Speaking of the Arts

It is a history-making week at KOPN as we start broadcasting from our new home on Bernadette Drive. And history has a role in each of this week's Speaking of the Arts chats with host, Diana Moxon, taking a trip to ancient Egypt courtesy of Joy Powell, the artistic director for MU Theatre Department's Larry D Clark Summer Repertory Theatre, whose production of the Elton John and Tim Rice musical theatre's retelling of the classic Verdi opera 'Aida' opens this week featuring singer Symonne Sparks; a chat with the The Missouri Symphony Orchestra's Executive Director, Trent Rash, and the first of the Hot Summer Nights visiting conductors, Wilbur Lin, including a look at how modern orchestra's might interpret the music of early composers; and Tom Piché, the Director and Curator of the Daum Museum of Contemporary Arts in Sedalia for the past 14 years gets Diana's Arts Exit Interview as his era directing the Daum comes to a close. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

As KOPN prepares to move to its new home this week, show host, Diana Moxon, revisits some recent chats: the art exhibit 'For the Love of Locals' featuring portraiture works by three local artists, Lisa Bartlett, Jane Mudd and Amy Stephenson at the Boone History and Culture Center's Montminy Gallery; a conversation with director Ed Hanson and actors Adam Brietzke and Natalie Botkins about their production of the Cindy Lou Johnson play 'Brilliant Traces' opening this week at Talking Horse Productions; a whistle stop tour through the Arrow Rock Lyceum theatre's summer season with its Producing Artistic Director, Quin Gresham; and a peek behind the curtains of Maplewood Barn's production of the Que Nguyen play 'She Kills Monsters' with its director, Chris Bowling and actor Ada Chapman. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

This week's show is theatre, theatre, theatre and then more theatre. Show host, Diana Moxon, chats with director, Chris Bowling, and actor, Ada Chapman about monsters, a succubus and an ogre all of which make an appearance in Maplewood Barn Theatre's production of the Que Nguyen play 'She Kills Monsters'; there's a rabbit hole dive into MU Theatre Department's 'The Cat in the Hat' with its director Kasey Lynch; a trek to a remote Alaskan cabin with director Ed Hanson and actors Adam Brietzke and Natalie Botkin, whose production of the Cindy Lou Johnson play, 'Brilliant Traces', opens at Talking Horse Productions next week; and a veritable gallop through the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theatre's summer season with its Producing Artistic Director, Quin Gresham. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

After a two-year pandemic hiatus, the Columbia Art League's annual Art in the Park festival returns to Stephens Lake Park this weekend. Diana Moxon checks in with its Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, to find out how she's feeling about her first Art in the Park festival and what she's looking forward to. Plus there are chats with two of the visiting artists, Webb City MO painter, Michael Steddum, and from Springfield MO, ceramic artist, Kendle Durden. There's also music from The January Lanterns, one of the musical acts performing at the Roots n Blues tent at the festival. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist, Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

This week's show is a little bit of a mash up of new and old. New is a chat with actor, director and music producer, Richard Harris, about the August Wilson play 'Jitney', in which he is performing with The Black Rep Theatre of St Louis. The Second Act of the show is a return to a conversation from last July with St Louis artist jeweler, Allison Norfleet Bruenger, who will be returning to Columbia the first weekend in June for this year's Art in the Park festival. And in Act Three, show host Diana Moxon revisits a chat from a few weeks ago with vocal performer and actor, Anthony Blatter about his past five years performing on Mizzou and community stages. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

Each month the Missouri Arts Council features four artists on its website from a variety of arts genres, and on this week's show Diana Moxon checks in with the May artists: Singer songwriter Mick Byrd in Vienna who won a Billboard magazine award with the first song he wrote on his return to music in his late 30's; Yoro Newson, a jeweler and stylist in St Louis who creates fashionable art and had one of her creations catch the eye of the world's biggest pop star; Benjamin Parks, a portrait artist in Kansas City who works way beyond life size; and Jo Stealey, a fiber artist in Columbia who is a master of texture and volume. You can see, and hear, the works of this week's guests on their websites: https://www.mickbyrd.com/; https://yorocreations.wixsite.com/yoro; http://benjaminparks.info/; http://www.jostealey.com/. Thanks, as always, to guitarist Yasmin Williams (http://www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com/) for the show's opening and closing music entitled, 'Restless Heart'.

This week Diana Moxon takes a deep dive into the annual Eurovision Song Contest - its history, culture, music and the strange rise and fall of the United Kingdom over the contest's 66 years. Plus she chats with a local Eurovision fan, Ragtag Cinema's Stacie Pottinger, and checks in with an American Eurovision podcaster, Erik Nelson from 12pointsfromAmerica, live in the Eurovision press center in this year's host city, Turin in northern Italy. This podcast is only available for two weeks.

On this week's eclectic arts tour, show host Diana Moxon dives into a new exhibit at the State Historical Society's Center for Missouri Studies called 'MOda 200: Missouri Style Makers, Merchants & Memories' with its curator, Nicole Johnston. On the eve of the launch of the North Village Arts District's first four ArtWalk artworks, artist Shannon Webster and the Art District's President, Tootie Burns, talk about the development of the ArtWalk project. And as Mizzou musical theatre and opera actor Anthony Blatter leaves for new art pastures in Florida, Diana gives him the Arts Exit Interview. Opening and closing music credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).

This week's Speaking of the Arts smorgasbord includes the Missouri Symphony Orchestra's hiring of a new Conductor, three local artists whose portrait works make up a new show at the Boone History and Culture Center, the return of the musical comedy 'You're a Good Man Charlie Brown' to Maplewood Barn, and a Pop-Up postcard show at the Columbia Art League. Diana Moxon finds out from the MOSY's Executive Director, Trent Rash, who the four finalists are for the person who will take up the mantle of Conductor/Music Director for the orchestra and its conservatory. Artists Lisa Bartlett, Amy Stephenson and Jane Mudd plus curator Audrey Florey talk about their new 'For the Love of Locals' portraiture exhibit. Maplewood Barn Theatre Director Russell Becker and actor Sean Dennehy give a sneak peek at their upcoming production. And CAL Executive Director, Kelsey Hammond, chats about the 350 entries to the gallery's Pop-Up Postcard show. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com)

The 6th annual Unbound Book Festival returns to downtown Columbia this weekend and Diana Moxon caught up with the festival's Executive Director, Alex George, to talk about some of the author events and the keynote event, a conversation with Pulitzer prize-winning novelist, Viet Thanh Nguyen. Plus University of Missouri theatre director, Claire Syler, discusses the Lauren Gunderson play 'The Revolutionists' about four very real women who lived boldly in France during the French Revolution’s Reign of Terror. And from Talking Horse Productions, director Kathleen Johnson and actor Mallory Donohue talk about their upcoming production of the musical 'Fun Home' written by Lisa Kron and Jeanine Tesori, adapted for the stage from the original graphic novel by Alison Bechdel. Opening and closing musical credits with thanks to guitarist Yasmin Williams (www.yasminwilliamsmusic.com).