Podcasts

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: This ensemble may be NYC-based, but it has Fort Worth ties

Sahun Sam Hong is the pianist and Executive Director of NYC-based chamber music collective Ensemble132, but TCU can also claim him as their own: As one of the school’s notable alumni, he graduated in 2011 at the age of 16. WRR’s Kurt Rongey had an opportunity to speak with two members of the group about… Read more »

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Ofra Harnoy’s lost (and found) Abbey Road session

“We recorded it in 1996 and then companies changed hands and I don’t really know what happened,” explains cellist Ofra Harnoy, in reference to her Abbey Road recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, which was recently found after nearly 27 years. Get the details in this feature with WRR’s Amy Bishop.

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Why this Mozart concerto is dear to Alessio Bax’s heart

“Every Mozart concerto is an absolute gem and they’re all different from one another in different ways,” says pianist Alessio Bax. “This one is very dear to me because it is actually the one piece that made me fall in love with the piano.” Bax revisits Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 with the Dallas Symphony… Read more »

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Superstar soprano Hila Plitmann returns with the Dallas Winds

“There was something in the joy – this kind of utter joy that I was finding in the silence of meditation and of going inwardly thatwas coming through, and it started with lyrics and melodies, and then this whole thing came about,” explains soprano Hila Plitmann, describing her composition, “In this Circle,” which she’ll perform… Read more »

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Christmas with the Orpheus Chamber Singers

“Whenever I’m asked about this Christmas tradition, I kind of light up, because it’s such an important one – certainly to Orpheus – but it’s a hugely important one in our community,” says J.D. Burnett, Artistic Director for Dallas-based Orpheus Chamber Singers. Their annual Christmas program has been a beloved tradition for North Texans for… Read more »

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: How these little trains make a huge impact every Christmas in Dallas

“I honestly think that when the Trains open, it tells you that the holidays are approaching,” says Jill Cumnock, CEO of the Ronald McDonald House of Dallas. Since 1987, The Trains at NorthPark have raised more than $18 million in support of the Ronald McDonald House, a non-profit providing a home and services for families… Read more »

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Another Dallas Opera world premiere by the ‘Dream Team’

“For an opera that sounds really challenging to present, they’ve done some wonderful creative opportunities in what you’re going to see visually… but it’s also just a story of great determination and inspiration,” explains Ian Derrer, The Dallas Opera’s Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, describing the creative team behind The Diving Bell and the… Read more »

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: New ballet ‘Nightmare Before Nutcracker’ premieres in Richardson in time for Halloween

“Anybody who likes The Nutcracker is going to see a lot of elements in it… this is a darker rendition of those elements,” says Geoff Henley, author and producer of Nightmare Before Nutcracker, a new ballet premiering in Richardson. In this feature, he chats with WRR’s Amy Bishop about the unique story of a ballerina… Read more »

Verdigris concert combines AI with music to advocate for Texas’ endangered species

“We want to inspire action,” says Sam Brukhman, founder and Artistic Director of Dallas-based Verdigris Ensemble. “And that action, in this particular case, is the conservation of our ecosystem and how important our environment is within the context of the City of Dallas – and what we need to do to be able to preserve… Read more »