian pianists to three music historians, films, photographs, and an American premiere of Les Noces featuring a waist-length bearded pianola player from London, there's something for everyone in this three day imersion experience. Deb Lamberton spoke with Post-Classical Ensemble Music Director Angel Gil-Ordóñez and Artistic Director Joseph Horowitz about the event.

Posted: Tue, Apr 5, 2011

Stephen Hough

Pianist, composer, poet, and MacArthur Fellow Stephen Hough joins the National Symphony Orchestra and conductor Hugh Wolff April 24-26 for an all-French program that includes Saint-Saens' Piano Concerto No. 5 in F major, Op. 103 ("Egyptian"). Classical WETA evening host Nicole LaCroix caught up with Mr. Hough backstage at the Kennedy Center, where they discussed the "Egyptian" concerto, the Internet, and Mr. Hough's work as a composer.

Posted: Mon, Apr 21, 2008

Sharon Isbin

With over 25 albums, Grammy Award-winning guitarist Sharon Isbin has covered a lot of ground. This past March, she released a new album for SONY, called "Journey to the New World." A musical progression from 16th century Britain to America, the CD includes everything from John Dowland lute music to the Joan Baez Suite, a work Isbin commissioned from composer John Duarte in 2002. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton talks with Ms. Isbin about this latest offering, and includes samples of music from the new CD.

Posted: Fri, May 15, 2009

Paul Jacobs

Organist Paul Jacobs is widely acknowledged for reinvigorating the U.S. organ scene wit a fresh performance style and "an unbridled joy of musing making." (Baltimore Sun). Currently chairman of Juilliard's organ department, Jacobs will give a recital at Saint Ann's Church in NW Washington on Sunday, September 28, 2008 at 4:00 pm. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke to Paul about the role of the pipe organ in America today.

Posted: Thu, Sep 25, 2008

Brian Jagde

Brian Jagde spent nine years as a baritone until he finally decided to check out why so many folks thought he was a tenor.  Turns out they were right, and the past two years have launched Brian on a new career path as a lyric tenor.  He joins the Castleton Festival for the first time this year, singing the role of Rodolpho in Puccini's La Boheme.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke to him about changing his fach from baritone to tenor, and about what he thinks when playing Rodolpho.

Posted: Wed, Jul 7, 2010

Mariss Jansons

In December, 2008, the British music magazine Gramophone ranked the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra as the "World's Greatest Orchestra." On Monday, February 15th, Washington Performing Arts Society brings chief conductor Mariss Jansons and the orchestra to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall to perform Rachmaninoff's 2nd symphony, and Jean Sibelius' Violin Concerto in D minor, with Dutch violinist Janine Jansen.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Maestro Jansons, and offers this audio portrait of the award-winning conductor.

Posted: Wed, Feb 10, 2010

Kristjan Järvi

Kristjan Jarvi

Having a famous conducting father and brother didn't stop Estonian-born and American-raised Kristjan Järvi from choosing the same profession. On June 10-12, he makes his National Symphony Orchestra debut in a program of works he selected to reflect who he is, and what he does. Percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie joins him for Estonian composer Erkki-Sven Tüür's "Magma" symphony in the program, which also includes Grieg's Lyric Suite, Bernstein's Candide Overture and Suite, and Duke Ellington's Harlem. Just off the plane from conducting the São Paulo State Symphony, Järvi spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about his life, and choosing to forgo the piano for the podium.

Posted: Tue, Jun 8, 2010

Joe Holt

Lovers of a cappella choral music can attend "Pure A Cappella: Spiritual Reflections" Sunday afternoon, April 27, 2008 at National Presbyterian Church. Joseph Holt leads a chamber choir of 63 voices from the Choral Arts Society of Washington in a program spanning six centuries, including the world premier of Missa Pro Pace by Kentaro Sato. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Choral Arts' Associate Director Joe Holt, who brought along examples of the music.

Posted: Thu, Apr 24, 2008

Cariss Jones

Folger Consort presents the acclaimed British early music vocal ensemble, Stile Antico, in their inaugural Washington, DC performance, Saturday, April 2nd at 8. Stile Antico will be appearing at the Lutheran Church of the Reformation, 212 E. Capitol St., NE, and will sing music from their CD, Song of Songs. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix speaks with alto Cariss Jones.

Posted:

Leila Josefowicz

When an unknown Boston area code showed up on her caller ID, violinist Leila Josefowicz didn't answer.  Finally, she picked up the phone, only to learn she was the latest recipient of a MacArthur "genius" grant.  Deb Lamberton caught up with Leila at the Kennedy Center, where she's performing Oliver Knussen's Violin Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra. 

Posted: Thu, May 7, 2009

Joseph Kalichstein

The Kennedy Center's Fortas Chamber Music Series opens Thursday October 14th with a recital by American violinist Chee-Yun, and features 12 other performances throughout a season that includes performances for Chamber Music Across America, an initiative also including the four-program season of the Kennedy Center Chamber Players. Classical WETA's Marilyn Cooley spoke with Fortas Artistic Director Joseph Kalichstein about some of the season highlights.

Posted: Thu, Oct 14, 2010

Jehshua Karunakaran

17 year-old violinist Jehshua Karunakaran from Reston, Virginia is featured on From The Top, Sunday evening, December 18th at 6:00 pm in a program co-sponsored by the National Gallery of Art and Washington Performing Arts Society.  Having already earned his associate's degree in community college, Jehshua is currently applying to universities as a double major in music and neuroscience.  He's also an award-winning pianist.  Jehshua spoke with Deb Lamberton about lilfe in Juilliard's Pre-College program, and about what suprised him the most as a guest on From The Top.

