Keith Kaiser of the Pittsburgh Botanic Garden stopped by to talk about the Garden, which is reclaiming land from Pittsburgh’s gritty, industrial past and transforming it into an outdoor experience.  You can wander their 60-acre Woodlands and enjoy an award-winning Lotus Pond, but they are doing lots of expansion, thanks to the support of RAD.

The Afro-American Music Institute was founded by Dr. James Johnson in 1982 and it's still continuing with it's mission today.  Dr. Johnson stopped by WQED-FM to tell us all about the Institutes rich history and plans for the future.

The Bulgarian Macedonian National Educational and Cultural Center preserves, presents and promotes the cultural values and rich traditions of the Bulgarian and Macedonian people; offers a comprehensive source of Bulgarian and Macedonian historic and educational information; and contributes to the cultural landscape by presenting unique artistic events and performances.  Founded in 1930, we are the the oldest, largest, and most active Bulgarian-Macedonian organization in the U.S.  Board President Edward Markoff stopped by WQED-FM to talk about the Center.

Piano Day Pittsburgh is a free, public event where performers give short concerts on an outdoor concert piano downtown.   It begins Saturday August 24th with a concert-grade piano traveling around Pittsburgh strapped onto a flatbed truck!  Sunday August 25th features performances by some of Pittsburgh's greatest musicians at 4 locations in the Cultural District.  One of the performers will be Nanette Kaplan Solomon, who stopped by WQED-FM to talk about Piano Day 2019.  She also performed 3 pieces in our studio - including the Notturno No. 2 from Soirees Musicales by Clara Schumann; and 2 selections from Madeline Dring's Colour Suite - Pink Minor and Brown Study.

Enjoy a free performance by Pittsburgh Ballet Theater at Hartwood Acres this Sunday (August 18th) starting at 5pm.  The event includes food trucks, animal ballons, and photo opportunities with dancers, followed by a free performance on the Hartwood Acres stage beginning at 7:30pm.  Dancers Corey Bourbonniere and JoAnna Schmidt explain why you should attend.

The Pittsburgh Public Theater has an exciting season coming up for their 2019-2020 season.  Marya Sea Kaminski stopped by WQED-FM to tell us about it, along with how RAD funding allows them to put on the shows at the O'Reilly Theater.

Pittsburgh Ballet Theater Principal Dancer Alejandro Diaz stopped by WQED-FM to talk to Omar Tolentino about the upcoming Dancer's Trust performance on September 14th at Point Park University.

Bricolage envisions theater not as a passive experience, but as a vehicle for heightened involvement for artist and audience alike.  Founder Jeffrey Carpenter spoke with WQED-FM's Omar Tolentino about the company, the importance of RAD funding for their organization, and some of their upcoming productions.

WQED-FM's Bryan Sejvar sat down with Pittsburgh Zoo President and CEO Dr. Barbara Baker.  She talks about the rich history of the Zoo in Pittsburgh; it move from being run by the City to becoming a private organization; the importance of conservation to her and the Zoo; why people still visit the zoo even with the advent of the internet; and how RAD funding is vital to keeping the Pittsburgh Zoo a national treasure.

Partch is the Grammy® winning ensemble that specializes in the music & instruments of the iconoclastic American Maverick composer Harry Partch who, between 1930 and 1972, created one of the most amazing bodies of sensually alluring and emotionally powerful music of the 20th century. Partch wrote music drama, dance theater, multi-media extravaganzas, vocal music and chamber music—all to be performed on the extraordinary orchestra of instruments that he designed and built himself.  Partch member John Schneider spoke with WQED-FM's Aaron Lebovitz about the recording "Partch: Sonata Dementia" on Bridge Records.