From the John Clark Performance Studio: Recent Episodes
WDAV Classical Public Radio
WDAV invites artist and musicians to the John Clark performance studio to share their thoughts and talents.Subscribe to a podcast of this series via iTunes using the button below or visit our subscribe page for other options.Subscribe
WDAV celebrates the vital role public radio plays in supporting musicians and music lovers by spotlighting local talent, including this session with Charlotte-based Phoenix Down RPG from the John Clark Performance Studio. Featuring Teil Taliesin, oboe; Dr. Dylan Taliesin, clarinet; and Nicholas Ritter, bassoon.
WDAV celebrates the vital role public radio plays in supporting musicians and music lovers by spotlighting local talent, including this session with Charlotte-based Chamber Music for All from the John Clark Performance Studio.
Organist and keyboardist Clara Bartz, a Davidson native, play Bach selections before her performance of the Goldberg Variations at the Davidson Bach Festival.Learn more about the Davidson Bach Festival (PDF)
The Poiesis Quartet—winners of the prestigious Fischoff Competition—performs a program called The Poetry of Music for the Seventh Street Concerts at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Charlotte. Charlotte poet laureate Junious Ward joins the group, which also features former Charlottean Drew Dansby on cello. They preview the performance From the John Clark Performance Studio.
Mark and Maggie O’Connor kick off a national tour in support of their new album, Life after Life, at The Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius, NC. Before that, they perform a few tracks for us and speak to Frank Dominguez about how the pandemic isolation allowed them to focus on songwriting, much of which forms the basis of the new release.Learn more about Mark and Maggie O’Connor's Life after Life concertPictured: Mark and Maggie O’Connor (r-l) by Maia Rosenfeld
Mark and Maggie O’Connor kick off a national tour in support of their new album, Life after Life, at The Cain Center for the Arts in Cornelius, NC. Before that, they perform a few tracks for us and speak to Frank Dominguez about how the pandemic isolation allowed them to focus on songwriting, much of which forms the basis of the new release. Learn more about Mark and Maggie O’Connor's Life after Life concert Pictured: Mark and Maggie O’Connor (r-l) by Maia Rosenfeld
Members of the Bechtler Ensemble perform a program of music by the Armenian curate Komitas, a pioneer in the field of ethnomusicology. Ensemble director Tanja Bechtler also speaks about Komitas’ efforts to preserve Armenian culture in the face of genocide. Heard on the Episode: Joe Meyer, violin 1 Tatiana Karpova, violin 2 Vasily Gorkovoy, viola Tanja Bechtler, cello Komitas : Armenian Folk Songs for Strings arr. by Sergei Aszlamazyan 1. Shogher Djian (Dear Sugar) 2. Chinar es (She's slender like a plane-tree) 3. Kagavik (Song of the little partridge) 4. March Along 5. Shushiki (Girl's Dance) 6. Echmiadzni Bar (Echmiadzin Dance) Learn more about the Bechtler Ensemble
We welcome a string quartet of Charlotte Symphony musicians who perform concerts as part of the Chamber Music 4All series. Hear excerpts of works by Janacek and Mendelssohn, and series founders Calin Lupanu and Monica Boboc speak about the series’ objectives. Learn more about Chamber Music 4 All events
Tenor Dominic Armstrong and soprano Melinda Whittington star in Opera Carolina’s production of La Traviata . They enter the studio to perform stunning duets from the opera, chat about their musical journeys, and share personal insights into Verdi’s masterwork. Pictured (left to right): Emily Jarrell Urbanek (collaborative pianist), Dominic Armstrong (tenor), Frank Dominguez (host), Melinda Whittington (soprano).
Two members from the cast of Opera Carolina’s production of Gershwin’s opera “Porgy and Bess” perform a couple of selections in the John Clark Performance Studio. Tenor Victor Ryan Robertson will sing “There’s a Boat That’s Leaving Soon,” and soprano Sequina Dubose is featured in “Summertime.” Learn more about Opera Carolina's Porgy and Bess Pictured (left to right): Frank Dominguez (host), Victor Ryan Robertson (tenor), Sequina Dubose (soprano), and Daria Ruzhynska (piano).
