Classical Conversations

Jeni Slotchiver: American Heritage

29 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Pianist Jeni Slotchiver joins Brad Cresswell for an engaging conversation about her new album American Heritage, a survey of piano music "From the Civ...

Kathryn Lewek and Zach Borichevsky: Duets and Drinks

26 Jan 2021

Contributed by Lukas

Soprano Kathryn Lewek and tenor Zach Borichevsky, stars of opera around the world and familiar to Toledo Opera audiences, join Brad Cresswell for a so...

Carolyn Surrick and Ronn McFarlane: Fermi's Paradox

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Viola da gambist Carolyn Surrick and lutenist Ronn McFarlane talk about their new recording Fermi's Paradox, a project born of the pandemic, when both...

Matt Haimovitz: Mon Ami Mon Amour

17 Dec 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Cello luminary Matt Haimovitz takes us behind the scenes of his new French album, Mon Ami Mon Amour (My Friend My Love). Recorded with pianist Mari Ko...

Andrew Crust and the Lima Symphony Orchestra

20 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

WGTE's Brad Cresswell speaks with conductor Andrew Crust, newly-appointed Music Director of the Lima Symphony Orchestra. Currently the Associate Condu...

Ricky Ian Gordon: Ellen West

06 Nov 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Ricky Ian Gordon is without a doubt one of our greatest living composers for the human voice. His songs have been performed and recorded by many star ...

Michael Shapiro: Frankenstein

30 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Just in time for Halloween, composer/conductor Michael Shapiro joins Haley Taylor to talk about his movie score for the classic film Frankenstein (193...

Stephen Powell: American Composers At Play

23 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Baritone Stephen Powell is a revered veteran of the world's opera stages, but in his debut solo album American Composers At Play, he brings his powerf...

Anna Clyne: Mythologies

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Born in London and now residing mainly in the US, Grammy-nominated composer Anna Clyne has been championed by many prominent conductors and orchestras...

Osvaldo Golijov: Falling Out of Time

22 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Composer Osvaldo Golijov joins us for a conversation about his compelling song cycle Falling Out of Time, based on the novel of the same name by David...

Elyse Anne Kakacek: Biblical Songs

15 Oct 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The young American soprano Elyse Anne Kakacek joins us to discuss her new album Formless: The Biblical Songs of Antonin Dvořák. Inspirational in bot...

Sarah Kirkland Snider: Mass for the Endangered

30 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider joins us to talk about her new release, Mass for the Endangered. With an evocative libretto by poet Nathaniel Bellows, ...

Grossman Ensemble: Fountain of Time

23 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

We're joined by composer Augusta Read Thomas, featured guest for this year's New Music Festival at Bowling Green State University and a longtime force...

Celebrating Willis Patterson (Part One)

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is part one of a two-part podcast. For part two, visit this link: https://www.wgte.org/radio/podcasts/classical-conversations/celebrating-willis-...

Celebrating Willis Patterson (Part Two)

17 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

This is part two of a two-part podcast. For part one, visit this link: https://www.wgte.org/radio/podcasts/classical-conversations/celebrating-willis-...

Simone Dinnerstein: A Character of Quiet

11 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein first came to prominence in 2007, when she self-produced a landmark recording of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. Now she join...

Classical Conversations: Liminal Highway

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Composer Christopher Cerrone and flutist Tim Munro join Brad Cresswell for a chat about their new album Liminal Highway, inspired by the poetry of the...

Live from FM 91: Anita Graef

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The young dynamic cellist Anita Graef joins us virtually from her home in Chicago for conversation about her career and music by J.S. Bach and Giusepp...

Classical Conversations: Osmo Vänskä

04 Sep 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Conductor and Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra Osmo Vänskä joins Brad Cresswell for a conversation about his career and his new recording o...

Kim Portnoy: Caprice

13 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The St. Louis-based composer, arranger, jazz pianist and educator Kim Portnoy joins us by phone to chat about his versatile new album Caprice. The rec...