Posted: Fri, Dec 9, 2011

William Kerley

London-based director William Kerley returns to Rappahannock County, Virginia this month for the second annual Castleton Festival, collaborating with Maestro Lorin Maazel and hundreds of others to bring Puccini’s Il Trittico, as well as revivals of two operas by Benjamin Britten, to the festival's two concert venues.  Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley talked with William about his perspective on bringing stories to the stage.

Posted: Fri, Jun 25, 2010

Donna Kline: The Olga Samaroff Story

In 1905, Lucy Hickenlooper changed her name to Olga Samaroff, and hired the New York Symphony with conductor Walter Damrosch to make her debut as a concert pianist at Carnegie Hall.  She went on to become American's first woman with an international concert career, the first American-born faculty member at Juilliard in 1924, and the first female music critic for a New York daily.  She also launched conductor Leopold Stokowski's career, then married him.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with biographer and filmmaker Donna Kline about her new film documenting Samaroff's life.  Narrated by Frederica von Stade, the film is being shown at the Lyceum as part of the Alexandria Film Festival on Saturday, November 6 at 6:15pm.  The film is followed by a live performance of Beethoven's Op. 110 featuring pianist Sara Leila Sherman.

Posted: Wed, Nov 3, 2010

Kim Allen Kluge

Kim Allen Kluge, music director of the Alexandria Symphony Orchestra, talks with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about music-making -- both as a conductor, and in his new guise as Hollywood composer.

Posted: Mon, Sep 29, 2008

Kim Allen Kluge

The Alexandria Symphony Orchestra jumps on this month’s Mahler bandwagon with their final concerts of the season this weekend at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center. Music Director Kim Allen Kluge spoke with Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley about the concert, which will be both a celebration of spring and a multi-course musical banquet, pairing Mahler’s First Symphony with the Rachmaninoff Third Piano Concerto, starring Garrick Ohlsson.

Posted: Wed, May 11, 2011

Jennifer Koh

Violinist Jennifer Koh performs Augusta Read Thomas's 3rd Violin Concerto, "Juggler in Paradise", Thursday through Saturday, June 9-11, 2011, with the National Symphony in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, on a program that also includes Schumann's 2nd Symphony, conducted by Music Director Christoph Eschenbach. This is the US premiere of "Juggler in Paradise"; Ms. Koh gave the British premiere last season at the Proms. She speaks with Classical WETA morning host David Ginder about the joys of discovering a new piece and new composer, Thomas's brilliant orchestration and big musical gestures, and the logic of co-commissions.

Posted: Thu, Jun 2, 2011

Charles Krauthammer

Pro Musica Hebraica is devoted to presenting Jewish classical music -- much of it lost, forgotten, or rarely performed -- in a concert-hall setting. Pulitzer prize-winning columnist Charles Krauthammer is Chairman of Pro Musica Hebraica. He spoke to Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about why he and his wife Robyn created the series with Artistic Director James Conlon, and about the upcoming concerts on November 18th and March 19th at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater.

Posted: Mon, Nov 10, 2008

Charles Krauthammer

Now in its second full season at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater, Pro Musica Hebraica presents lost and forgotten masterpieces of Jewish classical music in recital. On Thursday, April 29, 2010, the Biava String Quartet, returns with a new concert devoted to French Jewish music of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Together with mezzo-soprano Margaret Mezzacappa and pianist Konstantin Soukhovetski, they will perform classic works and rare masterpieces for voice and strings by composers Darius Milhaud, Maurice Ravel, Alexandre Tansman and Charles-Valentin Alkan. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Pro Musica Hebraica's co-founder, the noted columnist and political pundit, Dr. Charles Krauthammer.

Posted: Fri, Apr 2, 2010

Gretchen Kuhrmann and Choralis 9/11 Concert

Choralis, founded by Artistic Director Gretchen Kuhrmann, is a 100-person mixed-voice chorus now celebrating its 12th season. Sunday, September 11 at 4:00 pm, they present In Search of Peace: A Concert of Remembrance and Hope for the 10th Anniversary of 9/11 at the National Presbyterian Church. The concert features the world premiere of a work Choralis commissioned from composer Gary Davison for this event called "Shadow Tides." Also on the program is Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings, music from Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna, and the Dona Nobis Pacem from JS Bach's B-minor Mass. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Choralis Artistic Director Gretchen Kuhrmann about the choir, and Sunday's 9/11 commemorative concert.

Posted: Tue, Sep 6, 2011

William Lacey

William Lacey conducts Washington National Opera's production of Gluck's Iphigenie en Tauride May 6th -28th at the Kennedy Center Opera House. Maestro Lacey chats with Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix about this opera's pivotal place in music history, its passionate roles (sung by a cast headed by Patricia Racette and Placido Domingo) and its superb music that inspired Mozart and a host of Romantic composers.

Posted: Fri, Apr 29, 2011

J. Reilly Lewis

The Cathedral Choral Society saluted the Centennial of the Washington National Cathedral with a performance of Mendelssohn's dramatic oratorio Elijah, Sunday, May 18, 2008. The work, from which come such well-known sacred choral anthems as He watching over Israel and Lift Thine Eyes to the mountains, features chorus, soloists, and full orchestra. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton and conductor J. Reilly Lewis offer a brief musical triptych through the work.

Posted: Tue, Aug 12, 2008

J. Reilly Lewis

The Cathedral Choral Society commemorates the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth with a special concert at the National Cathedral on Sunday, March 8 at 4:00 PM. Lincoln scholar and actor Sam Waterston narrates Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait. The concert also features the U.S. premiere of Charles Villiers Stanford's Elegiac Ode, Julia Ward Howe's Battle Hymn of the Republic, and Paul Hindemith's choral requiem based on Walt Whitman's verse,"When Lilacs Last in the Door-yard Bloom'd". Cathedral Choral Society Music Director J. Reilly Lewis joined Deb Lamberton in the Classical WETA studios.

