WRR 101.1 Focus on the Arts

In this podcast, WRR's Kurt Rongey spoke to Scott Yoo, conductor, violinist and TV host for the PBS classical music documentary series Now Hear This. They discuss how Anthony Bourdain influenced the show, the unexpected payoff that resulted from an awkward pre-concert lecture, and foraging for food in Iceland. Photo courtesy of Crossover Media

Every year, TACA (The Arts Community Alliance) recognizes two individuals for their outstanding volunteer leadership and contributions to the arts in North Texas with the Silver Cup Award. Past honorees include some of Dallas’ most illustrious arts champions, including Mrs. Eugene McDermott, Mrs. Nancy A. Nasher, former mayor Mike Rawlings, Mrs. Edward S. Marcus, and Mr. William Winspear. The 2026...

In a recent podcast conversation, WRR host Brooke Scholl speaks with Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth Artistic Director and violinist Gary Levinson about the ensemble’s May 9 season finale and the return of pianist Vadym Kholodenko to Fort Worth—an artist whose 2013 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition victory cemented his deep connection with the city’s musical community. Levinson offer...

Broadway legend Brian Stokes Mitchell is the recipient of SMU's 2026 Meadows Award , recognizing an artist of national or international renown who has soared to the utmost height of their profession. He'll perform with the Meadows School Orchestra and Choir at the Meadows at the Meyerson benefit concert March 31, 2026, then lead a master class at SMU the following day. Ahead of his visit, Stokes s...

North Texas audiences will travel back in time through the 1950s, 60s, and 70s with a groovy fundraiser for Bruce Wood Dance, then look forward to the company's big season finale in June 2026. In this interview, BWD Artistic Director Joy Bollinger joins Amy Bishop with details about each performance, including the specifics about the choreography and music. Plus, you'll get a sneak peek at BWD's 2...

"People laugh, but I was in kindergarten when I chose to be a music teacher," says Pamela Jenkins, who did end up becoming a music teacher - and has been so for 35 years. Dallas Symphony Orchestra named Jenkins as the recipient of their 2026 Music Teacher of the Year, given to elementary school music teachers who demonstrate exceptional skills at connecting with students, while building their conf...

Fresh off his 2025 Cliburn Gold Medal win, pianist Aristo Sham returns to Texas to perform Brahms’ First Piano Concerto with the Waco Symphony Orchestra, led by Music Director Larry Loh, on Thursday, January 22nd. In this Focus on the Arts podcast, WRR host Brooke Scholl sits down with Aristo Sham to talk about life as a concertizing artist, the challenge and beauty of Brahms’ symphonic piano writ...

In an evening of classical Christmas carols performed by Dallas String Quartet, to a genre-crossing repertoire of more contemporary holiday tunes, Ion Zanca describes Christmas at the Winspear as a pop/rock holiday spectacular. The evening includes special guests Sons of Serendip (America's Got Talent) and Anja Nissen (The Voice Australia.) In this interview with Amy Bishop, Ion gives a sneak peek...

WRR weekend host Brooke Scholl sits down with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra's assistant conductor Shira Samuels-Shragg to unpack her remarkable, last-minute debut leading the Dallas Symphony Orchestra after Music Director Fabio Luisi had to pull out due to a family emergency. With only days to prepare, Shira stepped onto the Meyerson podium to conduct a vivid program spanning Beethoven’s Leonore O...

Praised for her “impressive artistry” and “wonderful bowing technique” (San Francisco Classical Voice), French cellist Juliette Herlin has performed throughout the U.S., Europe, Asia, and South America. As a soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist, she has appeared in prestigious venues such as the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., Alice Tully Hall in New York, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées a...

From Mozart, to Steve Reich, to Chet Baker, Bruce Wood Dance's season opener should live up to its title: "Glow." In this conversation with WRR's Amy Bishop, BWD Artistic Director Joy Bollinger gives a sneak peek into the pieces on the program. They also discuss a wide range of other dance topics: What its like to work with a living choreographer to premiere their work? What are the differences of...

Dallas-based Chamber Music International presents three all-star musicians– violinist Cho-Liang Lin, cellist Clive Greensmith, and pianist Jon Kimura Parker – for an evening of works by Brahms and Tchaikovsky In this podcast, WRR's Amy Bishop chats with CMI’s Artistic Director Phil Lewis to get some insight into the pieces, and how these three musicians will bring them to life onstage. The convers...