Ethel Smyth's Prison

07 Aug 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Haley Taylor welcomes conductor James Blachly (pictured) to preview his new album of British composer Dame Ethel Smyth’s 1930 masterwork, The Prison...

Augustin Hadelich: Bohemian Tales

31 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Musical America’s 2018 "Instrumentalist of the Year," Augustin Hadelich is easily one of the premier violinists of our time. In this conversation wi...

William Berger: Opera and Film

29 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrated author, commentator, and Metropolitan Opera radio producer William Berger returns to talk about his follow up seminar to The Epic of Opera,...

Lorelei Ensemble: Love Fail

24 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special video interview, composer David Lang and conductor Beth Willer join WGTE's Brad Cresswell via Zoom to talk about the Lorelei Ensemble'...

PBO & Caroline Shaw

16 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In 2013 Caroline Shaw became the youngest person ever to win the Pulitzer Prize in music, which established her as one of America's foremost living co...

Sharon Isbin: Affinity and Strings for Peace

15 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

World-renowned guitarist Sharon Isbin takes us on a personal tour of her two latest albums: Affinity and Strings for Peace. Affinity is loaded with wo...

Inbal Segev: Anna and Edward

10 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The wonderful and always engaging cellist Inbal Segev joins us to talk about her latest album, which pairs one of the most famous concertos in the cel...

Jacob Cooper: Terrain

08 Jul 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Composer Jacob Cooper joins us to preview his new album from Amsterdam Records, called Terrain. In this three-part song collection (which features voc...

Michael Shapiro: Archangel

30 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Composer, pianist, and conductor Michael Shapiro joins us to talk about the music on his latest disc, including his John Milton-inspired piano concert...

UT Chamber Singers: Color Madrigals

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special edition of WGTE in Concert, we feature the University of Toledo Chamber Singers under the direction Dr. Bradley Pierson. Composer Josh...

Whateverandeveramen: Songs of Fatherhood

18 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

In this special edition of WGTE in Concert, we feature the vocal project Whateverandeveramen, under the direction Dr. Bradley Pierson. Composer David ...

Shai Wosner: Schubert in the Age of Covid-19

10 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Pianist Shai Wosner has garnered a reputation for digging beneath the surface of his musical subjects to reveal hidden treasures and insightful connec...

Sam Pluta: Lines on Black

05 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Chicago-based composer, electronics performer, and sound artist Sam Pluta takes us through his new album with the Wet Ink Ensemble, Glossolalia​/​...

Niv Ashkenazi: Violins of Hope

03 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Violin virtuoso Niv Ashkenazi joins us to talk about Violins of Hope, an artistic and educational project composed of instruments that were owned by J...

William Berger: The Epic of Opera

01 Jun 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Celebrated author, commentator, and Metropolitan Opera radio producer William Berger is presenting a two week, eight part webinar series on the wonder...

Michael Whalen: Sacred Spaces

15 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Emmy® award-winning composer Michael Whalen is a veteran of more than 800 TV and film scores, thousands of commercials and numerous TV themes and vid...

The Crossing: Anonymous Man and Carthage

08 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Conductor Donald Nally joins us to talk about two new albums from his Grammy-winning chamber choir The Crossing: composer Michael Gordon's Anonymous M...

Lara St. John: Key of A

04 May 2020

Contributed by Lukas

WGTE's Haley Taylor checks in with violinist Lara St. John (a "high-powered soloist" according to the New York Times). Lara's new album is Key of A - ...

yMusic Ensemble: Ecstatic Science

15 Apr 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Founded in Brooklyn in 2008, the yMusic Ensemble has collaborated with the likes of Paul Simon, Bon Iver, and Ben Folds. They've also commissioned num...

Ola Gjeilo: Night

09 Mar 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Norwegian-born, New York-based composer Ola Gjeilo is well-known for his many beautiful choral works. In his new album Night, Ola turns his attention ...

Nadia Shpachenko: The Poetry of Places

03 Feb 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Fresh off her Grammy Award win for Best Classical Compendium, pianist Nadia Shpachenko joins us to showcase the winning album, called The Poetry of Pl...

