Voice of the Arts WQED Multimedia

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.