Arsentiy Kharitonov, a composer and pianist based here in North Texas, has just had his impressive and dramatic Concerto for Piano and Orchestra recorded with the Kandinsky Symphony Orchestra and released by the Sound Atlas label. WRR's Kurt Rongey spoke with Arsentiy about the genesis of the concerto, his musical development and how his studies and experiences here in Texas influenced his music-m...

Wilhelmina Smith is regarded as a cellist whose artistic mission embraces a conversation through music, one that enthusiastically encompasses the music of the present placed within the context of a living past. In this podcast with WRR's Brooke Scholl, she talks about her new album, "Sweetgrass," which features music by Indigenous composer/cellist Dawn Avery.

Hailed as the "Monet of the classical guitar" by Atlanta Journal, Sharon Isbin is a longtime fixture in the genre with multiple GRAMMY awards and an ever-growing list of accolades. WRR's Brooke Scholl recently sat down with Isbin to talk about the artist's latest release, "Romantico," featuring world premiere recordings of joyous Latin dance-inspired music for guitar by Karen LeFrak.

In November 1957, the Dallas Civic Opera (now The Dallas Opera) officially opened with a headlining concert starring Maria Callas at the State Fair Music Hall (now Music Hall at Fair Park). Audiences have a chance to see Maria Callas once again via a hologram concert at the Music Hall in Fair Park, featuring The Dallas Opera Orchestra on Friday, October 31st, 2025. The event commemorates the 100th...

Cellist Matt Haimovitz has earned a reputation as a musical pioneer in today's classical music sphere. Two albums by the internationally renowned musician were recently nominated for GRAMMYs: "Schnittke Cello Concerto No.1" with the Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra conducted by Dennis Russell Davies, and "Jacqueline," Luna Pearl Woolf's opera with soprano Marnie Breckenridge. In this interview wit...

Trinidad-born trumpeter Etienne Charles fuses Caribbean melodies with jazz to create his own distinct sound. He'll bring his Creole Soul group to Windmills Craftworks in The Colony October 11-12, 2025. In this feature, WRR's Amy Bishop speaks with the venue's Kira Goidel about the unique concert and dinner experience.

Fort Worth Opera opens its 80th anniversary season with a rare stateside appearance by internationally acclaimed tenor Jonathan Tetelman. A Deutsche Grammophon recording artist and jet-setting leading man, Tetelman has captivated audiences with his warm, full-bodied tenor and ardent stage presence. On October 10, he takes the stage at Van Cliburn Concert Hall for a one-night-only event. Kurt Ronge...

Now in its fourth year, the Art Worth Festival has established itself as an annual arts and music destination for North Texas. In this conversation with the festival's founder Greg Belz, he talks about how Art Worth differs from the rest of the arts festivals in the region.

The Waco Symphony Orchestra opens their season with GRAMMY Award-winning violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, who will perform Barber's Violin Concerto in a program that also includes Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances and Dvorak's Carnival Overture. Ahead of Meyers' visit, she chatted with WRR's Brooke Scholl for a deeper dive into the music. Photo by Dina Douglass

The Plano Symphony will perform in the Meyerson with Bernadette Peters on August 30. Here's Kurt Rongey in conversation with the Broadway star to give you a preview. She discusses what it’s like to sing with a large orchestra, her experiences working with Jerry Herman and Stephen Sondheim, and more.

"Twenty five cellists all playing together is a really unusual, beautiful sound," says Joseph Kuipers, Creative Director of Texas Cellos. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Kuipers gives an overview of the group's upcoming series of concerts, which includes a rousing rendition of Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" and a marathon performance of the composer's complete sonatas for cello and piano.

“These two people lift up the arts ecosystem and they are the ones that deserve recognition," says Mike Dilbeck, Deputy Director of The Arts Community Alliance, commonly known as TACA. "A lot of the times, it’s the people behind the scenes that you don’t see, don’t hear about, but they are the ones that are most deserving.” This year's honorees are Gayle Halperin and Jim Nugent, who have been pill...

“When we’re talking about local musicians, we’re talking about high level local musicians,” says Morgan Vaughan, Executive Director of Basically Beethoven, which is opening its annual summer festival of free chamber music performances in Dallas on Sunday, July 13, 2025. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Vaughan joins the organization's Production & Education Manager Jeff Tullis for an overvie...