Voice of the Arts

WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke to Calliope's new Executive Director, Alyson Bonavoglia, and Operations Manager, Lisa Alexander, about the organization's upcoming season. Thanks for tuning in to WQED's Voice of the Arts, Pittsburgh's trusted source for arts and culture in our region. Whether you're passionate about classical music, film, theater, opera, or local music, we’re here to bring you closer t...

Resonance Works open their 12th season with the launch of Reson8, a new vocal octet! Featuring some of the finest professional singers from our region, the members of Reson8 feel just as comfortable as solo artists as they do as part of an ensemble! Resonance Works Artistic Director Maria Sensi Sellner was joined by octet members Amelia D'Arcy and Graham Fandrei to talk to Anna Singer about their...

WQED-FM is partnering with the Farina Foundation to help get used instruments into the hands of underprivileged children of all ages, music departments of health organizations and underserved schools whose students show musical potential and passion. Frank Farina spoke with WQED-FM to talk about their "Play it Forward" program and how you can help spread the joy of music by contributing to WQED-FM...

Pittsburgh Concert Society opens its 24-25 season with the winners of its Major Audition program on Sunday September 22nd at 2pm in the Kresge Theater at Carnegie Mellon University. Violinist Joshua Lee and CMU Collaborative teaching professor Sung-Im Kim visited the studio to play the Sibelius Concerto. In his program, Joshua Lee plays the Beethoven Sonata No. 5 and the Samuel Barber Canzone too....

The founders of Operascout, Michael and Dodo Pegher, speak with Jim Cunningham about Operascout which hosts an event Friday September 20th at Pittsburgh Opera in the Bitz Opera Factory starting at noon. Michael has experience singing in the German opera houses. Operascout has organized a panel discussion with Nic Muni, Stage Director; Robert Boldin of Pittsburgh Opera; and Marianne Cornetti of Pit...

The Tuesday Musical Club presents their first recital of the season with the Kaplan Duo – Pianists – Nanette Kaplan Solomon and Iris Kaplan Rosenthal. The Kaplan Duo are a professional duet team of sisters who have been sharing music since childhood. They bring a unique blend of individual virtuosity and exciting interpretations to the rich four-hand repertoire. Nanette and Iris stopped by the QED...

The summer has come to an end and that means Chatham Baroque is starting a new season! Co-Artistic Directors, Andrew Fouts and Scott Pauley, spoke about the start of their 2024-2025 season with A Garden of Harmony: Austrian and German Music for Strings. This tremendous opener will be on September 27th, 28th and 29th. Scott and Andrew talk about the season's highlights, and what the audience will h...

Co-Artistic Directors of Chatham Baroque, Scott Pauley and Andrew Fouts, spoke about their upcoming Peanut Butter and Jam Sessions. The first session, Fall Into Music, will be at Beechwood Farms Nature Reserve on Saturday, September 14th at 10 am. This free RAD day event is perfect for preschoolers and grown-ups! This event features live music by Chatham Baroque and activities led by Kindermusik i...

August Wilson African American Cultural Center CEO and Artistic Director, Janis Burley, explains the many events of the Pittsburgh International Jazz Festival. The Festival, that runs from September 19-22, includes two days of free events, ticketed happenings at the Cultural Center, the Jazz train from New York to Pittsburgh, and multiple community happenings. The stars include Robert Glasper, Sea...

City Theatre is starting up its 2024-2025 season with a brand new Broadway play, POTUS Or Behind Every Great Dumba** are Seven Women Trying to Keep Him Alive. Actresses Tamara Tunie, Lara Hayhurst, and Missy Moreno, describes the plot of this farcical play, and each of their hilarious characters in the show. Ankle monitors, secret liaisons, and a wife trying to keep it all together. It's a play ab...

Pittsburgh Symphony violinist, Irene Cheng, visited the QED Morning Show with Jim Cunningham to speak about the Pittsburgh Symphony Musicians of Steel 5K run in Millvale. The 5K starts with a concert at 9 am on September 14 with Orchestra Denial, led by trumpet Neal Berntsen. You can register to run or walk and participate in the fun run on the spot or register in advance online. Irene runs down t...

There is a new opera company in town, SERIO! Louisa Jonason, artistic and music director of SERIO, and soprano Mary Beth Sederburg, discuss their upcoming performance of The Medium. The show runs at Pittsburgh Music Academy on September 13 to 15th. Louisa talks about creating SERIO out of a desire to have performers sing a complete role, as opposed to just a select few arias. Sing Entire Role in O...

