The Dallas Opera has announced its 68th season, which includes four mainstage productions, all new to Dallas as company or U.S. premieres. WRR's Amy Bishop recently caught up with Ian Derrer, TDO's Kern Wildenthal General Director and CEO, for an overview of the season, which includes a version of Bizet's "Carmen" that may only be seen once in a lifetime.
"Go big or go home" was one of Bruce Wood's most frequently used expressions, and the company is honoring his legacy with their upcoming Texas-inspired gala concert. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, BWD Artistic Director Joy Bollinger gives a sneak peek into a night that'll include dancing, live music, rhinestones galore, and even real spurs.
Organist and composer Zvony Nagy describes the Stained Glass Vespers series at Dallas' King of Glory Lutheran Church as an intersection of fine arts within a spiritual, contemplative space. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Nagy talks about an upcoming event at the church, where he'll provide organ improvisations on the narration of "The Seven Last Words of Christ" during the Lenten season.
The Dallas Bach Society presents their Baroque-Carnatic Connection Concert at the Moody Performance Hall on March 16, 2025 at 3:00 p.m. It will also include dancers from the New York Baroque Dance Company and the Silambam Houston Dance Company. Kurt Rongey got a chance to talk with James Richman about this unique collaboration.
It's not every day that Dallas audiences have the chance to see the Santa Fe Desert Chorale perform in North Texas - and it's even more rare to hear them paired with the Orpheus Chamber Singers for a concert. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Artistic Directors Joshua Habermann and J.D. Burnett talk about the events that led to their upcoming collaboration, and what to expect in this rare opportunity to see two professional choirs join forces for a night of music.
"For me, there’s actually a bit of an emotional attachment to it, because the very first concert I ever conducted with the Dallas Winds as a guest 32 years ago was a concert called 'Marches in March.' So, in a way, it’s coming full circle here," says Jerry Junkin, Artistic Director for Dallas Winds. They're presenting their "Marches Madness" concert on Tuesday, March 11th, 2025 in a program of... well, marches.
What began as an old-school method of communication among four young composers during the COVID-19 pandemic, became the inspiration for a solo piano piece by Will Stackpole, which receives its world premiere in Dallas in March 2025. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Stackpole joins pianist/conductor Benjamin Hochman and Voices of Change Artistic Director Jon Cziner to talk about the uniqueness of the program, and why audiences need not be scared of new classical music.
"This piece completely changed my thoughts on how music theater can be done...the piece is operatic in scope, which is one of the reasons why I thought it would be so fantastic for the students," says Michael Scarola, Visiting Professor of Practice at SMU's Meadows School of the Arts, who's directing their production of "Sweeney Todd." In this conversation with WRR's Amy Bishop, Scarola does a deep dive into the Meadows School production, which gives an opportunity for audiences to see young ope...
The Texas Guitar Competition and Festival is an annual UT Dallas tradition, established 24 years ago. founded 23 years ago, but But this will be the first year without its beloved co-founder, the late Dr. Enric Madriguera, a longtime UT Dallas faculty member. In this podcast, WRR’s Amy Bishop speaks with Dr. James Wilder of the Bass School at UT Dallas about a special tribute planned in memory of the late Dr. Madriguera in the three-day event at the University. It includes a concert by GRAMMY-wi...
“I think this way of experiencing an orchestra concert is really great, especially for a younger generation, who might not have had any experience seeing and hearing a live orchestra before,” says Emily Marshall, Music Director and Conductor of Naruto: The Symphonic Experience. The show is on a cross-country tour of the U.S. with a stop at Fort Worth's Will Rogers Auditorium in March. In this feature, Marshall chats with WRR's Amy Bishop about what to expect at a concert that combines anime and ...
The mesmerizing true story of Isabelle Eberhardt is the subject of "Song from the Uproar" by American composer Missy Mazzoli, which Verdigris Ensemble is presenting February 28th – March 2nd at Theater 3. The groundbreaking multimedia opera tells the story of the young Swiss explorer who defied every convention – disguising herself as a man, joining the Algerian army, and ultimately meeting her fate in a desert flash flood. Through Mazzoli's dazzling score, which weaves together haunting vocals ...
“Quite simply, the arts are an invaluable tool in brain health, and we want to demonstrate that actively through the activities at the Brain Health Week," says Bonnie Pitman, Director of Art-Brain Innovations at the University of Texas at Dallas’ Center for BrainHealth. The center is presenting its 3rd Brain Health week, full of art-centric events to explore the intersection of creativity and the brain. Hear the details in this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop.
"This is one of my favorite pieces – not only of the oboe repertoire, but in the classical music repertoire in general,” says Erin Hannigan, Principal Oboe with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, referencing Strauss' Oboe Concerto. She'll be in the spotlight as soloist with the DSO to perform the work Jan. 23-26, 2025 and chats with WRR's Amy Bishop about how she approaches each performance of such a demanding work for her instrument.
“I’m proud of the impact in the very short few years that I’ve been able to make in the arts, beginning with TACA right before the pandemic started,” says Terry Loftis, reflecting on his prolific work as a Dallas arts leader. The previous President and CEO of TACA was most recently Chief Advancement and Revenue Officer with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, but has accepted the post as CEO with the New Jersey Symphony. In this conversation with WRR's Amy Bishop, Terry shares his fond memories of No...