Miró Quartet: Beethoven Cycle

31 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The internationally-acclaimed Miró Quartet have finally released their entire cycle of Beethoven String Quartets (all 8 1/2 hours!) on the Pentatone ...

String Orchestra of Brooklyn: Afterimage

28 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The String Orchestra of Brooklyn has released their debut album, called afterimage. It features two exquisitely soulful works written for the orchestr...

Paul Merkelo: The Enlightened Trumpet

23 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Trumpet virtuoso (and principal of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra) Paul Merkelo has a new recording out on Sony Classical, which features stand-out p...

Carr-Petrova Duo: Novel Voices

07 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

The Carr-Petrova Duo (violist Molly Carr and pianist Anna Petrova) discuss their debut album from Melos Records, Novel Voices. Inspired by their Novel...

Black Oak Ensemble: Silenced Voices

03 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Two members of the Chicago-based Black Oak Ensemble, cellist David Cunliffe and violist Aurélien Fort Pederzoli, joins us for a conversation about th...

Rachel Barton Pine: Dvorak and Khachaturian Violin Concertos

03 Jan 2020

Contributed by Lukas

Star violinist Rachel Barton Pine joins Haley Taylor for a conversation about her Music by Black Composers project, and her new album from Avie Record...

Third Coast Percussion: Fields

31 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Percussionist/composer David Skidmore, co-founder of the Grammy Award-winning, Chicago-based percussion quartet Third Coast Percussion, discusses thei...

Derek Bermel: Migrations

17 Dec 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Haley Taylor talks with Grammy nominated composer and clarinetist Derek Bermel about his new album Migrations. The album includes his Migration Series...

Angèle Dubeau: Pulsations

27 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Listeners are well acquainted with the violinist Angèle Dubeau and her ensemble La Pieta through their many recordings. The latest entry in her disco...

Margaret Batjer: Violin Concertos Old and New

15 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Violinist/concertmaster Margaret Batjer celebrates 20 years with the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra by releasing a new album of violin works, including...

Neave Trio: Her Voice

14 Nov 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Boston-based Neave Trio (violinist Anna Williams; cellist Mikhail Veselov; pianist Eri Nakamura) have released a wonderful new album of music by t...

New York Polyphony: Lamentationes

24 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The Grammy-nominated early music vocal quartet New York Polyphony has released an album of remarkable sacred works from the Spanish renaissance. Entit...

Donnacha Dennehy: The Hunger

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Irish composer Donnacha Dennehy takes us on a deep dive into his docu-oratorio The Hunger, inspired by Ireland's Great Famine (1845-52). At once devas...

Jeffrey Biegel: A Pianist's Journey

18 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Star pianist Jeffrey Biegel is in town to channel the spirit of the late, great Liberace with the Toledo Symphony this weekend! Listen to his extended...

Sharon Isbin: Souvenirs of Spain and Italy

17 Oct 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Grammy-winning guitarist (and Musical America's 2020 Instrumentalist of the Year) Sharon Isbin joins us to preview her new album Souvenirs of Spain an...

John Lunn: Downton Abbey

20 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

John Lunn has scored a number of British TV dramas, none of them more famous than the BBC/PBS hit Downton Abbey. Now, as the film version is released ...

Becky and David Starobin: The Thirteenth Child

19 Sep 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Becky and David Starobin, librettists for The Thirteenth Child, join us for the backstory on the latest opera from Danish composer Poul Ruders (pictur...

Camerata Chicago: The Four Seasons

30 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Drostan Hall, music director of Camerata Chicago, joins us to talk about the ensemble's latest release: an"educational" version of Antonio Vivaldi's F...

Augustin Hadelich: Brahms and Ligeti

23 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Augustin Hadelich has released a masterful new album which pairs the concertos of two unlikely bedfellows: Johannes Brahms and György Ligeti. The pow...