It's a classic murder mystery, suspenseful and intriguing. Director, Celine Rosenthal, and actress, Brooke Turner, discuss the Pittsburgh Public Theater's upcoming show, Dial M for Murder, running from September 11th to September 29th. This new adaptation of the play and movie we all know brings into focus LGBTQ+ themes as Margot Wendice grapples with an affair, and a potentially murderous husband...

It's the Kaplan Duo, from Baroque times to Gershwin! President of Tuesday Musical Club, Nanette Kaplan Solomon, and her sister, Iris Kaplan Rosenthal, spoke about their upcoming recital concert on Tuesday, September 17th at 1 pm. This free concert will be at Rodef Shalom's Levy Hall. The sisters highlight the recital's program, and the challenges involved in practicing in two different states. Amy...

It's September, and that means free RAD Days are here again! Communications Manager for Allegheny Regional Asset District (RAD), James Santelli, spoke about their free RAD days that continues until October 6th. Free Hay Days at Hartwood Acres, performances at the Pittsburgh Public Theater, and tours of PNC Park are just a few of the more than 60 free events that are open to all! James also adds th...

JJames DeMasi, Executive Director of the Beatrice Institute, talks about their presentation with Manfred Honeck, On Great Composers and the Spirituality of Music. This talk will be on Thursday, September 19, at 7:30 pm at First Baptist Church on North Bellefield Avenue. The event is free but there is also a reception at Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Hall for $25. Manfred will explore the creative...

The new Artistic Director of Pittsburgh International and Classic Theater (PICT), Elizabeth Huffman, spoke about the first Pittsburgh production of Andy Warhol’s Tomato. The play was written by Vine Melocchi, who was born in McKeesport but more recently works as an actor and playwright in Los Angeles. Elizabeth directs the show and the play features Matt Henderson and Johnny Patalano exploring And...

Composer, doctor, and author, Robert Burns Arnot, spoke about his recent transition from medical doctor to classical composer. He highlights his career of studying the trumpet at the New England Conservatory of Music under Paul Gay in middle school. Though he showed an interest and talent for composition, he focused on his medical studies for many years. He also became a New York Times bestselling...

Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh opens their season with a concert at Rodef Shalom Temple's Levy Hall on Saturday, September 7th at 7:30 pm. Conductor Edward Leonard and soloist Chantal Braziel talked with Jim Cunningham about the program. Songs and Serenades feature Osvoldo Golihof’s Three Songs for Soprano, Reza Vali’s Calligraphy No 19, and Tchaikovsky’s Serenade for Strings. You can meet the mu...

Composer, Anna Clyne, and founding member of The Knights chamber orchestra, Eric Jacobsen, discuss their new recording, Shorthand, which was recently released on SONY Classical. It's an album of all Anna Clyne compositions with Yo Yo Ma, Avi Avital, Colin Jaconsen, and Pekka Kuusisto as guest artists. Anna discusses how it happened and Eric highlights the latest new season for the Knights. Eric an...

Conductor Christopher Franklin returns to Pittsburgh to conduct an opera for the first time in his home town. The opera he will lead on September 8th for Pittsburgh Festival Opera is "Adriana Lecouvreur" by Francesco Cilea. Christopher highlights his career after completing high school in Pittsburgh before heading off to Macalester College to study German literature and the violin. After completin...

Contemporary Craft is unveiling a new exhibition soon called Gei: The Beauty of Ephemeral and Eternal! Director of Exhibitions and Operations, Yu-San Cheng, highlights how this exhibition celebrates the harmonizing impermanence and eternity in Japan's cultural tapestry through the interplay of Ikebana, Japanese traditional flower arranging. Yu-San also discusses the 4 different artists and what th...

Pittsburgh Festival Opera is back with a concert opera! Musical Director, Christopher Franklin, Mezzo-Soprano, Marianne Cornetti, and tenor, Victor Starsky, spoke about their upcoming performance of Adriana LeCouvreur on Sunday, September 8th at 6 pm at the Carnegie Music Hall in Oakland. Marianne describes the plot, and why it is a challenging opera that is not usually performed. Maestro highligh...

It's an update from the Mattress Factory Contemporary Art Museum! Executive Director, David Oresick, talks about their upcoming events, including one on Wednesday, September 4th, After Hours: Greer Lankton Archives, that features a deep dive into the archives of artist Greer Lankton. David also highlights the permanent exhibition of Greer Lankton's artwork at the Mattress Factory, as well as upcom...

In this Voice of the Arts episode, we sit down with Benjamin Aysan from Turkish Cultural Center Pittsburgh, to discuss the upcoming Turkish and Central Asian Food and Culture festival. This event will be held in Schenley plaza on Saturday, September 7th, and will run from 10 am to 8 pm. Come and join in on the celebration of Central Asian Culture with traditional cuisines, music, and much more! He...