Posted: Fri, Feb 27, 2009

J. Reilly Lewis

The Washington Bach Consort opens their new season October 3rd at National Presbyterian Church with a program exploring the origins of Bach's great Mass in B minor. Classical WETA's David Ginder speaks with the consort's Music Director, J. Reilly Lewis.

Posted: Wed, Sep 22, 2010

J. Reilly Lewis

J. Reilly Lewis conducts the Cathedral Choral Society in an all-Beethoven concert on Sunday, March 13, 2011 at 4 at Washington National Cathedral. Edward Newman is pianist in the Choral Fantasy, and the major work on the program is the great Missa Solemnis. Classical WETA Morning host David Ginder speaks with Maestro Lewis about this Beethoven masterpiece, and his extremely challenging writing for singers.

Posted: Wed, Mar 9, 2011

J. Reilly Lewis

The week of March 21, 2011--during our month-long Bach Celebration on both Classical WETA and Viva La Voce--our Vocal CD PIck of the Week on Viva La Voce is a recording of Bach Solo Cantatas by soprano Elizabeth Futral and the Washington Bach Consort. The Consort's Music Director, J. Reilly Lewis, speaks with Classical WETA's David Ginder about period instrument performances, the quality of Bach's musicians, and a Bach cantata in Italian!

Posted: Wed, Mar 9, 2011

J. Reilly Lewis

On Sunday, March 27, 2011, the Washington Bach Consort gives a 3pm program at National Presbyterian Church called "The Art of the Keyboard." It celebrates Bach's keyboard artistry with solo harpsichord music, concertos for two harpsichords (played by J. Reilly Lewis and National Cathedral organist Scott Dettra plus the Consort's chamber orchestra), Bach harmonizations of various chorales (performed by Bach Consort singers), plus Bach's stunning Chorale Preludes for organ on those tunes played on National Presbyterian's magnificent Skinner organ. David Ginder speaks with Washington Bach Consort Music Director J. Reilly Lewis.

Posted: Wed, Mar 9, 2011

J. Reilly Lewis

The Cathedral Choral Society gives an all-Russian program, "Russian Riches", Sunday, May 15, 2011 at 4 at Washington National Cathedral. The concert includes Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture, Taneyev's Cantata "John of Damascus", and Gretchaninov's Cantata "Praise God." Assisting the Cathedral Choral Society are Viktoriya Bright and the National Cathedral School Girls Chorale. Classical WETA morning host David Ginder chats with Cathedral Choral Society Music Director J. Reilly Lewis about the challenges of singing Russian and the joys of Russian passion.

Posted: Mon, May 9, 2011

J. Reilly Lewis

The Mutual Inspirations Festival, which celebrates Dvorak's birth anniversary last month and his American connections, concludes Friday, October 28th, 2011 with the Cathedral Choral Society performing Dvorak's Te Deum, as well as Janacek's equally festive Glagolitic Mass. Classical WETA's David Ginder chats with Cathedral Choral Society Music Director J. Reilly Lewis about the concert, and about moving the performance from Washington National Cathedral to the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception because of the ongoing repairs at the Cathedral following our recent earthquake.

Posted: Mon, Oct 24, 2011

Salvatore Licitra

Washington National Opera opens their 2010-2011 season with Verdi's Un Ballo in Maschera, September 11 through September 25 with a Free Opera in the Outfield... a live simulcast at Nationals Park September 19. Nicole Lacroix spoke with tenor Salvatore Licitra, who sings the role of Gustavo, the doomed King of Sweden.

Posted: Fri, Sep 10, 2010

Andrew Litton

Conductor Andrew Litton started his career right here in Washington, as Exxon/Arts Endowment Assistant Conductor with the National Symphony Orchestra under the late Mstislav Rostropovich.  Twenty-seven years later, his resume includes music directorships at orchestras from Dallas to Great Britain, as well as his current position conducting Norway's Bergen Philharmonic.  Deb Lamberton talks with Mr. Litton about his life, his career, and what it's like to be a piano-playing conductor.

Posted: Wed, Dec 2, 2009

James Loeffler

Pro Musica Hebraica opens their third season at the Kennedy Center's Terrace Theater Thursday evening, November 18th with a program called War and Exile: The Music of Berman, Braunfels, and Ben-Haim. All three composers were on meteroic careers in the 1920's and 30's, when the Nazi regime changed their lives and their music forever. Pro Musica Hebraica research director James Loeffler is Assistant Professor of History and Jewish Studies at the University of Virginia. He joined Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton to discuss these three composers, whose works exemplify both profound musicianship and personal identity.

Posted: Mon, Nov 15, 2010

Ed Maclary and UMD's 9/11 Mozart Requiem

Sunday, September 11th, the University of Maryland Orchestra and Concert Choir join with faculty and Maryland Opera Studio singers to present a free performance of Mozart's Requiem, K. 626. Leading the performance is Ed Maclary, professor of music and Director of Choral Activities at UMD. The 7:30 pm concert at Dekelboum Concert Hall is free, but reservations are required by calling 301.405.ARTS.

Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Dr. Maclary about this commemorative concert, and the music he chose for its centerpiece.

Posted: Tue, Sep 6, 2011

Kurt Masur

WPAS brings conductor Kurt Masur and the Orchestre National de France to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall after a 17-year hiatus on Monday, April 28 at 8:00 p.m. The program includes Anton Bruckner's 7th Symphony and Beethoven's 2nd piano concerto, featuring the gifted young French pianist David Fray. Maestro Masur spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about his life in music.

