Classical Conversations

In advance of her appearance with the Toledo Symphony Nov. 4, star of stage and screen Audra McDonald joins WGTE's Brad Cresswell to talk about her career path, what makes a voice great, and – wait for it – her favorite Halloween candy. (photo credit: ©Autumn de Wilde)

We offer a tribute to longtime WGTE FM 91 radio personality and Music Director Bill Engelke, who passed away in September. Joining FM 91's Brad Cresswell are Bill's guardian and former wife Mary Natvig and his WGTE colleague Roger Greive, who offer their recollections and stories. Note: musical selections are truncated due to copyright. Photo: Plaque outside the newly dedicated William W. Engelke Radio Master Control Room at WGTE.

GRAMMY Award-winning guitar star Sharon Isbin joins us to talk about her new album, a collaboration with GRAMMY Award-winning opera star Isabel Leonard called Alma Española, which is the first of its kind in 40 years: an all-Spanish recording for voice and guitar.

In 1736, composer Salvatore Lanzetti created a bit of a scandal when he brought the heretofore lowly and unsophisticated cello to the Concert Spirituel, France's most exclusive concert series. Other composers quickly jumped on the cello bandwagon, writing virtuoso showpieces for the instrument. The rise of the cello as a solo instrument, however, threatened to overtake the traditional bass viol, leading one respected viol player (and lawyer) to publish a treatise decrying the cello as "...a miserable canker, wretch, and poor Devil..." Enter Baroque cellist Juliana Soltis, whose debut album Entrez, le Diable! (Enter, the Devil!) takes us on a deep dive into the music that gave rise to the virtuoso cello in pre-Revolutionary France. Photo credit: Teresa Tam Studio

The Toledo Symphony's Merwin Siu and the Toledo Museum of Art's Scott Boberg (both pictured) join us to talk about the fascinating music of American composer Lou Harrison, who is the focus of a marathon event at the TMA this weekend. Please note: due to copyright, audio samples have been truncated in this episode.

Hollywood composer and Ann Arbor native Stephen Edwards has more than 60 film scores to his credit, but his most personal project to date is a Requiem mass, dedicated to his late mother Rosalie Edwards. Stephen joins us to talk about "Requiem for my Mother," which is not only on CD, but is available as a documentary film which has aired on PBS stations nationwide.

Composer Jack Gallagher celebrates his 70th birthday this summer, and we celebrate some of his recent recordings in this conversation recorded a few days before his birthday on June 27, 2017.

Pianist Jose Federico Osorio joins us to sample his latest album Final Thoughts, which documents the last piano works of Franz Schubert and Johannes Brahms.

Violinist Rachel Barton Pine has a new album out which explores both the virtuosity and the lyricism of the legendary violinist/composer, Nicolò Paganini. In Bel Canto Paganini, Rachel takes on the daunting 24 caprices for solo violin, plus some rarely heard Paganini gems. Rachel even offers a composition of her own in tribute: a set of variations on the New Zealand national anthem. The Billboard chart-topping violinist joins us for a conversation about Paganini, his life, and his music.

It was announced today that after a two-year search, the Toledo Symphony has found a new Music Director: Alain Trudel. Alain (don't call him "Maestro"!) will be Music Director Designate until June 2018, after which he will serve out a three-year contract. The celebrated conductor and trombonist sits down with WGTE's Brad Cresswell for a conversation about all things Toledo Symphony: what he loves about the orchestra, his overall musical philosophy, and his plans for the future.