An Evening with Joy Ike happens twice this weekend December 3 2022 at Rodef Shalom Temple 7:30pm and December 4 3:30pm at Sixth Presbyterian Church. The Gershwin Lullaby, Grieg Holberg Suite and arrangements made just for the songs of Joy Ike. Conductor Edward Leonard joins Joy Ike and Executive Director Andrew Swenson to dig in to the joys of the event. Joy, born in Pittsburgh but more recently living in Philadelphia, tells Jim Cunningham her philosophy and inspiration with the journey so far.

WQED colleague and award winning television producer, Gina Catanzarite, spoke with Jim Cunningham about WQED's upcoming 30 minute documentary "Autism: Aging Out," premiering Thursday, December 8th at 8pm.

T J Fairchild is the Founder with his wife of Commonplace Coffee which started with a love of coffee house culture in Raleigh North Carolina then traveled to Indiana University of Pa and has expanded to eight locations in western Pennsylvania. Commonplace has created the 50th Anniversary blend for contributors to WQED-FM. TJ tells Jim Cunningham it tastes delicious and relates the flavors involved. The coffee business, Walt Whitman and what makes the business perk can be found in this Voice of the Arts conversation.

TRYPO Music Director Brian Worsdale visited the WQED-FM studio to tell Jim Cunningham all about the December 5 Carnegie Music Hall concert “Music of the Americas” of the Three Rivers Young Peoples Orchestra with thoughts about founders Bernard Goldberg and Phyliss Susan, the strength of the coaching staff. getting through he pandemic, Bryan’s work at Duquesne University teaching conductors the TRYPO visit to Carnegie Hall in New York last summer and more.

Jim Cunningham chats with Anna Singer about her new 2023 Calendar featuring her paintings. WQED-FM is offering it during our December drive for a contribution of just $60.

Assistant Conductor at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Moon Doh, takes on a new role as a guest conductor at Butler Symphony Orchestra this Saturday, December 3rd for their Holiday Traditions Concert. This concert features opera singer Kevin Glavin reprising his beloved Santa role from the PSO years ago, and Butler local singer Sarah Bishop. Moon discusses the upcoming concert and his first Christmas in Pittsburgh.

Dr. Susan Medley Music Director of the Pittsburgh Concert Chorale has the detail on her program Sounds of the Season Friday December 2 at a new venue Trinity Cathedral in downtown Pittsburgh at 7:30, Saturday 7:30 at Fox Chapel Presbyterian Church and Sunday at 4pm in the Ingomar United methodist Church. She also has a sing along Messiah and a concert at W and J where she is Director of Choral Activities.

WQED-FM's Anna Singer spoke with Samuele Bozzolla, the son of opera singer Claudia Pinza. They talked about his mother and grandfather.

From his newly redecorated dressing room Pittsburgh Symphony music Director Manfred Honeck discusses Mozart’s Mass in c minor with the Schumann Piano Concerto to be heard Friday and Sunday December 3 and 5 2022 and Saturday night only Handel’s Messiah. Both concerts are with with the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh and soloists including Ying Fang who appeared in Mozart’s Idomeneo at the Metropolitan Opera this past fall. Manfred Honeck tells Jim Cunningham about the mystery of the missing sections of the Mozart Mass and why a non believer should care about the Mass in the modern world. He also shares his thoughts regarding the Thanksgiving day concert and the visit of his daughter Anna Maria to Heinz Hall.

Former Pittsburgh Symphony Concertmaster Noah Bendix Balgley talks with WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham about his appearance with the Pittsburgh Symphony November 25 and 27 with Music Director Manfred Honeck. He played his Fidl Fantazye: A Klezmer Concerto and the Vivaldi Concerto by Antonio Vivaldi in B flat for Violin and Cello in which he was joined by PSO Principal Cello Anne Martindale Williams. Noah talks about his fall 2022 tour with the Berlin Philharmonic which featured him as a soloist in Mozart's First Violin Concerto with Kiril Petrenko conducting. Other topics include his work in Pittsburgh and his thoughts about the Berlin Philharmonic plus a preview of the upcoming season in Berlin.