Posted: Tue, Apr 22, 2008

John Mauceri

John Mauceri has many titles: Founding Director of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra; Chancellor of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts; world-renowned conductor, and former Music Director of both the Washington Opera and Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. He returns to town after nearly two decades to conduct George Gershwin's "Porgy and Bess" for Washington National Opera, a work he knows well, having researched and recorded Gershwin's original 1935 score. He spoke with Deb Lamberton about "Porgy and Bess," the art of making music, and about working as Leonard Bernstein's protege for 18 years.

Posted: Thu, Mar 25, 2010

H. David Meyers

Oboist H. David Meyers performs the long-lost and recently rediscovered Beethoven Oboe Concerto December 2nd at the Music Center at Strathmore. Classical WETA's David Ginder spoke with Mr. Meyers about the event, which benefits Children's Hospital, and another project he's working on.

Posted: Tue, Nov 25, 2008

Anne Midgette

Washington Post Chief Music Critic Anne Midgette co-authored the new biography of pianist Leon Fleisher. Published by Doubleday, My Nine Lives takes the reader along Fleisher's exceptional journey from child prodigy to rising star to the catastrophe of a pianist's career-ending malady called focal dystonia. Fleisher's odyssey back to the concert stage via careers as teacher, conductor, and finally left-hand soloist is documented with humor, wit, and humanity. His return to performing two hands is the ultimate triumph of a life derailed, then rediscovered through music. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton talks with co-author Anne Midgette about what she learned writing the book.

Posted: Tue, Dec 14, 2010

Lori Miller

When you hear the words "Van Cliburn Competition," you think of winners who go on to become world-renowned concert pianists. But the Van Cliburn Foundation sponsors another competition--this one for amateur pianists over age 35. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with filmmaker Lori Miller about her new feature-length documentary "They Came To Play", which received its theatrical premiere Sunday, October 25th in Washington, DC.

Posted: Fri, Oct 23, 2009

David Miller

Local musician David Miller has created a new performing edition of Glinka's Ruslan and Ludmilla Overture.  Its world premiere is by the Philadelphia Orchestra in their WPAS concert at the Strathmore on May 26th.  Classical WETA's Marilyn Cooley spoke with Miller about his new edition.

Posted: Mon, May 24, 2010

William Neil and Michael Hart

Sunday, October 10th at 5pm, National Presbyterian Church organist William Neil and friends present a free gala concert celebrating the 40th anniversary of the great Aeolian-Skinner organ.  Custom-designed to fit into the church's acoustic space, the organ now boasts a total of 115 ranks, with a newly-installed Solo Division that will be featured in the concert.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Bill Neil and organ curator Michael Hart about this magnificent instrument, which you can hear, thanks to Bill recording several works for this Classical Conversation.

Posted: Thu, Oct 7, 2010

Patricia O'Kelly

Patricia O'Kelly, a longtime NSO administrator talks with Classical WETA's Marilyn Cooley about the June tour of the Far East with the National Symphony Orchestra. They discuss the 14-hour flight, the logistical challenges, the spectacular performances by both musicians and crew, and Patricia reminisces about tours of yore.

Posted: Fri, Jun 5, 2009

Garrick Ohlsson

This past November, Grammy-winning pianist Garrick Ohlsson joined the National Symphony Orchestra for Beethoven's "Emperor" Concerto. You can hear that performance on NSO Showcase, airing Wednesday night, January 5th at 9:00 pm on Classical WETA 90.9FM. Producer Deb Lamberton spoke to Mr. Ohlsson about this piano concerto, and about how he approaches music performance and interpretation.

Posted: Tue, Dec 28, 2010

Lambert Orkis

In a new series of conversations, The Heart of Music, Marilyn Cooley explores the deepest meaning of music for musicians who have dedicated their lives to this art. Here, Marilyn chats with National Symphony Orchestra principal keyboardist Lambert Orkis.

Read more from Orkis on the NSO Tour Blog »

Posted: Wed, Dec 30, 2009

Lambert Orkis

Washington pianist Lambert Orkis has been recital collaborator with world-renowned violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter since 1988. On November 13, Washington Performing Arts Society brings them to the Kennedy Center for the final stop in their intercontinental Brahms tour to play all three of the violin and piano sonatas. Classical WETA’s Marilyn Cooley spoke with Lambert about his long association with Ms. Mutter.

Posted: Mon, Nov 8, 2010

Amit Peled

Cellist Amit Peled performs on January 23rd with pianist Eli Kalman at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theatre, presented by WPAS. Classical WETA's morning host David Ginder spoke with Amit about his Kennedy Center debut recital (and a surprise encore he has planned!), plus teaching at Peabody, and his marathon performances.

Posted: Wed, Jan 19, 2011

Neale Perl

Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix talks to WPAS President Neale Perl about the upcoming WPAS season. The 2008-2009 season features an incredible lineup of some of the world's preeminent performers.

Posted: Mon, Sep 8, 2008

Julian Rachlin

The brilliant violinist Julian Rachlin joins the National Symphony Orchestra and guest conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin for an all-Russian program April 10-12, 2008, featuring Shostakovich's Violin Concerto in A minor, Op. 77/99. The concerts also include works by Mussorgski and Rachmaninoff. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Mr. Rachlin about the concerto and about his new CD of Shostakovich chamber music recorded live in concert at Vienna's Musikverein for the Onyx label.

