Voice of the Arts

Actors Randy Kovitz and Connor McCanlus spoke with WQED-FM about their upcoming roles as the bounty hunter and the photographer in the Pittsburgh Public Theater's world premiere, The Coffin Maker. This world premiere featuring a Pittsburgh playwright, Mark Clayton Southers, runs from May 29th to June 16th at the O'Reilly Theater. Connor talks about his field trip to the Photo Antiquities Museum of Photographic History in downtown Pittsburgh, and how he took that knowledge to better inform his acting. Randy describes the challenges of his fight choreography and his work as a stunt coordinator. Visit https://ppt.org/production/87764/the-coffin-maker to find tickets and learn more.

Playwright and Founder of the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theatre Company, Mark Clayton Southers, spoke with WQED-FM about his upcoming world premiere play of The Coffin Maker, running at the Pittsburgh Public Theater from May 29th to June 16th. Mark describes the story of an enslaved wife and freed husband working for an undertaker in Oklahoma, when a bounty hunter comes in and changes everything. He also describes why he wrote this play and how it came to life on stage at the Public. Visit https://ppt.org/production/87764/the-coffin-maker to learn more and find tickets to this Western dark-comedy play.

Director, playwright and Co-Artistic Director of City Theatre, Monteze Freeland, spoke with WQED-FM at the Pittsburgh Public Theater about the upcoming play, The Coffin Maker. This world premiere featuring a Pittsburgh playwright, Mark Clayton Southers, runs from May 29th to June 16th at the O'Reilly Theater. Monteze talks about his first introduction to the play almost 2 1/2 years ago, the challenges of researching slavery, the technical challenges throughout the show, and how working on a new play is always exciting. As if he isn't busy enough, you can also catch Monteze's new play, Fishy Woo Woo, at the Pittsburgh Playwrights Theater Company on May 31st. Visit https://ppt.org/production/87764/the-coffin-maker to find tickets to this historic and thrilling play.

Former Concertmaster of the Pittsburgh Symphony, and former director of the Carnegie Mellon University Philharmonic, Andres Cardenes, spoke with Jim Cunningham about his past 36 years in the city of Pittsburgh, and why he is moving to Florida to continue his work. Both reminisce about Andres' start with the PSO in the 1980s, and talk about the future of classical music for young musicians in conservatories around the United States. Andres also highlights his upcoming projects with Ian Hobson, and what he is looking forward to the most in sunny Florida.

Pittsburgh house painters and musicians, Ricky Granati and his son Jules Granati, spoke about The Merrick Art Gallery's upcoming event, Toast, on May 25th at 5 pm which features WQED-FM's own Anna Singer performing with a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra String Quartet. It will be a fun affair with food, wine, and great music! Ricky discusses how he first discovered the Art Gallery, and Jules highlights how big an effect classical music has had on his life. All three also highlight the newly discovered tunnels at the Art Gallery that might have been a part of the Underground Railroad. Visit https://www.merrickartgallery.org/ to learn more.

Executive Director of Pittsburgh Arts and Lectures, Sony Ton-Aime, dives deep the Ten Evenings 2024-2025 season. Starting with Colm Toibin on September 16th with his newest book, Long Island, this years authors are exciting as ever! Sony highlights the diverse group that includes History professor and author of Democracy Awakening, Heather Cox Richardson, as well as newer names such as Pico Iyer and Leif Enger. The last lecture is will be on May 12th, 2025. Poetry, non-fiction, fiction, and world-class authors all at the Carnegie Music Hall in Pittsburgh. Sony also highlights the different subscription packages they offer, and the meaning of his name. Visit https://pittsburghlectures.org/ to learn more and find individual tickets or subscriptions!

Executive Director of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Nicholas Dragga, spoke about the last performance of the season, Cinderella, premiering May 17th to the 19th at the Benedum Center. This U.S premiere of this production with music by Prokofiev and choreography by Jaune Smeulders features the PBT Orchestra in the finale of the season. Nick also highlights next years 55th Emerald season with high quality productions all year long and talks about his first 6 months on the job are going. Visit https://pbt.org/ to learn more and find tickets!

