Classic Ross Amico

Tag: Radio

WPRB’s Ross Amico Celebrates David Diamond

And now, for my next trick…

If you tune in tomorrow morning to WPRB 103.3 FM, you may encounter music by the following: George Antheil, Paul Ben-Haim, Boris Blacher, Percy Grainger, Joseph Holbrooke, Gordon Jacob, Gustav Mahler, Bohuslav Martinu, Gian Carlo Menotti, Carl Orff, Ottorino Respighi, George Rochberg, Jacob Weinberg, and Henryk Wieniawski – but I’m not sure, since I’m such a poor planner. However, they’re all in the box and ready to go, along with much else!

You will definitely hear David Diamond, since July 9th marks the 100th anniversary of his birth (though I see a couple of my colleagues have already played my favorite pieces, including the eternally fresh “Rounds for String Orchestra”).

Adrienne Sirken will drop by around 10:00 to tell us about the The Golandsky Institute Summer Symposium and International Piano Festival. There’s a full week of amazing music-making ahead, including appearances in Princeton by pianist Ilya Itin; tenor Alex Richardson, cellist Sophie Shao, and pianist Thomas Bagwell; the remarkable monk-pianist Father Seán Duggan; young artist Wei Luo; jazz legend Dick Hyman; and clarinetist Richard Stoltzman with Yehudi Wyner. Find out more right now at http://www.golandskyinstitute.org.

Hopefully it will be worth setting your alarm (and mine). Join me tomorrow morning, from 6 to 11 ET, at WPRB 103.3 FM or wprb.com.

When classes are out, Classic Ross Amico is in.

PHOTO: Nothing up my sleeve… PRESTO!

July 8, 2015
WWFM Anniversary & a Facebook Favor

Thank you so much for all of your well-wishes yesterday, in terms of my Facebook anniversary. I really appreciate all of your support. I enjoy being able to put together a little something every day, knowing that you’re out there, reading.

Sadly, today marks another anniversary: that of my last regular air shift at WWFM. As you may know, I anchored weekend mornings there for 18 ½ years. That was augmented with substitutions and, for a time, an expanded schedule. At its peak, I was pulling five shifts a week, Wednesday through Sunday, also writing and producing the Friday noon broadcast concerts.

Then the budget cuts came, and out of necessity the station went with a syndicated service out of Minnesota. Thankfully, finances have improved somewhat and live announcers again pepper the schedule, though I personally have only been back for perhaps two or three pledge drives. I do, however, continue to record my weekly syndicated shows, “Picture Perfect” and “The Lost Chord,” for which I am grateful, and produce special programs like the Scheide tribute, when asked. (If you missed it, you can listen to it here: http://wwfm.org/webcasts.shtml.)

I still do miss putting together the live shows. There’s really nothing quite like sharing music with an audience in real time. Also, a three- or four-hour shift allows plenty of opportunity to work on fun and/or illuminating themes and to share new discoveries. It leaves a bit of a hole in my life not to be able to do that. Hence, little diversions like the Facebook page, which I initiated last year on the eve of my last regular shift.

Which brings me to the point: I had thought about pushing for this as 2014 was winding down, but I’m a fairly laid-back guy, and I’m not all that comfortable with self-promoting. However, I’m guessing there must be at least 20 of you reading this page who have not yet “liked” it. Actually, I know that to be the case, because I see the numbers, and some days I’m getting well over 80 hits.

So I’m coming to you with hat in hand. Are there enough of you out there who would like to help me to get to 100? Sustain me through this melancholy anniversary, won’t you? Brother, can you spare a “like?”

The last piece I ever played on a regular weekend morning air shift: John Foulds’ “Keltic Lament”:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RJHM2NUPH1w

March 30, 2015
The Fifth Day of Christmas Labors

THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS

The Twelve Days of Christmas have, for me, given way to the Twelve Labors of Hercules. Newspaper articles, radio shifts, scripts, production work, interviews, commuting, holiday appointments, email email email, and an additional, special project on an epic scale to air on WWFM on January 6. More on that later, once I finish cleaning the Augean Stables.

December 29, 2014
Classical Music Radio Support Elmer Bernstein Special

Thank you all for your financial and moral support yesterday. While I doubt it will do much for me in terms of ensuring regular live air shifts, it was heartening to see so many familiar names. At the very least, your contributions help maintain a classical music presence on the radio, including specialty shows like “Picture Perfect” and “The Lost Chord.”

Speaking of “Picture Perfect,” the show will air at a special time this week, on account of the pledge drive. I hope you’ll join me this afternoon at 4 ET for a selection of film scores by Elmer Bernstein, including “The Magnificent Seven,” “The Age of Innocence,” “Stripes” and “To Kill a Mockingbird.”

Next week, “Picture Perfect” will return to its regular time, Friday evening at 6. You can always enjoy it at http://www.wwfm.org. Shows are archived as webcasts for approximately three months following broadcast.

June 28, 2014
Owl Jolson Richard Strauss Oops

Don’t you hate when you write a time-sensitive Facebook post, and then you realize that you had your days mixed up and that you’re actually a week off? That’s precisely what happened to me when writing my appreciation of Richard Strauss to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth on June 11. This is a hazard of working in radio and as a journalist. Everything always has to be ahead.

Anyway, since I’ve already wasted enough time this morning, here’s Owl Jolson.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x2ijkn_i-love-to-singa_shortfilms

He loves to sing-a about the moon-a and the June-a and the spring-a.

June 4, 2014

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