Posted: Wed, Apr 2, 2008

Elena Ruehr

For the third year, The Washington Chorus presents New Music for a New Age, featuring choral works by living composers. This year’s program features the music of award-winning American composer Elena Ruehr on Sunday, April 3 at 5:00pm, at the National Presbyterian Church. In addition to the world premiere of Elena Ruehr's Averno (text by Louise Glück,) the program includes two Washington premieres: Cricket, Spider, Bee (text by Emily Dickinson) and Gospel Cha-Cha (text by Langston Hughes.) Under Music Director Julian Wachner, The Washington Chorus will be joined by full orchestra and soloists including soprano Marguerite Krull, and baritone Stephen Salters. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke to Ms. Ruehr about her works, and life as a composer.

Posted: Fri, Mar 18, 2011

Christina Scheppelmann of Washington National Opera

It's time again to enjoy opera in the outfield at Nationals Park as Washington National Opera presents a live simulcast Sunday, September 19th at 2:00 pm.  This free event features family-friendly activites, concessions, and prizes as the live performance of Verdi's "Un Ballo in Maschera" is beamed from the Opera House onto the baseball park's massive high-def scoreboard screen.  Christina Scheppelmann, Washington National Opera's Director of Artistic Operations, joined Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton to talk about the event, and about how WNO is reaching out to new audiences

Posted: Mon, Sep 13, 2010

Norman Scribner

The Choral Arts Society of Washington opens their 45th season by turning the Kennedy Center Concert Hall into a modern-day San Marco, with choirs positioned along all four sides of the house. Choral Arts founder and Artistic Director Norman Scribner talks with Deb Lamberton about DC as a choral town, and about this concert on Sunday, November 15th at 4PM, which features choral, brass, and organ music that will encircle the audience with sound.

Posted: Mon, Nov 9, 2009

Norman Scribner

From a 7-octave handbell choir to renowned soprano Janice Chandler Eteme, the Choral Arts Society of Washington returns to the Kennedy Center with their annual Christmas concerts. Titled "Joyeux Noël: A Holiday Celebration with a French Twist!" the program features the musical heritage of French carols, along with familiar Christmas sing-alongs and the world premiere of a work that features Ms. Chandler Eteme as soloist. WETA evening host Nicole LaCroix talks with CASW founder and artistic director Norman Scribner about what to expect.

Posted: Wed, Dec 9, 2009

Norman Scribner

Choral Arts Society of Washington founder and artistic director Norman Scribner opens the ensemble's 46th season with "Choral Music 101: A Guided Tour Through Norman's Choral Playlist." This two-hour concert on Sunday afternoon November 14th at the Rachel M. Schlesinger Concert Hall and Arts Center offers a musical tryptich that wends from plainsong through to the 20th century. From masterworks by Renaissance composers William Byrd and Claudio Monteverdi to Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Brahms and Wagner, then on to Igor Stravinsky, Carl Orff, John Tavener, and Morten Lauridsen, your onstage guides will be conductor Norman Scribner and Classical WETA's Deborah Lamberton, who spoke with Norman about his vision for this one-of-a-kind concert.

Posted: Tue, Nov 9, 2010

Norman Scribner

The Choral Arts Society of Washington brings the music of Scandinavia to the Kennedy Center Concert Hall on Sunday, May 22nd at 5PM.  "Northern Lights:  Choral Illuminations from Scandinavia and Beyond" features the folk soul of countries around the Baltic Sea with works by Jean Sibelius, Edvard Grieg, Hugo Alfven, and Carl Neilsen.  The world premiere of Finnish composer Olli Kortekangas called "Seven Songs for Planet Earth" makes up the second half of the concert.  Scored for large orchestra, symphonic chorus and children's choir, this tone poem sets text by American writer and poet Wendell Berry and St. Francis of Assisi.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Choral Arts' founder and artistic director Norman Scribner about his Nordic-inspired program.

Posted: Mon, May 16, 2011

Norman Scribner

Choral Arts Society of Washington director Norman Scribner opens his final season at the helm of the chorus he founded in 1965 with a program on Sunday, November 13th at the Kennedy Center that includes Bernstein's Chichester Psalms and Morten Lauridsen's Lux Aeterna.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Maestro Scribner about his decades-long life in music, from festival producer at the Kennedy Center to organist, chorus master, conductor, teacher, and composer.

Posted: Tue, Nov 1, 2011

Bob Shafer

On April 19, at 5 pm, the City Choir of Washington will perform their final season concert at The National Presbyterian Church in Washington. The program will feature the world premiere of a new work by Robert Shafer, Lux Aeterna, along with Haydn’s Lord Nelson Mass and Maurice Durufle’s Requiem. Classical WETA’s Nicole Lacroix talked with Mr. Shafer about the upcoming concert, and what it’s like to be a composer in the 21st century.

Posted: Tue, Apr 14, 2009

Robert Shafer

The City Choir of Washington opens its third season under Artistic Director Robert Shafer this October, but not before singing lyrics in Elvish at Wolf Trap for the U.S. premiere of Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, staged with live orchestra, chorus and soloists.  Deb Lamberton talks with Bob about The City Choir's exploits with Middle Earth, the Music Man, and Maurice Duruflé.

Posted: Thu, Aug 27, 2009

Bob Shafer

The City Choir of Washington performs Bach's Mass in B Minor Sunday, May 15th at 5 at the National Presbyterian Church in Washington, D.C. Robert Shafer will conduct the choir, orchestra and soloists Elizabeth Klugel (soprano), Karen Friedman Poster (mezzo soprano), Matthew Smith (tenor) and Terry Wilkerson(bass), with William Neil playing the continuo. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix chats with conductor Robert Shafer about Bach's choral masterpiece, its history and many-faceted beauty

Posted: Tue, May 10, 2011

Gil Shaham

Violinist Gil Shaham plays the Walton Violin Concerto with the Philadelphia Orchestra conducted by Charles Dutoit on Friday, May 20, 2011 at the Kennedy Center. The concert, presented by Washington Performing Arts Society, also includes Tchaikovsky's 5th Symphony and Mendelssohn's Hebrides Overture. Classical WETA morning host David Ginder chatted with Gil about the amazing wealth of violin concertos written during the 1930s, the tarantula-inspired wild second movement, and the great Jascha Heifetz's part in all of this.