Founder of CutTime Productions, Mr. CutTime AKA Rick Robinson, member of the Beo String Quartet, Andrew "Gio" Giordano, and composer, Jordan Speranzo, spoke about their collaboration in the Millvale Music Festival this Friday and Saturday, May 17th and 18th. For the first time ever, there will be classical music on the Millvale Music Festival stage! Jordan talks about conducting The Millvale Festival Orchestra that will perform at the St. Nicholas church on Friday at 6:15 pm, and the Beo String Quartet will follow after at 7:45 pm. Rick highlights the three groups on Saturday at the church starting at 11 am: NAT 28, Resonance Works, and an Octet of PSO musicians! All three talk about how this collaboration came together and what to hear, eat, and see at the festival this weekend. The Beo String Quartet also performs three movements of Philip Glass' String Quartet No. 3 "Mishima". Visit https://www.millvalemusic.org/music to find the schedule and learn more.

Oboist Lenny Young and Mezzo-Soprano Raquel Winnica Young, spoke with WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham live on the morning show to highlight their upcoming concert with Chamber Music Pittsburgh, The Voice of Poulenc, this Thursday, May 16th, and Saturday, May 18th, at the Third Presbyterian Church. It is an evening of music, talk, dance, and culture, dedicated to the composer, Francis Poulenc. Lenny and Raquel both discuss how these concerts immerse the audience into the world of Poulnec. Raquel also talks about how she created the program and brought the participating artists together for a wonderful show. Visit https://www.chambermusicpittsburgh.org/pittsburgh-performs-24/ to learn more about the performance and find tickets.

Pittsburgh musician and painter, Ricky Granati, highlights The Merrick Art Gallery's upcoming event, Toast, on May 25th at 5 pm which features WQED-FM's own Anna Singer performing with a Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra String Quartet. Ricky discusses how he first discovered the Art Gallery when one of the owners contracted him to repaint the old train station, and how his meeting with Anna shaped this event into something larger. Visit https://www.merrickartgallery.org/ to learn more and find tickets.

Executive Director of Brew House Arts, Natalie Sweet, and 2023-2024 Distillery Emerging Artists in Residence, Imani Batts and Armanis Fuentes, spoke with WQED-FM about their upcoming free exhibition, Getting the Spirit Out, at Brew House Arts in the South Side, opening Thursday, May 9th at 6 pm, and running until June 22nd. Imani talks about her Get Ready With Me fashion collective that celebrates black hair and beauty salons. Armanis highlights their foray into oil-based paintings and frescos that investigate domestic work, in one instance posing a mop as a female in the nude. Natalie also talks about the Artist Panel Talk on May 30th that will feature all of the 7 artists in the exhibition, and will announce next years Artists in Residency. Lastly, Brew House Arts will host a RAD Staycation on June 15th for their annual open house! Visit brewhousearts.org to learn more.

Dr. Rachel Berger sat down with WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham live to talk about her wind quintet, Desperate Measures, performing in Tuesday Musical Club's free Wind Power concert at Rodef Shalom's Levy Hall on Tuesday, May 14th at 1pm. Rachel talks about the program that includes Gershwin, Kaspar Kummer, and new works by Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda and Peter Schickele. Rachel also highlights her 15 years of performing with Tuesday Musical Club and how her background in medicine connects with her musical interests. Rachel and Jim play two selections of the program from the Quintet's rehearsal, "Autumn Woods" by Alexandra Molnar-Suhajda, and an excerpt of the second movement from Endre Szervankszky's "Blaserquintett"(Quintet for Winds) piece. Visit https://www.tuesdaymusicalclub.org/events/public/article/-wind-power-tmc-winds-in-concert-/5217/c15/ to learn more about the concert.

Director Nancy McNulty McGeever, Music Director, Deana Muro, and Producer Nancy Zionts, spoke with WQED-FM about Front Porch Theatrical's upcoming summer shows. "A...My Name is Still Alice" will run at the New Hazlett Theater from May 17th to 26th, and "Bandstand" will run August 16th to the 25th. Nancy McNulty highlights her role as the Director of "A...My Name is Still Alice" that is a 90's musical sequel. Deana Muro talks about her challenging role as Music Director for of the Pittsburgh premiere of "Bandstand" with two bands! Nancy Zionts spoke about how Front Porch Theatricals picks out the two musicals they do each year, and what is so special about this year's lineup. All three women highlight the importance of female representation in theatre and how they all started with Front Porch Theatricals. Visit https://www.frontporchpgh.com/ to learn more and find tickets for their upcoming summer season.