Singer-songwriter Quisol with violinist Kari Giles and cellist Jeremy Lamb perform in the John Clark Performance Studio for Public Radio Music Day. Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Heard on this Episode: Quisol : Pure Potential (on lever harp) Something About You In the Flesh / Cities
Cellist Tanja Bechtler performs in the John Clark Performance Studio for Public Radio Music Day. Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Heard on this Episode: Medley of Bach Cello Suites.
Guitarist Alan Mearns performs in the John Clark Performance Studio for Public Radio Music Day. Wednesday, October 26, 2022. Heard on this Episode: Bach : Prelude and Fugue No. 1 in C major, BWV 846 from The Well-Tempered Clavier Granados arr. by Stanley Yates : Spanish Dance No. 2 , "Oriental"
Pianist Cynthia Lawing performs several musical selections during WDAV’s holiday open house. She talks about what brought her to music and being inducted into the Steinway Piano Teacher Hall of Fame. Also, Mark and Katherine Love of Steinway Piano Gallery (Charlotte) are in studio to talk about bestowing the honor.
Countertenor Reginald Mobley and pianist Henry Lebedinsky preview a program of vocal music by black composers for the Music at St. Alban’s Series. Learn more about Reginald Mobley and Henry Lebedinsky at the Music at St. Alban's Pictured: Reginald Mobley/ CLB Management
From the John Clark Performance Studio welcomes two of the Queen City’s finest jazz musicians, Dawn Anthony and Rick Bean, to preview a concert that mixes jazz with classical choral music. The two talk about this unique collaboration for a Fall Jazz Fest concert at Good Shepherd Presbyterian Church in Charlotte.
Ensemble Nobiles is a five-voice men’s chorus comprised of veterans of the legendary St. Thomas Boys Choir of Leipzig. The group is touring the U.S. with a performance at First Presbyterian Church in Concord. They stopped by the WDAV studios to provide a sample of their artistry. Learn more about Ensemble Nobiles
Pianist Greg Knight, finalist in the Van Cliburn Piano Competition amateur division, and conductor Matthew Troy, preview the season opening concert for the Western Piedmont Symphony. Learn more about the Western Piedmont Symphony's Masterworks I program Gregory Knight, piano Matthew Troy, conductor
The Beo String Quartet, which specializes in contemporary music, visit the John Clark Performance Studio to talk and to share their talent. The quartet gives a preview of the new works they will premiere live at WDAV's Small Batch Concert Series .
Violinist, composer and speaker Kai Kight speaks abut his keynote address for Charlotte SHOUT and how his innovative presentations for businesses and organizations aim to inspire ingenuity and creativity. Learn more about Charlotte SHOUT! Pictured: Kai Kight
Violinist Hyeyung Yoon and Youth Orchestras of Charlotte conductor Ernest Pereira visit the studio to preview the orchestra’s Spring Concert. Learn more about the Youth Orchestras of Charlotte Pictured: Hyeyung Yoon Hyeyung Yoon, violin Ernest Pereira, conductor
Soprano Margaret Carpenter-Haigh and organist Nicholas Haigh perform selections from Membra Jesu Nostri by Dietrich Buxtehude, and speak with Mike McKay about their upcoming concerts and ensemble. Learn more about L'Académie Du Roi Soleil
Pianist Svetlana Smolina performs a dazzling short program featuring Chopin and Rachmaninoff, and converses with WDAV’s Joe Brant about the music and her career. Pictured: Svetlana Smolina; photo by Heard on this Episode: R. Schumann arr. by Liszt: "Widmung" Chopin : Scherzo No. 2 Rachmaninoff : Prelude in D major, Op. 23
Musicians from the Tablao Flamenco ensemble talk about their performance called “A Night in Andalusia” at the Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, and how they transform the space into a Spanish dance club with the traditional music of the region. Learn more about “A Night in Andalusia”