Posted: Mon, May 16, 2011

Dan Silver

Twenty years ago, a Washington DC doctor named Gerald Perman had a vision to bring world-class song recitals to the nation's capital. Today, Vocal Arts DC presents both internationally-renowned soloists and emerging artists in concert. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix talks with Vocal Arts DC president Dan Silver about the organization's history, and its America Sings Festival, taking place now through June 4, 2010. One of the festival highlights is a free concert Saturday afternoon, April 10th from 2:00 - 5:00 at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall.

Posted: Tue, Apr 6, 2010

Vladimir Spivakov

The Moscow Virtuosi Chamber Orchestra and Vladimir Spivakov were joined by award-winning Russian pianist Olga Kern Wednesday night, May 14, 2008 at the Music Center at Strathmore. The program featured Ms. Kern in concertos by Haydn and Shostakovich. Prior to the concert, Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Maestro Spivakov about his art, and his friendship with both Slava and Shostakovich.

Posted: Tue, Aug 12, 2008

Jean-Yves Thibaudet

World-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet joins the National Symphony Orchestra this weekend to perform Ravel's Concerto for the Left Hand, and a new work by Guillaume Conneson called "The Shining One." Thibaudet also has a new release on the Decca label of works by George Gershwin. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Jean-Yves about his affinity for the music of both Ravel and Gershwin.

Posted: Thu, Apr 29, 2010

The Vivaldi Project

The Vivaldi Project is presenting a chamber music concert on Sunday November 13 at 4 p.m. at the National Presbyterian Church. The subject is conversation in music, and co-directors Elizabeth Field and Stephanie Vial brought their instruments to the Classical WETA studios to converse with Marilyn Cooley about the concert.

Posted: Thu, Nov 3, 2011

Deborah Voigt

Hailed as “one of the greatest Strauss interpreters of all time” (Wall Street Journal), Deborah Voigt is considered the definitive Salome of her generation. Having performed the role at many of the world’s major opera houses, Voigt makes her Washington National Opera debut in a new production by Francesca Zambello that runs for seven performances from October 7-23. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix asked Ms. Voigt to talk about her approach to this demanding operatic role.

Posted: Tue, Oct 5, 2010

Julian Wachner

Music Director designate Julian Wachner leads The Washington Chorus in "Songs of the Soul" at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall, Sunday, April 27 at 3 p.m. In addition to the full-orchestral scoring of Gabriel Faure's Requiem, the program includes the Washington premiere of Carlyle Sharp's Proud Music of the Storm, and Brahms' seldom-heard Gesang der Parzen Op. 89. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Julian Wachner about the program.

Posted: Wed, Apr 23, 2008

Julian Wachner

A select baroque orchestra from across the continent joins The Washington Chorus and soloists Sunday, November 18th at 5 PM for J.S. Bach's Mass in B Minor. Music Director Julian Wachner, a baroque specialist, talks with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about his approach to this work, and what he's chosen for the rest of the season.

Posted: Sun, Nov 9, 2008

Julian Wachner

If moving down his grand piano is any indication, composer/conductor Julian Wachner is definitely setting down roots in DC. As Music Director of The Washington Chorus, Wachner talks with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about how he's preparing the nearly 180 singers of the chorus for their Palm Sunday, April 5th Kennedy Center performance of Verdi's dramatic masterwork.

Posted: Tue, Mar 31, 2009

Julian Wachner and The Washington Chorus

The Washington Chorus opens their 49th season Sunday, November 8th with "The Essential Puccini," a program of best-loved choruses and arias by the Italian master.  Music Director Julian Wachner talks with Deb Lamberton about this program, and about their 2009-10 season, including performances with The National and Baltimore Symphony Orchestras.

Posted: Mon, Oct 26, 2009

Julian Wachner

Mahler Month kicks off with a bang Sunday, May 1st at 5:00 PM as The Washington Chorus wraps up their 50th anniversary season with a gala concert showcasing the music of Gustav Mahler. Over 300 musicians, including choristers from the Washington National Cathedral and eight soloists, will join The Washington Chorus and full orchestra in the Kennedy Center Concert Hall for a program of choral movements from Mahler's 2nd, 3rd, and 8th symphonies, as well as Mahler song settings and the final act of a comic opera by Weber that Mahler completed. Music Director Julian Wachner spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about the chorus, and his thoughts behind creating this one-of-a-kind tribute to Mahler's genius.

Posted: Tue, Apr 26, 2011

Julian Wachner: Trinity Wall Street 9/11 Concerts

The Washington Chorus is representing the nation’s capital as a part of Trinity Wall Street's observance of the tenth anniversary of September 11, 2001. On September 9, choruses from New York City, Washington, D.C., Pennsylvania and Boston—areas forever linked by the tragedies of 9/11—will alternate free performances throughout the day at Trinity Church and St. Paul's Chapel, and will join together for a communal concert that evening featuring Gabriel Fauré's Requiem, Bernstein’s Chichester Psalms, music from Brahms’ A German Requiem, Dona nobis pacem from Bach’s Mass in B minor, Randall Thompson’s Last Words of King David, and more.

Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Julian Wachner, music director of both The Washington Chorus and Trinity Wall Street, about this week's commemorative concerts called "Remember To Love."