Opera superstar Renee Fleming will be on the air for the Saturday Metropolitan Opera broadcasts with the Hours by Kevin Puts on May 18 at 1pm but less two days before her return in the role at the Met, she spoke with Jim Cunningham about her new book "Music and Mind" published by Viking on April 9th, 2024. She has donated a copy of the book with a cd of the Hours and tickets to The Hours at the Met to the silent auction and Franck Conrad Birthday Party at the Train Station in Wilkinsburg just a few blocks from where broadcasting began on Penn Avenue in Wilkinsburg on May 4th from 1 till 4pm. With multiple contributions from experts in the field of music and wellness and over 540 pages, she spoke of her long exploration of the growing field. Renee Fleming also talked about her visit to Chautauqua on July 27th, 2024 and her work in putting together a week at Chautauqua on the Transformative Power of Music which includes a Monday morning lecture she will give in the Amphitheater. Renee Fleming speaks about her work with broadcasting on PBS, her family ties in Western Pennsylvania dating back to her birthplace in Indiana, PA and other family in Coraopolis, her husband from Pittsburgh and her brother-in-law, Harry Jessell, who was the Editor of Broadcasting Magazine and now serves on the board of the Museum of Broadcasting in Pittsburgh.

Pianist and musicologist Robert Levin with the Academy of Ancient Music discusses with Jim Cunningham the 30 year project to record the complete Mozart Piano Concertos with original instruments and multiple pianos. Robert Levin explains which new additions to the set involved his research and completions. Robert explains how improvisations were added that resemble the technique of jazz players like Art Tatum, He also remembers his colleague Christopher Hogwood, describes the extra detail for notes and art with the packaging of each hard bound booklet, and suggests why classical radio has spotlight hours of Mozart. He remembers his own experience as a dj with a good reason why listeners should help out during the fundraising drives.

Reverend Dr. Shelia Johnson-Hunt sat down with WQED-FM's Anna Singer to talk about the City Wide Revival on May 7th and 8th at Petra International Ministries. This event includes multiple styles of African American music, dance, preaching, and much more. This free event will also feature Bishop Lisa Weah and Elder Justin Hunt from Baltimore, MD. Dr. Hunt talked about her three compositions that will be featured in this program, including her Billboard Single Hit, "Freedom", her musical family, and her background. This event and interview are part of WQED's Gospel programming that highlights local concerts in the Western Pennsylvania area.

Jim Cunningham spoke with broadcasting legend Susie Barbour about the National Museum of Broadcasting event on Saturday May 4th from 1-4pm at the Wilkinsburg Train Station celebrating the 150th birthday of Frank Conrad. The event includes birthday festivities, music by DJ Sims, a silent auction, historical displays, broadcast personalities, the beautifully restored train station and more! The key presentation will be an engaging panel with distinguished broadcasters, past and present — Jack Bogut, Sally Wiggin and Bill Flanagan—moderated by our own Jim Cunningham!

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World renowned pianist, composer, and recording artist, John Bayless, and award-winning director, Stewart M. Schulman, spoke live with Anna Singer about their new documentary, Left Alone Rhapsody, that will have its Pittsburgh premiere as a part of the Jewish Film Festival's opening night on Thursday May 2nd at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. Left Alone Rhapsody chronicles John Bayless's rise from a young musical prodigy to an internationally renowned recording artist, and his courageous struggle post-stroke to reinvent himself. The gala will include a screening of the film, a live Q&A with John and Stewart, a live performance by John, and a dessert reception. Charitable proceeds benefit Film Pittsburgh and the John Bayless Fund for Brain Research. John discusses his struggles after his stroke and reminisces about his 2006 album, The Puccini Album: Arias for Piano. Visit https://filmpittsburgh.org/films/left-alone-rhapsody to learn more about the film and find tickets for Thursday night.

Director Andy Hickly and Board Treasurer and Production Manager, Lynette Garlan, from the Pittsburgh Savoyards discuss their upcoming production of Sleeping Beauty at the Margaret Partee Performing Arts Center May 3rd to 11th. Andy talks about his adaptation of the well-known fairytale, and how he decided to focus on the love story between Rose and her Princeling. Lynette also highlights an art reception on May 19th from 3 to 5 pm in Bellevue to showcase 3 Savoyard visual artists. She then leaks the Savoyards upcoming 87th season starting this summer with A Flea in Her Ear and ending with HMS Pinafore in March of 2025. Visit https://pittsburghsavoyards.org/ to learn more about their upcoming events and find tickets for Sleeping Beauty.