Classical 95.9-FM WCRI

The RI Civic Choral and Orchestra is the subject of this week's program with Fred Surr, singer and Board Member. We talk about their upcoming concerts, and listen to some of the music being presented on Sunday, March 1st at 3 PM at the URI Fine Arts Center. For more information, you can call 401-521-5670 or go to www.ricco.org

In this episode of This Old Tree, with Doug Still...In the small Estonian town of Orissaare, football players dribble around a 150-year-old oak tree standing impossibly in the middle of their soccer field or "stadium." What seems like a quirky local oddity became a symbol of national pride when this tree won the 2015 European Tree of the Year, beating much larger countries like Hungary, Spain, and the UK.

How did an unknown Estonian oak outcompete all of Europe? The answer involves brilliant PR, ancient folklore, a fierce independence forged by centuries of foreign invasion, and a profound connection to forests rooted in animism. Could a tree resist the Soviets? Learn about its inspiring legend that captured the attention of tree-lovers around the world.

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Saxophonist Gerry Mulligan from his 1992 GRP Records recording, titled “Re-Birth of the Cool.

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with thriller authors Christa Carmen, Karen Dukess, Vanessa Lillie, Kristin Offiler, and Tessa Wegert.

About the Authors:

Christa Carmen lives in Rhode Island. She is the author of The Daughters of Block Island, winner of the Bram Stoker Award and a Shirley Jackson Award finalist, the Indie Horror Book Award-winning Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked, and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated "Through the Looking Glass and Straight into Hell" (Orphans of Bliss: Tales of Addiction Horror). She has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Boston College, and an MFA from the University of Southern Maine.

Karen Dukess is the USAToday bestselling author of  Welcome to Murder Week and The Last Book Party and is a contributor to the upcoming anthology (November 2025) Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen’s Unsung Characters. She is also the host of The Castle Hill Author Talks, a series of virtual and in-person interviews with some of today’s most exciting authors. Karen has been a tour guide in the former Soviet Union, a newspaper reporter in Florida, a magazine publisher in Russia and a speechwriter on gender equality for the United Nations. She has a degree in Russian Studies from Brown University and a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University. She lives with her family near New York City and spends as much time as possible in Truro on Cape Cod.

Vanessa Lillie is the author of the USA Today bestselling suspense novel, Blood Sisters, which was a Target Book Club pick and GMA Book Club Buzz Pick as well as named one of the best mystery novel in 2023 by the Washington Post and Amazon. The sequel, The Bone Thief, was recently released, landing a spot on the USA Today Bestseller List. Her other bestselling thrillers are Little Voices, For the Best and she’s the coauthor of the Young Rich Widows series. Originally from Oklahoma, Vanessa is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She has fifteen years of marketing and communications experience and enjoys organizing book events in and around Providence, RI where she lives now. She loves connecting with readers and hosts an Instagram Live show with crime fiction authors!

Kristin Offiler is represented by Tia Ikemoto at Creative Artists Agency, and her fiction has been published in the Waccamaw Journal of Contemporary Literature, the Bookends Review, and The Raleigh Review.

Tessa Wegert is the critically acclaimed author of the Shana Merchant mysteries, as well as the North Country series, beginning with In the Bones. Her books have received numerous starred reviews and have been featured on PBS and NPR Radio. A former journalist and copywriter, Tessa grew up in Quebec and now lives with her husband and children in Connecticut, where she co-founded Sisters in Crime CT and serves on the board of International Thriller Writers (ITW). 

For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

This week, Joe is featuring Pianist and Vocalist Nat “King” Cole from his 1992 Capitol Records compilation recording, titled “The Best of The Nat “King” Cole Trio.” 

The Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra is the subject of this week's program with President Greg Henninger. We discuss their upcoming concert and listen to music from the March 8th at 3 PM performance at the E. Providence H. S. Auditorium. For more information, you can call (401) 274-4578 or go to www.nabsco.org

In this week's WCRI's Kids Hour, your host Jamie listens to music celebrating the New England Patriots' return to the Super Bowl. You'll hear music from Bon Jovi, Gustav Holst, Ozzy Osbourne, John Adams, and more!

This week, Joe is featuring Guitarist Larry Coryell from his 1990 Muse Records recording, titled “Shining Hour.”

This week, we feature Aaron-Larget Caplan, classical guitarist. He’s back to introduce another brand new album, “Guitar America 250”. This is the first time these songs will be heard anywhere! We’ll discuss his career and how he has had the opportunity to travel the world playing at concert venues large and small. For more information, you can go to www.alcguitar.com

This week of Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard from his 1990, Alfa Records recording, titled “Topsy.”