Robert Schultz and Tina Faigen – Music for Food

Husband and wife team, Robert Schultz and Tina Faigen, spoke with Jim Cunningham about their upcoming Food for Music concert featuring the music of Robert Schultz on Saturday, March 23rd at 3pm at the James Laughlin Music Center on Chatham University’s campus. This concert is the third installment of Schultz, Faigen and Friends concert series that raises donations to the Pittsburgh Food Bank. Tina performs two piano solo pieces by Robert, Arabesque Op. 57 and Veiled Op. 58 in WQED-FM’s studio. Robert and Tina discuss the program that features recently written work by Robert which showcases Yeeha Chiu on the piano, Mark Carver on the piano, Peggy Greb on the flute, and Walter Morales on the piano. Tina highlights how colorful and rich in depth Robert’s new pieces are, and Robert highlights his influences by Debussy and modern romantic Russian composers. They also discuss their continued tradition of the concert series and the community they built with the Edgewood Symphony Orchestra. Visit https://chatham.edu/events/ to learn more.

Arnie Tanimoto – Chatham Baroque

Gold medalist and first-ever American laureate of the 7th International Bach-Abel Competition, viola de gamba player Arnie Tanimoto discusses with Anna Singer about his upcoming concert with Parker Ramsey on Friday April 5th and Saturday April 6th. Arnie highlights the program that includes 17th and 18th century French and German music that showcases the viola de gamba. The first half of the concert will concentrate on works composed by Marin Marais, and the second half will focus on his influence on Bach’s music. Arnie also talks about his beautiful commissioned instrument based on a model from the 17th century, his transition from modern cello to the viola de gamba, and how Arnie and Parker first starting playing together as a duo. To learn more about the concerts and find tickets, visit chathambaroque.org.

Andrew Fouts – Chatham Baroque Joy of Bach

Co-artistic director and baroque violinist with Chatham Baroque, Andrew Fouts, discussed live with Jim Cunningham about Chatham Baroque’s upcoming annual celebration of Bach. This concert, The Joy of Bach, features bass-baritone Jonathan Woody, oboist Kathryn Montoya, violist Daniel Elyar, violinist Paul Miller, cellist Rebecca Humphrey Diederich, bassist J. Tracy Mortimore, harpsichord and organist Justin Wallace, and an organ prelude by Alan Lewis. The concert will be at the Calvary Episcopal Church on Friday, March 15th and Saturday, March 16th. Andrew highlights this large group for the concert, the program they will be performing, including the Brandenburg Concerto No. 6, and the controversy surrounding Bach’s birthday in March. Visit chathambaroque.org to learn more and find tickets.

David Korevaar – Piano Quintets

Pianist and Distinguished Professor at the University of Colorado Boulder, David Korevaar, discusses with Anna Singer his newly released CD, Piano Quintets, that features pieces by Luigi Perrachio and Mario Castelnuovo-Tedesco with the Carpe Diem String Quartet. This CD includes a world premiere recording of Perrachio’s Quintet for 2 Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano and Tedesco’s Quintet No. 1 in F Major for 2 Violins, Viola, Cello and Piano Op. 69. David highlights how he found an original, unpublished manuscript of Perrachio’s Quintet in Turin, Italy while conducting extensive research on the composer. David also remembers the start of this project with the Carpe Diem String Quartets, Charles “Chas” Wetherbee who passed away from cancer in early 2023. David’s next project is recording all of Beethoven’s Sonatas which will no doubt take him a while. Listen to WQED-FM to hear David Korevaar’s Piano Quintet CD or find it online.

Monteze Freeland and Howard Patterson – FAT HAM City Theatre

Director and co-artistic director at City Theatre, Monteze Freeland, and sound designer, Howard Patterson, discuss City Theatre’s performance of Pulitzer Prize winning Broadway play, FAT HAM. Written by James Ijames, FAT HAM is a modern revamp of Shakespeare’s Hamlet set at a backyard family cookout as Juicy (Hamlet) grapples with avenging his father’s death. This dark comedy examines love, loss, and a particular set of daddy issues. Monteze and Howard discuss their approach to creating Juicy’s world and the impact of a play that centers on a black queer man. Monteze highlights the strength of the cast and crew in creating a safe environment for this play to thrive, while Howard touches upon representation in theatre in Pittsburgh. FAT HAM opens tonight, March 8th and will run until March 24th. This production was co-produced with TheatreSquared in Fayetteville, Arkansas. Visit https://citytheatrecompany.org/play/fat-ham/ to learn more and find tickets.

Warren Davidson Live – Academy String Quartet

Violist with the Academy String Quartet, Warren Davidson, discussed with Jim Cunningham live on the morning show about the Quartet’s upcoming concerts in the Pittsburgh region. The first concert of Dances and Madrigals will be this Sunday, March 10th at 4 pm at the Central Presbyterian Church in Tarentum. Other concerts include Thursday March 14th, Friday March 15th, and Sunday April 21st. The Quartet includes members Jorie Butler-Geyer and Leah Givelber, violins, Warren Davidson, viola, and Cecilia Caughman, cello. Warren and Jim discussed the program that includes Haydn’s String Quartet in G Major, Op 64. and Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-Flat Op. 12 that was written when he was only 19. They also listened to some of the Quartet’s previously recorded songs, including Vaughan Williams’ Rhosymedre recorded in our studios! Visit WQED’s Cultural Calendar to see all of the Academy String Quartet’s concerts.

Daniel Nesta Curtis – Pittsburgh Philharmonic

Music Director and Conductor of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic, Daniel Nesta Curtis, discusses the Philharmonic’s upcoming concert, Orchestral Carnival, on Saturday, March 16th at 4 pm at The Greater Pittsburgh Masonic Center. Daniel highlights this colorful program that features Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, Haydn’s “The Clock” Symphony, and a performance of the Elgar Concerto for Cello and Orchestra by soloist Nathan Choe. Nathan was the winner of the Pittsburgh Philharmonic’s 2023 Lorraine Lippert Concerto Competition and had blown away the judges with his sensitive rendition of Elgar’s Cello Concerto. Daniel discusses Nathan’s impressive CV as the principal cellist with the Pittsburgh Youth Symphony Orchestra, the details of the Concerto Competition, and the closing performance of the Philharmonic’s season in May that features a new composition by the 2024 Pittsburgh Philharmonic Young Composers’ Competition winner. Visit https://pghphil.org/ to learn more and find tickets.

Nanette Kaplan Solomon and John McCarthy – Tuesday Musical Club

Pianist Nanette Kaplan Solomon and violist John McCarthy came to the studio to perform a piece from their upcoming Tuesday Musical Club concert on Tuesday, March 12th at 1 pm at Rodef Shalom’s Levy Hall. The program, “Hummel Along”, features Chamber Music of Johann Nepomuk Hummel, including his unusual arrangement of his Septet in D Minor for piano, winds and strings. Nanette and John play live another piece in the program, Hummel’s 3rd Movement of Sonata for Viola and Piano, Op 5, No. 3. John discusses his love for Hummel’s music, and his desire to create a program around it. John also talks about his performances in the pitt at the Benedum Center. This is a free concert with a livestream. Visit https://www.tuesdaymusicalclub.org/ to learn more.