Help Us Select Music for Thanksgiving

This Thanksgiving, we want to know about the music for which you’re thankful. We’ve all got a piece of music that has significant meaning for us, and as we enter the holiday season, WXXI wants to hear from you. Perhaps you can name the song that played as your spouse walked down the aisle. Or consider if there is a piece that helped you through a challenging time. Maybe there’s even a specific composer or songwriter who always reminds you of a day spent at the lake, or cooking with family, or sharing lunch with a good friend. Whatever the piece, and whatever the reason, we want you to tell us what music you are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Send your selections to us by November 25. Then tune in to Classical 91.5 on Thanksgiving Thursday and Friday to hear yours and others’ stories and music of thanks.

Visit wxxi.org/thanks/

A Prairie Home Companion Trip Giveaway

A Prairie Home Companion is giving away four trips to see a live broadcast of the show from the Fitzgerald Theater St. Paul during the winter broadcast season.  During their weekend with A Prairie Home Companion, winners may sit in on a script rehearsal, eat supper backstage with the cast and crew, and then enjoy the live broadcast from preferred on stage seats at the Fitzgerald Theater. (A Prairie Home Companion airs Saturdays on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1 at 6 pm.

For more information and to enter, visit: wxxi.org/phc

New Jersey Symphony Orchestra

Tuesdays at 8 p.m.

Programs from the 2007-2008 season of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, airing Tuesdays at 8 p.m. beginning November 4 on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1, feature guest violinists Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Kyoko Takezawa, Karen Gomyo and Eric Wyrick, pianists Emanuel Ax, Mihaela Ursuleasa, Yefim Bronfman and many more. Neeme Järvi conducts most of the programs.

The 2007–08 season marks Neeme Järvi's third season as Music Director of the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra, a tenure highlighted by acclaimed performances that have delighted both critics and audiences alike. His engaging presence and masterful conducting have earned him the highest honors throughout the world and have won the hearts of his audiences. Järvi continues to champion new artists and has brought some of the brightest new stars in classical music to New Jersey’s concert halls, as well as presenting great artists with established reputations.

For more information, visit www.njsymphony.org.

Joseph Schwantner: Chasing Light

Friday, November 7 at 12 noon

In January 2007, the League of American Orchestras and Meet the Composer named former Eastman School of Music professor Joseph Schwantner the 2008-09 composer for the second cycle of the nation’s largest commissioning consortium of orchestras: Ford Made in America. Schwantner’s new work, entitled Chasing Light…, which received its world premiere with the Reno Chamber Orchestra in September 2008, will be performed by 58 orchestras, in all 50 states. WXXI's Brenda Tremblay hosts this special, which includes interviews with the composer and guitarist Sharon Isbin as well as major Schwantner works Beyond Autumn (1999) for horn and orchestra and From Afar ... a Fantasy for Guitar and Orchestra. Joseph Schwantner: Chasing Light airs Friday, November 7 at 12 noon on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1.

For more information, visit www.schwantner.net.

The Metropolitan Opera

Saturday, November 29 at 1 p.m.

The Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday matinee broadcasts are the longest-running continuous classical program in radio history. The 78th season of broadcasts kicks off with Berlioz’s La Damnation de Faust, a new production by Robert Lepage starring Marcello Giordani and Susan Graham and conducted by Music Director James Levine. The Metropolitan Opera airs Saturdays at 1 p.m. beginning November 29 on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1.*Please note: Start and end times vary depending upon the length of the opera. The first broadcast on 11/29 begins at 12:30 p.m.

Margaret Juntwait returns for her 5th season as announcer for the 22 broadcasts in the 2008-2009 season, and Ira Siff returns for his second season as commentator. The broadcasts feature a range of dynamic intermission features, live backstage interviews with artists, and the ever-popular Opera Quiz.

The Met: Live in HD, the company’s highly successful series of live opera transmissions into movie theaters around the world continues this season. In Rochester, the operas are showing at Regal Eastview (585-425-0420) and Tinseltown Theater's (800-326-3264). For more information please call the individual theater.

For a complete list of broadcasts, visit www.operainfo.org.