Pianist Cynthia Lawing and clarinetist Jessica Lindsey perform during WDAV’s 40th birthday party. The two talk about what brought them to music; the characteristics of Christmas music; and their holiday traditions. Heard on This Episode: Gerald Finzi : Carol from the Five Bagatelles Arcangelo Corelli : Concerto Grosso in g minor Op. 6, No. 8, Fatto per la notte di Natale (made for the night of Christmas), or Christmas Concerto A Galician Christmas Carol Franz Liszt : The shepherds at the manger from In dulci jubilo
Pianist Ethan Uslan performs selections for WDAV's 40th Birthday Party. He talks about the origins of ragtime, playing for silent films and what makes ragtime music so appealing. Learn more about Ethan Uslan and The Carolina Shout podcast Heard on this Episode: Mozart : Rondo a la Turka Fisk Jubilee Singers : Oh Them Golden Slippers Harry Carroll : I’m Always Chasing Rainbows from Fantaisie-Impromptu by Frédéric Chopin Holiday Medley adapted by Ethan Uslan Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy music from The Nutcracker I’m dreaming of a White Christmas Hark! The Herald Angels Sing Jingle Bells Chopin: C sharp minor waltz
Members of Heartland Baroque join WDAV’s Rachel Stewart to perform and preview selections from their touring program, The Winged Lion and the Unremembered Sea , which is making several stops in the region. Event Details : Heartland Baroque: The Winged Lion and the Unremembered Sea This session From the John Clark Performance Studio was mixed in the Samuel R. Spencer Recording and Production Studio, and made possible by a generous gift from Keith and Tommye Miller. Heard on this episode: Giovanni Battista Fontana : Sonata Quartadecima for 2 Violins, Dulcian and Basso Continuo Martie Perry and David Wilson, Baroque Violins Keith Collins, Dulcian Barbara Krumdieck, Baroque Cello William Simms, Theorbo Excerpt from Mark Twain's The Innocents Abroad (published 1869) Dennis Delamar, narrator Giovanni Battista Fontana : Sonata Undecima for 2 Violins and Basso Continuo Martie Perry and David Wilson, Baroque Violins Barbara Krumdieck, Baroque Cello William Simms, Theorbo
Soprano Margaret Carpenter and organist Nicholas Haigh join WDAV’s Rachel Stewart to perform selections and speak about their new ensemble – L’Académie du Roi Soleil – its mission, and preview their upcoming performances of Couperin’s Lessons for Tennebrae . Event Details : Couperin - Leçons de Ténèbres (l-r) Soprano Margaret Carpenter and organist Nicholas Haigh Nicholas Haigh, organist
Composer Leonard Mark Lewis and tenor Brian Arreola join host Joe Brant for a preview of " Wake-Lucia: A Joycean Operatic Rite ." The performance includes original music by Lewis and dance based on the life of James Joyce and his daughter Lucia. Event Details : Winthrop University: Wake-Lucia: A Joycean operatic rite Brian Arreola, tenor Leonard Mark Lewis, composer
Oboist Joe Robinson '62 and mezzo-soprano Rebecca "Becky" Robinson visit the John Clark Performance Studio to chat about an upcoming Love Songs in the Afternoon recital at Davidson College Presbyterian Church (DCPC) as part of the Davidson College Reunion Weekend. The father and daughter pair will perform highlights from the concert with accompaniment by Wade Dingman. Davidson Reunion Weekend Events Schedule >
For years, fiddler and composer Mark O’Connor has been melding folk, jazz, and classical music into a style that is distinctly his own and distinctly American. He’s one of the most successful artists who works across genres and has won three Grammy Awards for his work in both the country and classical realms. He frequently collaborates with artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Edgar Meyer, Chris Thile, and Matt Haimovitz. Recently, O’Connor and his wife Maggie, who studied violin at the Peabody Conservatory, have made Charlotte their home. They visit WDAV for some conversation and superb duo fiddle performances.