Posted: Fri, Sep 2, 2011

Julian Wachner

The Washington Chorus opens its 51st season Friday evening, November 18 at 8:00 PM at the Kennedy Center Concert Hall with the Washington premiere of a major new work by Music Director Julian Wachner.  Titled "Come, My Dark Eyed One," the piece for chorus, orchestra and soloists combines passionate and dramatic music with poetry by Emily Dickinson, Alfred Lord Tennyson, e.e. cummings, and the famed 15th century Turkik poet Ali-Shir Nava'i.  The concert also includes Mozart's Great Mass in C minor.

Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Julian Wachner about his new work.

Posted: Fri, Nov 11, 2011

Antony Walker

"It's all about the music!" is how Washington Concert Opera describes their mission. WCO Artistic Director/Conductor Antony Walker talks with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about WCO's current season at Lisner Auditorium, featuring Elizabeth Futral, Stephanie Blythe, and Met Opera newcomer Leah Partridge.

Posted: Wed, Oct 29, 2008

Antony Walker

For over twenty years, Washington Concert Opera's signature has been, "It's all about the music." Known for professional, full-length concert performances of distinctive opera repertoire, WCO also has a knack for presenting young singers who go on to become major stars. Conductor and Artistic Director Antony Walker talks with Deb Lamberton about the current season, which features Charles Castronovo, John Relyea, and Amanda Majeski in Gounod's Faust on November 22nd, and Vivica Genaux and Kenneth Tarver in Rossini's La Cenerentola on May 9, 2010 at Lisner Auditorium.

Posted: Mon, Nov 16, 2009

Antony Walker

Antony Walker has been Artistic Director and Conductor of Washington Concert Opera since 2002. This past February, Walker made his London debut with the English National Opera, and has just received an invitation to conduct Orfeo at the Met next Spring. He spoke with Deb Lamberton about his career, and about conducting WCO's upcoming production of Rossini's comic opera La Cenerentola, featuring mezzo-soprano Vivica Geneaux, in a semi-staged production on May 9, 2010 at Lisner Auditorium.

Posted: Sun, Mar 29, 2009

Antony Walker

Now in its 24th season, Washington Concert Opera specializes in presenting lesser-known operatic masterpieces in a concert setting without sets, props, or costumes. The emphasis is on the music, and with only two performances per season, Washington Concert Opera fans know each production is a one-shot opportunity to see both rising stars, and major artists close up on the Lisner Auditorium stage. WCO Artistic Director and Conductor Antony Walker talks with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about the current season, which features Francesco Cilea's "Adriana Lecouvurer" on Sunday, October 24th, 2010, and Jules Massenet's "Werther." Sunday, May 22, 2011.

Posted: Thu, Oct 14, 2010

Antony Walker

Fresh from his Metropolitan Opera debut, Antony Walker conducts Washington Concert Opera in Massenet’s opera, Werther, Sunday at Lisner Auditorium. The cast includes Met favorites Jennifer Larmore and Giuseppe Filianoti, with Joelle Harvey and Timothy Mix. Based on Goethe’s epistolary novel, The Sorrows of Young Werther, Massenet’s opera tells the story of a young poet fatally obsessed with an unattainable woman. Classical WETA’s Nicole Lacroix and Maestro Walker discuss this ultra-romantic operatic masterpiece by Massenet, with the conductor showing off his amazing ability to sing falsetto and fill in for an entire children's choir while directing the other singers.

Posted: Thu, May 19, 2011

Yuja Wang

If you search You Tube for "House of Flying Fingers", you'll see a young lady blazing through Arcadi Volodos' wickedly difficult arrangement of the Rondo Alla Turca by Mozart. That's Yuja Wang, a 22-year-old phenom who's performing Prokofiev's 2nd Piano Concerto with the National Symphony Orchestra. After rehearsal, she spoke with Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton about her music-making, and her debut album.

Posted: Thu, Feb 19, 2009

Alisa Weilerstein

The St. Petersburg Philharmonic makes their Music Center at Strathmore debut on April 12, 2011, presented by Washington Performing Arts Society. Baltimore Symphony Music Director Emeritus Yuri Temirkanov conducts. The program includes Rimsky-Korsakov's Russian Easter Overture, Brahms's 4th Symphony, and Shostakovich's 1st Cello Concerto, with soloist Alisa Weilerstein. Classical WETA morning host David Ginder chats with Alisa about the the Weilerstein Trio, the joys of touring with a single orchestra, and the fantastic experience of playing the Shostakovich concerto with the orchestra that premiered it with Rostropovich.

Posted: Wed, Apr 6, 2011

Glenn Winters

Virginia Opera presents Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte at the Center for the Arts at George Mason University Friday, December 3 at 8 pm and Sunday, December 5 at 2 p.m. Dr. Glenn Winters, Virginia Opera's Community Outreach Musical Director, shares his humorous take on Cosi with Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix.

Posted: Mon, Nov 29, 2010

Glenn Winters

Have you ever thought that Wagner’s hero, Siegmund from The Valkyrie has a lot in common with our own Superman? Dr. Glenn Winters, Community Outreach Musical Director for Virginia Opera, shows us how Wagner’s operas influenced a lot of American legends. From magic swords to lightsabers, from The Valkyrie to Star Wars, Dr. Winters has a lot of fun with Wagner. Virginia Opera’s The Valkyrie is at George Mason University Center for the Arts, Friday February 18 at 8 and Sunday, February 20 at 2 pm.

Posted: Tue, Feb 15, 2011

Kim Witman

Fresh from engagements with Seattle Opera, Santa Fe Opera, Lille Opera, and the Metropolitan Opera, the charismatic Wolf Trap Opera alumna, Kate Lindsey, returns for a special homecoming recital. The program includes music by Bizet, Liszt, and Ives as well as a new Song Cycle on Alma Mahler by Mohammed Fairouz and Selections from Miss Manners on Music by Dominick Argento. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix speaks with Kim Witman about this recital, and the Wolf Trap Opera Company's 40th anniversary season.

