You don’t have to sell your soul for great music, but we sure would appreciate your support.
This Sunday morning on WPRB, I’ll be tossing my pointy hat into the ring – or pentagram, as the case may be – in an attempt to elicit your contributions, on the eve of Walpurgis Night. Walpurgis Night, the night before the feast day St. Walpurga, is a time when evil spirits are believed to roam the earth. There’s a memorable scene in Goethe’s “Faust,” with witches gathered for an orgy of the damned on the Brocken, the highest peak of the Harz Mountains. So don’t be surprised if there is a fair amount of witchery – and Goethe – reflected in my musical selections.
Walpurgis Night also happens to be the eve of May Day. We’ll temper the horror with equally pagan cavortings around the May Pole, replete with mummers, hobby horses, and musical depictions of Robin and Marian. And, as if that weren’t enough, Sunday is also a full moon, so get ready for a cosmic convergence of lunatic proportions. Tobias Robison of “Masterclassics” (heard Tuesday mornings on WPRB) will be my sorcerer’s apprentice, as we venture to conjure your pledges.
Remember that WPRB is independently owned and operated. The station relies on listener support for the bulk of its operating budget. When you make a financial commitment to WPRB, you not only support off-the-beaten-path classical music, you provide a variegated platform for stimulating programming in all genres, with on-air hosts fully engaged in putting together their own playlists and sharing the music they love. This makes for a uniquely rewarding radio experience.
For the convenience of true believers everywhere (to say nothing of its staff), WPRB is adding a sustaining member option. For as low as $10 a month, you can make an ongoing commitment to the station by way of an automatic charge to your credit card. The commitment can be for whatever amount you decide, but $10 a month is the minimum. The donation will continue, in perpetuity, until you tell us to stop, which you may do at any time by emailing cancel@wprb.com. It’s that easy.
A sustaining membership means you’ll never have to renew, and that WPRB can save time, paper, and postage on not having to remind you. Think about all that lost revenue at the end of a year, as memberships lapse. It could be weeks before the station secures a renewal. I mean, you’re going to renew anyway, right? The hassle is eliminated with a sustaining membership.
WPRB has until May 4 to acquire 1000 unique pledges. Anyone who donates tomorrow morning between 7 and 10 EDT will be eligible for one of three prize drawings (one per hour), which could make you the winner of a fistful of lovingly curated CDs. That’s above and beyond any of the other loot to which you’re entitled for the amount of your pledge. Call 609-258-1033 or visit pledge.wprb.com.
Toby and I will be raising hell and dancing around the maypole, this Sunday morning from 7 to 10 EDT, on WPRB 103.3 FM and wprb.com. Thank you for your ongoing support of Classic Ross Amico.
Luis Ricardo Falero, “Departure of the Witches” (a.k.a. “Witches Going to their Sabbath,”1878)