Partch Ensemble: Sonata Dementia

16 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

John Schneider, radio personality and music director of the Los Angeles-based Partch Ensemble introduces us to the wild and wooly world of American ma...

Anna Shelest: Donna Voce

02 Aug 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The latest album from Anna Shelest is an inspired compendium of solo piano selections by female composers spanning the 19th through the 21st centuries...

Anthony and Demarre McGill: Winged Creatures

18 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Anthony McGill (principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic) and his brother Demarre McGill (principal flute of the Seattle Symphony) have release...

Jason Vieaux: Leshnoff Concerto

13 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Grammy Award-winning classical guitarist Jason Vieaux joins us to preview his new (world premiere!) recording of American composer Jonathan Leshnoff’...

Yolanda Kondonassis: American Rapture

13 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Harpist extraordinaire Yolanda Kondonassis and Rochester Philharmonic Music Director Ward Stare join us to preview their new album, American Rapture f...

Katarzyna Musial: My Spanish Heart

12 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Polish-born, Canadian based pianist Katarzyna Musial joins us to talk about her latest album, My Spanish Heart. Including works by Manuel de Falla, Is...

Roman Rabinovich: The Haydn Project

11 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pianist Roman Rabinovich has been garnering praise all over the globe for his Haydn Project, in which he plans to perform and record all 62 of Joseph ...

Gernot Wolfgang: Vienna and the West

10 Jun 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Grammy-nominated composer Gernot Wolfgang talks about his new album Vienna and the West – a jazz-influenced collection of chamber music performed by...

Craig Swanson: The French Suite Kit

25 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pianist/composer Craig Swanson joins us to talk about his fascinating project The French Suite Kit, which presents the music of Bach in a unique fashi...

Lara Downes: Holes in the Sky

23 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Pianist Lara Downes joins Haley Taylor for a discussion of her new album, Holes in the Sky - a star-studded collection of female artists which pays tr...

NIgel Burgoine: The White Crow

17 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Artistic Director of Ballet Theatre of Toledo Nigel Burgoine joins us to talk about his work with the great Rudolf Nureyev - who is the subject of a n...

Ilan Eshkeri: The White Crow

09 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

British film composer Ilan Eshkeri joins us to talk about his third collaboration with actor/director Ralph Feinnes, The White Crow. The film tells th...

Avi and Omer: Avital Meets Avital

09 May 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Mandolin virtuoso Avi Avital and jazz bassist Omer Avital join Haley Taylor for a conversation about their high-powered collaborative album Avital Mee...

Matthew Lipman: Ascent

24 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The young, American violist Matthew Lipman joins us to preview his new album Ascent – which features a wide variety of works for viola, including th...

Dennis Russell Davies at 75

16 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Legendary conductor, pianist, and Toledo native Dennis Russell Davies joins Brad Cresswell for a wide-ranging discussion about growing up in Toledo, h...

Kirill Gerstein: Busoni Piano Concerto

12 Apr 2019

Contributed by Lukas

At more than 70 minutes, Ferruccio Busoni's wildly inventive Piano Concerto stands as a holy grail of the repertoire – a tour-de-force of virtuousit...

Philippe Quint and Marta Aznavoorian: Chaplin's Smile

28 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Violinist Philippe Quint and pianist Marta Aznavoorian team up (with guest Joshua Bell) for a rich compendium of tunes by the legendary filmmaker Char...

Sarah Cahill: The Future is Female

21 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

One of contemporary music's brightest lights, pianist Sarah Cahill is presenting her provocative program "The Future is Female" at the Detroit Institu...

Hee-Young Lim: French Cello Concertos

20 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Cellist Hee-Young Lim was (at age 15) the youngest student ever accepted to Korean National University. Afterward, she attended Boston's New England C...

Reiko Füting: Distant Song

14 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

German-born composer Reiko Füting writes highly unique music with a social conscience, that maintains an awareness of the past while looking to the f...

Paula Poundstone Returns

07 Mar 2019

Contributed by Lukas

You know her from the NPR News Quiz Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me! The one and only Paula Poundstone returns to Toledo on March 15 for an appearance at t...

