Wrcj In-studio Guests

Cecelia Sharpe speaks with Kenneth Thompkins, Principal Trombone of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in this extended interview originally from her February episode of "Live With C Sharpe".

In a historic concert in Genoa Italy, Detroit native Regina Carter was the first African American and jazz musician invited to perform on Nicolo Paginini’s 200 year-old Guarneri violin. Photo Attribution: Brianmcmillen, CC BY-SA 4.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

BEA 2020 Community Involvement - Detroit Memorial Day by WRCJ 90.9 FM

BEA 2020 Marketing - Jader Bignimini Promo 3 by WRCJ 90.9 FM

BEA 2020 Marketing - Musical Guests by WRCJ 90.9 FM

BEA 2020 Musical Programming - Beethoven Week by WRCJ 90.9 FM

BEA 2020 Feature/Use of Medium - Kaleidoscope by WRCJ 90.9 FM

Like all musicians, Chicago-based violinist Rachel Barton Pine isn’t doing the things to which she is most-accustomed these days. But her new digital project, 24 in 24 is exploring her favorite masterworks in new ways. Rachel speaks with WRCJ’s Peter Whorf…

WRCJ remembers the late Mike Whorf, longtime Detroit radio host of the award-winning series “Kaleidoscope.” This holiday edition from 1997 explores the life of George Frederick Handel and the writing of “Messiah.”

WRCJ’s Peter Whorf speaks with International Symphony Orchestra executive director Anthony Wing about their new digital series. Wing begins their conversation recalling the ensemble’s initial post-Covid response...

After a decades-long career with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Detroit Symphony Orchestras, violinist Joseph Striplin recently retired from the DSO. WRCJ’s Peter Whorf speaks with the current Grosse Pointe Symphony Orchestra maestro about the next chapter in his musical life, and the beginning of his path to the violin...

Nearly 200 years after Beethoven (1770-1827)wrote the Grosse Fuge, his fiendishly difficult masterpiece for string quartet still sounds fresh and contemporary. Photo: Ludwig-beethoven.jpg - Wikimedia Commons

Mack the Knife by Kurt Weill (1900-1950), one of the most popular songs of the 20th century, has its origins in The Beggar’s Opera by John Gay (1685-1732), one of the most popular plays of the 18th century. Photo of Kurt Weill: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/05/Bundesarchiv_Bild_146-2005-0119%2C_Kurt_Weill.jpg Bundesarchiv, Bild 146-2005-0119 / CC-BY-SA 3.0 / CC BY-SA 3.0 DE (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/de/deed.en)

The composer/pianist Dave Brubeck (1920-2012) was mentored by French composer Darius Milhaud (1892-1974), who taught Brubeck to take creative risks, and encouraged him to play jazz. Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bc/Dave_Brubeck_%281964%29.jpg Jac. de Nijs / Anefo / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0

Bebop saxophonist Charlie Parker (1920-1955) admired the music of Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) and incorporated some of Stravinsky’s music into his jazz solos. Stravinsky respected the music of Charlie Parker, too. Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/82/Portrait_of_Charlie_Parker_in_1947.jpg Attribution: William P. Gottlieb / Public domain

The Concerto for Orchestra, one of the last works of Bela Bartok (1881-1945), quotes Symphony No. 7 “Leningrad" of Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975), in what appears to be a jeering parody of Shostakovich’s theme. Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/66/Bart%C3%B3k_B%C3%A9la_1927.jpg Public domain

Both Alexander Scriabin (1872-1915) and Sun Ra (1914-1933) were “out of this world,” by way of being influenced by the cosmos. Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Skrjabin_Alexander.jpg Public domain

JS Bach’s (1685-1750) brilliant masterwork The Art of Fugue, is adaptable to many different instruments, and even today, more than 300 years after it was written, remains fresh, interesting and astonishing in its complexity. Photo: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Johann_Sebastian_Bach.jpg Attribution: Elias Gottlob Haussmann / Public domain

Chick Corea (b. 1941) is one of the most versatile and innovative artists gracing concert stages today. Photo Attribution: Tore Sætre / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)

Mozart’s (1756-1791) brilliant Clarinet Concerto in A Major is a testament to the friendship and enduring respect he felt for the clarinetist Anton Stadler (1753-1812.)