Members of the Bechtler Ensemble stop by the WDAV studios to preview the Charlotte Composers Forum. The forum consists of composers from Queens University, Winthrop University, UNCC and Central Piedmont Community College. In celebration of the Bechtler's latest exhibition, Celebrating Jean Tinguely and Santana, five composers have written original music to complement the work. Event Details : Music and Museum: Bechtler Ensemble
Pianist Anna Federova joins WDAV for a performance and conversation about her upcoming Music and Museum performance at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art. She performs selections from Mozart Fantasie and Chopin Fantasie. Related Music and Museum: Fantasies with Anna Fedorova
Pianist Arlene Shrut, soprano and UNC Charlotte faculty member Alissa Deeter, and baritone Dennis Jesse visit WDAV to talk about the world premiere of a new work by composer Jocelyn Hagen as part of the program "Requiem of Solace." "Requiem of Solace" also features the performance of A German Requiem with four-hand accompaniment, which is the first product of Shrut’s Sustainable Symphony Project . Requiem of Solace at UNC Charlotte --> Program Flower of the Field from Songs of Fields and Prairies Alissa Deeter, soprano Arlene Shrut, piano Call of the Open from Songs of Fields and Prairies Alissa Deeter, soprano Arlene Shrut, piano In My Soul solo from "Facets" Dennis Jesse, baritone Arlene Shrut, piano Everything soprano solo from "Facets" Alissa Deeter, soprano Arlene Shrut, piano
Opera Carolina begins 2017 with Giuseppe Verdi’s La Traviata. Two of the performers, baritone Reginald Smith, Jr. and soprano Elizabeth Caballero, join host Joe Brant in the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio to talk about the show. Reginald Smith, Jr. Elizabeth Caballero
Pianist Svetlana Smolina joins WDAV for a live performance and conversation during our Christmas in Davidson Open House. She performs selections from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, Chopin's Prelude No. 13 and Pablo de Sarasate's Carmen Fantasy.
Gregory Knight, 2016 Van Cliburn Competition finalist, visits the John Clark Performance Studio to play Van Cliburn’s own piano. Mark Love of Steinway Piano Gallery Charlotte and Greensboro joins to talk about this amazing instrument. Listen to the interview and bonus track of Claude Debussy's L’isle joyeuse below.
Matt Haimovitz joins us in the midst of his Bach Listening Room Tour. On this tour, Haimovitz brings Bach’s cello suites to small, intimate settings throughout the southeast, performing Bach’s Six Suites not in concert halls, but in coffeehouses and music clubs. To conclude the tour, he'll perform all six suites in a single day in Bethesda, Maryland.
Bela Fleck has made his mark across many genres -- including bluegrass, jazz, pop, and rock -- and has earned Grammy nominations in more categories than any other musician. Now Bela Fleck has crossed over into classical with his concerto for banjo, "The Imposter," as well as a quintet for banjo and one for strings. Bela Fleck visited the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio to speak with Joe Brant about his upcoming performance with the Western Piedmont Symphony, and he performed music that veered from The Beverly Hillbillies to Bach to his own concerto. This is a Performance/Chat unlike any other!
Matt Rogers welcomes guitarist Bob Teixeira and cellist Tanja Bechtler to the John Clark Performance Studio to chat about their upcoming performance at St. Alban's in Davidson, NC. The husband and wife duo will play highlights from the concert and chat about their blended sound.
Violinist Karen Gomyo with accompanist Dina Vainshtein visited the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio for a live performance and to chat with host Rachel Stewart. Ms. Gomyo is the feature soloist in the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra's performance of Tchaikovsky's Pathetique , part of the CSO's Classics Series.
Music at St. Albans in Davidson opened its 2013 – 2014 season with Bach Fest, featuring music by Johann Sebastian Bach and his contemporaries. Members of Bach Fest joined us in the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio to perform selections from the upcoming concert and chat with WDAV’s Matt Rogers about Bach Fest 2013.
On August 23, Matt Rogers welcomed the winners of the 2013 Music Teachers National Association Senior Piano Duet Competition to the WDAV studio. Hannah Wang and Clara Gerdes, both sixteen years old, shared their experiences in the competition and played a few tunes.
WDAV was pleased to host pianist Pamela Howland in our studios for a live performance during our Fall Campaign. Listen to Howland perform selections from Chopin and talk with us about her work and her upcoming appearances.
Cellist Amit Peled may have begun his career as a basketball player, but now brings his "larger than life" performances to concert halls around the world. The 6'5 cellist visits the WDAV studio and brings with him the personal concert cello of Pablo Casals, the legendary Spanish Catalan cellist and conductor. Peled speaks with host Frank Dominguez and previews his upcoming performance for the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art's Music and Museum series.
Pianist Valarie Valois joins WDAV in the John Clark Performance Studio to perform selected works, including Danza de la moza donosa by Alberto Ginastera and Forest Murmurs by Franz Liszt. In addition, Dr. Valois will chat with Frank Dominguez about music and her career, which includes local and international performances, music education, and serving as the church musician for St. Michael the Archangel Church in Matthews, NC.
