Graduation season is here, and that means the melody of Edward Elgar's "Graduation March" is in the air. It also means WQXR is celebrating the Class of 2025 with a very special feature!  We're asking listeners to tell us about a recent or soon-to-be graduate you’re proud of by writing to us at [email protected].  Then, starting from May 23 through the end of June, listen every weekday at 5 PM as we celebrate their achievements on air (on-air) with joyful music and your inspiring messages. Do you know the history of the "Graduation March?" It turns out that's not even its real name, even though it might as well be. Its actual title is March from Pomp and Circumstance No. 1. Elgar, who was born in England on June 2, 1857, wrote it in 1901 as an attempt to compose a military march that would win him more popular acclaim. When Elgar came up with this melody, he told a friend, “I’ve got a tune that will knock 'em flat.” And at its London premiere, it did. The crowd went wild. To this day, it’s the only time in the history of Proms concerts that the audience demanded — and received — a double encore of an instrumental piece. The soon-to-be King Edward VII liked it so much, he encouraged Elgar to set text to it. A year later it was performed at the king’s coronation. It’s almost a second national anthem in England today, where it's known as “Land of Hope and Glory.” So how did an English military march wind up being America’s go-to graduation tune? In 1906, Yale University gave Elgar an honorary doctorate at its commencement ceremony. The composer came in person, but his music was the star of the show. As the guests left the hall to Elgar’s Pomp and Circumstance March that day, the piece made such an impression that Princeton used it at its graduation next year. Chicago was next, then Columbia and Vassar and on and on. * Sophie Varon contributed to this piece.

May 22, 2025 - We explore the topline state budget numbers, including what's driving New York's spending to record heights, with Patrick Orecki, director of state studies for the Citizens Budget Commission.

May 22, 2025 - Assemblywoman Sarah Clark, a Rochester-area Democrat, makes the case for legislation requiring law enforcement use an enhanced risk-assessment tool when responding to domestic incidents to determine if things might escalate.

May 22, 2025 - NAACP New York State Conference President L. Joy Williams discusses her vision, advocacy work in the state budget, and agenda for the remainder of the legislative session in Albany.

May 21, 2025 - Protect the Adirondacks Executive Director Claudia Braymer explains how the state budget impacts the Adirondack Park and discusses her legislative agenda for the rest of the session.

May 21, 2025 - After a major overhaul in 2019, New York's laws governing evidence disclosure are getting tweaked again at the behest of county prosecutors. We discuss what the changes in the budget consist of and their impact with Kevin Stadelmaier, the first deputy defender for Erie County’s assigned counsel program’s criminal division.

May 21, 2025 - We explore agriculture loans, credits and grants in the state budget with Renée St. Jacques, acting director of public policy for the New York Farm Bureau, We also discuss what the group is hoping to pass and block during the remaining days of the session.

May 21, 2025 - In the aftermath of the state budget being adopted, we check in with the Siena College Research Institute's Steve Greenberg to discuss how New Yorkers feel about some of the more high profile items that were in this budget. We also get an update on the race to be the Republican nominee for governor.

May 20, 2025 - Stony Brook University Professor Robert Harrison, the interim executive director of the Empire AI, discusses the idea behind this consortium, explains the state funding going into the initiative, and highlights the ongoing research.

May 20, 2025 - Earthjustice New York Policy Advocate Liz Moran responds to what was (and wasn't) in the state budget that impacted the environment, including a new $1 billion initiative and a dearth of aggressive policies.