Joyce DiDonato: Songplay

25 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Opera star Joyce DiDonato joins us to talk about and sample her new album Songplay, which delightfully mixes jazz, Latin, and tango rhythms into arran...

Rachel Barton Pine: Blues Dialogues

15 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine surveys her groundbreaking album of blues-influenced classical works for solo violin and violin and piano by 20th and 21s...

Morten Lauridsen: Light Eternal

08 Feb 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Morten Lauridsen is the country's most-performed choral composer and with over 200 albums containing his work, one of the most recorded. He joins us t...

Amit Peled: Bach Cello Suites

18 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Since 2012, Israeli-born cellist Amit Peled has famously played the 1733 Matteo Goffriller cello formerly owned by the great cellist Pablo Casals. For...

Neave Trio: Celebrating Piazzolla

18 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

The last time we spoke with the Nieve Trio (violinist Anna Williams, cellist Mikhail Veselov and pianist Eri Nakamura), it was French Moments, which p...

Benjamin Appl: Bach

11 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Emerging star baritone Benjamin Appl, fresh off his U.S. recital debut, introduces his new album of arias and songs by his countryman Johann Sebastian...

Fischer Duo: Brahms

04 Jan 2019

Contributed by Lukas

Now going on their 48th year, the Fischer Duo (Norman Fischer and Jeanne Kierman Fischer) are celebrated around the world for their rich and thoughtfu...

Cally Banham: Cor Christmas

20 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Looking for a last minute stocking stuffer? Cally Banham, solo English Horn for the Saint Louis Symphony, has released a new album of Christmas favori...

Live from FM 91: DePue Brothers Christmas

13 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Two members of the ever-popular DePue Brothers Band (Alex and Zachary DePue) along with special guest Aria Curzon preview their upcoming Christmas Spe...

Seong-Jin Cho: Mozart

07 Dec 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Reigning Chopin Competition winner and piano superstar Seong-Jin Cho joins us for a preview of his latest album on Deutsche Grammophon, dedicated to t...

Anthony Roth Costanzo: ARC Glass/Handel

16 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

In his debut solo album, star countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo pairs two iconic composers: George Frederic Handel and Philip Glass. While the two m...

Kirill Gerstein: The Gershwin Moment

09 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Renowned pianist (and Toledo favorite) Kirill Gerstein chats up his new album The Gershwin Moment – which features classics like Rhapsody in Blue al...

Live from FM 91: Alain Trudel

02 Nov 2018

Contributed by Lukas

You may know Alain Trudel as the newly-minted Music Director of the Toledo Symphony, but he is also one of the world's most acclaimed trombonists. Ala...

Ellis Hall and the TSO

23 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

On Saturday, November 3, 2018 at 8 PM at the Stranahan Theater, protégé of Ray Charles and former lead singer of Tower of Power, Ellis Hall joins th...

Hilary Hahn: Bach Again

10 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Violinist Hilary Hahn made a big splash with her first recording at age 17: an album of the first three sonatas and partitas by J.S. Bach – some of ...

Harold Budd at TMA and BGSU

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Genre-defying artist and composer Harold Budd joins us in the studio to preview his weekend of performances and appearances at the Toledo Museum of Ar...

Llŷr Williams: Beethoven Unbound

05 Oct 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Welsh pianist Llŷr Williams joins us to preview his 12-CD box set Beethoven Unbound. Recorded live during his three-year Beethoven cycle of concerts ...

Tesla Quartet: Haydn, Ravel, Stravinsky

21 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Formed at The Juilliard School in 2008, the Tesla Quartet quickly established itself as one of the most promising young ensembles in New York. Some te...

News: Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts (TAPA)

19 Sep 2018

Contributed by Lukas

Toledo Symphony President Zak Vassar, Toledo Ballet Artistic Director Lisa Meyer-Lang, and Toledo Symphony Music Director Alain Trudel join us for a d...