"Forging the very special connection with Maestro Guzman has always been very beneficial and has kind of shaped this new piece I've written for the orchestra," says North Texas-based composer Quinn Mason. Guzman will lead the Plano Symphony Orchestra in the commissioned world premiere of Mason's "Shine Time" in a program that also includes the internationally acclaimed percussion ensemble, Tambuco. In this podcast, WRR's Emilio Alvarez catches up with Guzman and Mason to chat about the concert a...
The Dallas-based Bruce Wood Dance company is kicking off its 15-anniversary season with the Dallas premiere of Jiri Kylian's "Songs of a Wayfarer" in a program that also includes two audience favorites by Bruce Wood, plus a Mozart-inspired work by Lar Lubovitch. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, the company's Artistic Director Joy Bollinger gives the backstories of each piece and explains how Bruce Wood Dance has carved its unique niche in the DFW arts community.
Now entering its 30th year as a piano quartet, the Faure Quartett is bringing its renowned musicianship to Dallas for a program of Brahms, Schubert, and Enescu. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, violinist Erika Geldsetzer talks about the thrill of performing each work, and the group's commitment to lifting up its audience with each performance.
“We are going to transform Dallas City Hall, the J. Erik Jonsson Library, and the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention (Center) into an outside, open air exhibition of light, video, and sound-based art works,” explains Joshua King, co-founder and Executive Director of the Aurora Biennial – a one-night-only public art event involving light, sound, and video in the heart of downtown Dallas. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, King and artist Tramaine Townsend give a glimpse into this year's theme of...
WRR's Kurt Rongey spoke to conductor JoAnn Falletta about the Award of Excellence she’s being presented with at the Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s Women in Classical Music Symposium. She discusses gender representation on the podium and among composers, her success in bringing the Buffalo Philharmonic to higher performance levels than ever before, and a Career Advancement Award she’s presenting herself to young conductor Fernanda Lastra.
"The Amy Beach concerto is the newest love of my life," says American classical pianist Anne-Marie McDermott, who will perform the piece with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra Nov. 1-3, 2024. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, McDermott explains why she has been quick to adore the piece.
Art Worth is Fort Worth’s newest art festival with its own unique characteristics. The three-day juried festival at the Shops at Clear Fork includes numerous artist demonstrations and live classical music performances. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, the festival's coordinator Greg Belz expands upon some of this year's offerings.
Every year, the Dallas Symphony Orchestra presents a pops season to complement their classical concerts by offering a variety of other genres -from pop music, movie scores, Broadway, and more. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, DSO’s director of orchestra operations and pops programming Tom Brekhus gives an overview of the concerts planned this year.
Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth welcomes the Dover Quartet to perform a newly commissioned work by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, a Chickasaw American Indian classical composer and pianist. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, CMSFW Artistic Director Gary Levinson talks more about the concert, which includes a chance to meet the composer.
Familiar warhorse classical works are abundant this season, but the DSO is taking a great effort to incorporate works by contemporary composers - including multiple world premieres. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, DSO VP of Artistic Operations Katie McGuinness gives a sampling of their offerings.
After 40 years as founding Executive Director of the Dallas Winds, Kim Campbell has retired. Stepping in as his successor is Michelle Hall, who formerly managed the Victoria Symphony. In this conversation with WRR's Amy Bishop, Campbell and Hall talk more about the early days of the Dallas Winds, their impact on the band community, Michelle’s story of how she got to this role, and what Kim is doing now during retirement.
Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra's Principal Cello Allan Steele has been playing cello since the age of four, but this weekend will be his first time to play Schumann's Cello Concerto. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, he talks about his favorite part of the work, and the enduring popularity of the other piece on the program, Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique.
In this podcast, WRR's Kurt Rongey talks with Siberian Flutist Taya König-Tarasevich and the Dallas Bach Society’s James Richman about their upcoming concert at Zion Lutheran Church. Tarasevich also discusses her period instrument group Verità Baroque and how they’re creating enchanting virtual reality experiences for experiencing baroque music in German castles. Plus, James Richman previews three new Dallas Bach Society-related recordings soon to be released.
Dallas Chamber Music Society is launching into its 80th season with the acclaimed Brentano String Quartet, performing a program balanced with lighter and heavier fare by Haydn, Britten, and Mendelssohn. Violinist Serena Canin and DCMS Executive Director spoke with WRR's Amy Bishop about the concert, plus gave a quick glimpse into what else is on the horizon for this milestone year.
"We have thirty artists over those six programs who hail from ten different countries….I wish that our world leaders could get along as well as the musicians of the world, who just want to make beautiful music together," says Philip Lewis, founder and Artistic Director of Chamber Music International. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Lewis shares highlights of their first concert of the 2024-25 season, plus details on CMI's mission to ensure the next generation of chamber musicians.
The assassination of Julius Caesar was more than two thousand years ago, but it resonates more than ever today. In this podcast, WRR's Amy Bishop discusses the story of Caesar with actor T.A. Taylor, who stars in Shakespeare Dallas' production of Shakespeare's theatrical retelling of the historical event.