Posted: Mon, Apr 4, 2011

Kim Witman

The Wolf Trap Opera Company presents the world premiere of The Inspector, a comic opera commissioned from John Musto and Mark Campbell, the same team that brought us the opera Volpone. In this Classical Conversation with Nicole Lacroix, librettist Mark Campbell and Wolf Trap Opera Company Director Kim Witman describe the evolution of a new opera...from commission to workshop, to earning a place in the repertoire. The Inspector opens April 27th, and continues April 29th and May 1st at the Barns at Wolf Trap.

Posted: Thu, Apr 21, 2011

Robert Wood

UrbanArias is a new opera company dedicated to presenting short, contemporary operas. This Friday, January 14, UrbanArias will present seven mini-operas in one hour at the Black Box theater at Artisphere, Arlington's new cultural center. Performances are at 7 and 9 p.m. Classical WETA's Nicole Lacroix spoke with San Francisco Opera alum, and UrbanArias Executive and Artistic Director, Robert Wood, about the January 14 mini-opera performance as well as their upcoming 3-opera showcase, March 31 through April 10. For more information, visit UrbanArias.org or call 1-888- 841-2787.

Posted: Tue, Jan 11, 2011

Shai Wosner

Pianist Shai Wosner is making a name for himself as a musician with exceptional artistry, musical integrity and creative insight.  You can hear why Monday night, December 12th at 9:00, as Front Row Washington broadcasts his recital of Beethoven piano sonatas presented by Downtown Pianoworks in historic Frederick, MD.  Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Mr. Wosner about Beethoven, and particularly about why the slow movement in the Opus 7 E-flat Major sonata is so significant.

Posted: Thu, Dec 8, 2011

Wu Han

Pianist Wu Han ranks among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. As both soloist and chamber musician, she's toured extensively with her husband, cellist David Finckel. Together, they founded ArtistLed, classical music’s first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company. Classical WETA's Deb Lamberton spoke with Ms. Han about her first solo piano album for ArtistLed, called "Russian Recital."

Posted: Tue, Jan 13, 2009

Christopher Zimmerman

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra has just chosen its third music director in 53 years. British-born Christopher Zimmerman, Music Director of the Hartt Symphony and conducting professor at the Hartt School in Hartford, CT begins his three-year appointment with the Fairfax Symphony this Fall. Classical WETA's David Ginder talks with Maestro Zimmerman about conducting and his musical preferences.

Posted: Mon, Jun 15, 2009

Christopher Zimmerman

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra opens its 53rd season with its first new music director in 37 years. English-born Christopher Zimmerman brings years of experience as a conductor of ensembles both academic and professional, both in the U.S. and abroad. Classical WETA's Marilyn Cooley chats with Zimmerman about the opening concert of the season (Saturday September 12) and the many duties of a modern music director, as well as Zimmerman's thoughts about leading one of the nation's finest regional orchestras.

Posted: Wed, Sep 9, 2009

Christopher Zimmerman

The Fairfax Symphony Orchestra opens its season on Saturday at the George Mason University Center for the Arts, with music of Tchaikovsky, Schumann and Rachmaninoff. Classical WETA’s morning host David Ginder spoke with FSO Music Director Christopher Zimmerman about the concert.

Posted: Thu, Sep 9, 2010

Christopher Zimmerman

The next Fairfax Symphony concert (at George Mason's Center for the Arts) is October 23, 2010. Classical WETA's David Ginder speaks with Fairfax Symphony Music Director Christopher Zimmerman about the program.

Posted: Wed, Oct 13, 2010

Christopher Zimmerman

The final concerts of the season by the Fairfax Symphony are Saturday and Sunday, May 14 and 15, 2011. Saturday's concert (at 8) is at George Mason University's Center for the Arts; Sunday afternoon's concert (at 3) is at the new Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas. Music Director Christopher Zimmerman has chosen Mahler's Symphony No. 2, "Resurrection" to conclude the season, and to participate in the many observances of the composer's birth and death anniversaries (last year and this year). Joining the FSO are mezzo-soprano Janine Hawley, soprano Jeanine Thames, the Fairfax Choral Society, and the Reston Chorale. Classical WETA morning host David Ginder chats with Mo. Zimmerman about the joys and challenges of addressing everything as Mahler did, and about the overwhelming satisfaction of hearing and performing his music.

Posted: Mon, May 9, 2011

Christopher Zimmerman

The Fairfax Symphony's next concert will be played twice--at George Mason's Center for the Arts in Fairfax on Saturday, January 14, 2012, and at the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas on Sunday afternoon, the 15th. Music Director Christopher Zimmerman conducts the emotionally-charged 11th Symphony by Dmitri Shostakovich, Haydn's 1st Cello Concerto, and Glazunov's Minstrel's Song. The cellist in the Haydn and Glazunov pieces is Sergey Antonov. Classical WETA's David Ginder chats with Mo. Zimmerman about his soloist for these concerts, and about the challenges and satisfactions of playing Shostakovich.

Posted: Fri, Jan 6, 2012

Nikolaj Znaider

Violinist Nikolaj Znaider celebrates the centenary of Edward Elgar's Violin Concerto with a new RCA Red Seal recording and a global tour in 2010. Znaider kicked off the American leg of his tour this month with the National Symphony Orchestra under Elgar specialist Leonard Slatkin. He talks with Deb Lamberton about his unique relationship with the NSO, and about his historic Del Gesu violin--the very same instrument Fritz Kreisler used for the world premiere of Elgar's monumental violin concerto in 1910.

Posted: Thu, Jan 7, 2010