I want to start this blog by recounting a story, and one that admittedly doesn’t portray me in the greatest possible light.  In the winter of 2018, I was made aware of a national hosting opportunity at APM/PRI’s Classical 24.  It wasn’t an ideal job, as it entailed working overnights (midnight – 6 am Central Time) three to four nights per week.  But that inconvenience came with extra pay, and the hope of eventually moving out of that shift to a more conventional time.  And, given that it was Classical 24, it … Continue Reading

Just a quick ramble here… My social media feeds have been inundated with Beethoven over the past several months, which is understandable given that the Big Man’s 250th birthday is coming up this December.  I’m seeing ads for concerts, new Beethoven recordings, and of course plenty of chatter about what classical radio stations are going to be doing to celebrate this momentous anniversary. How do I feel about Beethoven@250 on the radio?  Pretty simple: play all the Beethoven you want.  Do a symphony marathon.  Round up all those string quartets and piano … Continue Reading

Wow, it’s been a while.  Life/work has been very busy, but that’s no excuse for not pumping out a blog or two….or twenty. What has been so busy?  Well, at WFIU I’ve been expanding existing programs and creating new ones.  Our classical music service, produced at hosted by me, is called ClassicalWorks and has been getting modest carriage.  I wish I had more time and resources devoted to promoting it, but we’ll get there eventually.  I’d also like to get a website for the service up and running, but that’s proving to … Continue Reading

Almost two months ago, James Levine, after years of whispering and speculation, was finally accused publicly of sexual misconduct.  I already covered it.   In more recent weeks, Charles Dutoit has also been accused by several women of offense ranging from groping to flat-out rape.  And there’s understandably been a tremendous buzz in the classical radio world on just how to handle the accusations and recordings made by the accused. Last week I was interviewed by David C. Barnett of WCPN in Cleveland about this very thing.  You can read or listen to … Continue Reading