Gilmore International Keyboard Festival

Sunday, November 30 at 6 p.m.

The Gilmore International Keyboard Festival, airing Sundays at 6 p.m. beginning November 30 on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1, began in 1991 and spans nine days and nearly 50 events. This 13-week series of 1-hour programs takes listeners behind the scenes to meet the artists, and features performances by such luminaries as Mitsuko Uchida, Leon Fleisher, and Marc-André Hamelin, along with up-and-coming young musicians like 2008 Gilmore Young Artist Award winner Adam Golka.

The Gilmore's biennial Festival presents more than two weeks of astonishing keyboard performances across West Michigan – a Festival that celebrates the joy and power of music in concerts, recitals, chamber music performances, lectures, master classes, and film. Names of eminent international keyboard artists, jazz greats and contemporary stars fill the program book, and The Gilmore also showcases lesser-known artists who should be better known and young pianists who merit wide exposure.

For more information, visit www.thegilmoreiscoming.com.

Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

Wednesdays at 8 p.m.

Dennis Moore and Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) Music Director Andreas Delfs co-host this new season of concerts that promises to be an audience pleaser. Special guests this season include violinists Sarah Chang, Hilary Hahn and Leila Josefowicz, pianists Markus Groh, Adam Golka and Garrick Ohlson, and conductor Andrew Litton.

Since its inception in 1959, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra has consistently received critical acclaim for artistic excellence. Today, the MSO continues to reach new heights under the baton of the organization's fifth music director, Andreas Delfs. The MSO has performed on tour in Europe, Japan, and Cuba as well as Carnegie Hall and other venues around the United States.

As the largest cultural organization in Wisconsin, the MSO is considered one of the finest orchestras in the country, providing enrichment and educational activities for audiences of every age, economic status, and background. At home and on tour, the MSO performs over 120 Classics, Pops, Family, and Education concerts each season. Additionally, the MSO's 26 years of nationally-syndicated radio broadcasts rank among the nation's largest collections, and are heard on over 240 stations throughout the United States each year.

For more information, visit www.mso.org.

Houston Grand Opera

Saturdays at 1 p.m.

Hosted by Houston Grand Opera’s General Director Anthony Freud, WXXI-FM presents six operas from the 2007-2008 season. Recognized internationally for their artistic excellence and innovation, the Houston Grand Opera will present works by Verdi, Donizetti, Mozart, Benjamin Britten and the world premiere of The Refuge by Christopher Theofanidis. The Refuge tells the stories of extraordinary journeys by people from Houston's African, Central American, Mexican, Indian, Pakistani, Soviet-era Jewish, and Vietnamese communities. Houston Grand Opera airs Saturdays at 1 p.m. beginning October 18 on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1.

Since its inception in 1955, Houston Grand Opera (HGO) has swiftly grown from a small regional organization into an internationally renowned opera company. The company has a reputation for commissioning and producing new works, including 36 world premieres and six American premieres since 1973. In addition to producing and performing world-class opera, HGO contributes to the cultural enrichment of Houston and the nation through a diverse, innovative and balanced program of performances, events, community and education projects that reaches the widest possible public. HGO has toured extensively, including trips to Europe and Asia, and it is the only opera company to have won a Tony, two Grammy awards, and two Emmy awards. HGO’s performances are broadcast nationally and internationally.

For more information, visit www.houstongrandopera.org.

Live from Hochstein

Wednesdays at 12:10 p.m.

The new season of live performances from the Hochstein Memorial Music School performance hall in Rochester, NY. now has a new host. Chris Van Hof is ready to take the reins from temporary host Brenda Tremblay. The fall season features performances by the Kilbourn Saxophone quartet, Antara Winds, Eastman Horn Choir and Madrigalia. Live from Hochstein airs Wednesdays at 12:10 p.m. on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1.

Hochstein Recital Winners Concert

Wednesday, November 26 at 12:10 p.m.

Rochester's best young musicians come together for the Hochstein Recital Winners Concert on Wednesday, November 26 at 12:10 p.m. on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1. WXXI-FM listeners will have the privilege of hearing student performances featuring Youri Spindler, clarinet; Alexander Styk, violin; and Benjamin Hopkins, piano. This year’s concert was recorded April 10, 2008. WXXI's Chris Van Hof hosts.

