By popular demand I have produced my second Hybrid Highbrow podcast. It’s all about jazz and classical pieces that conform to the “arabesque” format. Arabesques are often but not always written for the piano. Robert Schumann and Claude Debussy composed the most famous arabesques. But I also hear the arabesque spirit in the the work […]
Tag Archives | Hybrid Highbrow
In which I launch the Hybrid Highbrow podcast . . .
Hybrid Highbrow podcast #1 is out! Ta daaaaa! The maiden episode focuses on the similarities between two early 20th-century “talking machine” singers: blues shouter Mamie Smith and opera star Enrico Caruso. Both sang in the middle ranges, alto and tenor, rather than the high or low registers. This made them perfect for acoustic recording. Both […]
Podcast #97: PhillyCAM’s LPFM in the City of Brotherly Love
Intrepid radio tourist Jennifer Waits reports back from her journey to PhillyCAM radio in the City of Brotherly Love, adding a low-power FM station, WPPM-LP, to an established public access TV operation. Following up on episode #96 we catch up on the latest smart speaker research and Jennifer shares news about two college stations sold […]
Classic FM radio and the truncating of classical music
Composer Kevin Volans gave a talk at Ireland’s Contemporary Music Center the other month. During the speech Volans ID’d the United Kingdom’s Classic FM radio service as a key moment in Good Culture’s never ending declension narrative. First came The Three Tenors (gah), and if that wasn’t enough: “Then came Classic FM in 1992, set up by […]
King-FM fantasy classical concerts: worth a download
A first rate classical smartphone application program: King-FM’s fantasy concert series.
WQXR unveils “classical moonlighter” semi-finalists (and they’re really good)
My favorite classical radio station has released thirty Vimeos of the semi-finalists for its “classical moonlighters” competition. I wrote about this when WQXR in New York City first announced the contest last year. These folks have posted vids of themselves playing various masterpieces and they’ve made it to first cut. The final finalists in this event will […]
Minnesota and New York radio get creative with classical music polls
I am loving these holiday contemporary music and choral music polls run by WQXR in New York City and Minnesota Public Radio.
Running a hybrid classical radio station with Earbits
It has been a while since I checked in on Earbits, the commercial free online music application that encourages you to become an active fan of the bands and musicians on your stream. Since then, it has greatly improved and I have constructed a hybrid classical radio channel via its excellent Chrome extension feature. For those […]
West / east coast classical radio stations sponsor amateur contests
I am digging several just beginning and just concluding local ensemble / amateur contests being run by classical public signals WQXR-FM in New York City and KDFC-FM in San Francisco. KDFC-FM has just finished its Local Vocals High School Choir sing-off, and the prize goes to the Monte Vista High School Chamber Singers from Danville […]
Classical music moving to Sundays on KUSP-FM in Santa Cruz
“Classical music on KUSP is moving to Sunday mornings (7am to 10am) and Sunday evening (7pm to 9pm).”