The Live from Hochstein series returned October 22, 2008 with the first program featuring the Music Educator's Wind Band. This season features eight concerts, including Daniela Mineva and Wenqing Zhang, The Kilbourn Saxophone Quartet, Antara Winds, Corinne Stillwell and friends, The Hochstein Recital Winners Concert, Eastman Horn Choir and Cup of Good Cheer featuring Madrigalia.

WXXI's Brenda Tremblay started off in the hosting position this season, but WXXI-FM afternoon host Chris Van Hof has now taken the stage.

Live from Hochstein, the longest running live broadcast concert series in Western New York, broadcasts performances by the finest artists from the Rochester area’s musical community. The programs range from soloists and chamber ensembles to large orchestras and choirs. The broadcasts are presented as free "brown bag" concerts, where business people, teachers, families, musicians, and students can spend their lunch hour enjoying classical music performed by local artists.

For more information, visit wxxi.org/hochstein.

Backstage Pass with Andrew von Oeyen

Friday, November 21 at 1 p.m.

While in town to perform a furious, ferocious Totentanz of Franz Liszt with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, pianist Andrew von Oeyen joins host Julia Figueras between performances for Backstage Pass in WXXI's Studio E. Backstage Pass with Andrew von Oeyen airs Friday, November 21 at 1 p.m., repeating Sunday, November 23 at 2 p.m. on Classical 91.5/90.3/HD 91.5-1.

Andrew von Oeyen already has established himself as one of the most captivating pianists of his generation. Since his debut at age 17 with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mr. von Oeyen has performed to critical acclaim in recital and orchestral appearances around the world. He began his piano studies at age five and made his solo orchestral debut at age 10. An alumnus of Columbia University and graduate of The Juilliard School, his performances have been broadcast on National Public Radio and he has been a featured guest on NPR’s Performance Today. He appeared last season with the RPO performing Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.

For more information, visit wxxi.org/radio/fm/bsp.html.

Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival

Sundays at 6 p.m.

One of the world's leading performing arts festivals, The Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival is known for its enduring commitment to tradition, artistic excellence, innovation, and vision. Music to be heard each week reflects the Festival's varied repertoire. In addition to presenting the great classics of the chamber music repertoire, the series will also include some outstanding though lesser known works.

Some of the many musical selections heard during the 13 weeks will include:

-Beethoven's Quintet in E-flat Major for Piano & Winds, Op. 16 and String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135
- Mezzo-Soprano, Susanne Mentzer, sings songs by Alma Mahler & Clara Schumann
-Mendelssohn's Piano Trio in C Minor and Octet in E-Flat Major, Op. 20
-Messaien's Quartet for the End of Time
-Mozart's Divertimento No. 17 for Horns and Strings
-Tchaikovsky's Trio in A Minor, Op. 50 with Pinchas Zukerman, Gary Hoffman and Jon Kimura Parker

Performers not listed above include cellists, Lynn Harrell, David Finckel, Eric Kim, Ralph Kirshbaum, Peter Wiley and Amanda Forsyth; violist, Michael Tree; pianists Yefim Bronfman, Wu Han, Jon Nakamatsu and Yuja Wang; flutist, Tara Helen O'Connor; oboe players Allan Vogel and Liang Wang; the Orion String Quartet, and The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio.

For more information, visit www.sfcmf.org.

Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra

Mondays at 8 p.m.

Now in its 70th season the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra presents a wide repertoire of works, balancing masterpieces of the past with the most exciting modern musical compositions. The orchestra encourages Israeli composers by commissioning and performing their works. In addition to the music, the concerts include extensive commentary from Maestro Leon Botstein, soloists, and orchestra members.

For more information, visit www.jso.co.il/index-english.php.

RPO Chats Podcast

WXXI's Brenda Tremblay and RPO music director Christopher Seaman chat about RPO concerts.

Visit the podcast feed to listen or subscribe.

Read more about WXXI Podcasts.