Members of the NC Baroque Orchestra join daytime host Matt Rogers for a live performance in the John Clark performance studio. The group previews selections from their upcoming Musical Banquet in Davidson, featuring Vivaldi's Concerto for 4 baroque violins, Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 and Concerto for 2 harpsichords, and a Suite by Telemann with baroque trumpets and timpani.
Christopher Gilliam -- director of the Davidson College Chorale, a highly selective, auditioned choir of 24 student singers -- chats with WDAV's Frank Dominguez about the ensemble. You'll also hear recordings from past performances.
Prior to their performance in Charlotte, Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine performed live in WDAV’s John Clark Performance Studio on Tuesday, March 3, 2015. Patrick Pope, organist and music director at Charlotte's Episcopal Church of the Holy Comforter, chatted with Frank Dominguez about this talented group and what drew him to bring them to perform in Charlotte.
Members of the Piedmont Baroque Consortium visit the John Clark Performance Studio for a preview of their upcoming premiere of the Gloria in C No 1 by Antonio Lotti. For centuries a lost masterpiece, Lotti's Gloria will be performed in a collaboration between Piedmont Baroque Consortium Director David Tang and British Musicologist Ben Byram-Wigfield.
Matt Haimovitz joins us in the midst of his Bach Listening Room Tour. On this tour, Haimovitz brings Bach’s cello suites to small, intimate settings throughout the southeast, performing Bach’s Six Suites not in concert halls, but in coffeehouses and music clubs. To conclude the tour, he'll perform all six suites in a single day in Bethesda, Maryland.
BachFest 2015 at St. Alban's Episcopal Church features soprano Margaret Carpenter and mezzo-soprano Tamsin Simmell in a program of arias by J.S. Bach and his contemporaries. Instrumentalists will include: Nicholas Haigh, harpsichord & organ, William Simms, theorbo, and Barbara Blaker Krumdieck, baroque cello. Members of the ensemble visit the WDAV performance studio to perform live and chat with Matt Rogers about the upcoming show.
The Chante Piano Trio returns to WDAV a year after their first-place win in WDAV’s inaugural Young Chamber Musicians Competition. The trio is comprised of Maria Parrini, Stephen Hawkey, and Paul Aguilar. As WDAV prepares to launch the second Young Chamber Musicians Competition, the trio recalls their experiences in the competition and tells us what’s ahead in their musical careers. They also perform pieces by Mozart, Ravel, and Mendelssohn during their visit to the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio.
Matt Rogers chats with Charlotte Symphony cellist Jon Lewis about his performance as part of the CSO Pulse Rush Hour Recital Series. Rush Hour Recitals are hour-long concerts featuring CSO musicians playing their own musical selections--typically pieces that are not among the standard symphonic repertoire. Jon gives us a preview of the late Baroque music he has picked out, and Pulse co-president Beth Rennie shares how the organization is fostering the next generation of CSO concertgoers.
Agave Baroque, a San Francisco-based ensemble specializing in 17th century string chamber music, will be in Davidson as part of BachFest at St. Alban's Episcopal Church. Prior to this performance, they came to the WDAV performance studio to perform live and to chat with Matt Rogers about the upcoming show.
WDAV invites Charlotte New Music Festival founder Elizabeth Kowalski, pianist Blair McMillan and composer Armando Bayolo to the John Clark Performance Studio for a performance and conversation about the festival.
Classical flutist Ben Smolen joins Matt Rogers in the WDAV studio to talk about his role in the Master Class of the Symphony Guild of Charlotte. In addition, Ben will stay to perform works from JS Bach, Michael Gandolfi, and Claude Debussy. Sally Moody, president of the Symphony Guild, will also be in the studios to share more about the history and mission of the guild. Smolen is a celebrated classical flutist and recording artist who performs across the globe and was appointed Principal Flutist of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra in Orange County, CA, in 2011.
Christopher O’Riley, acclaimed pianist and host of NPR's From the Top, stops by the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio for an interview and live performance. We’ll talk to him about some of the top young classical musicians featured in From the Top and will be treated to a performance as well. From The Top is coming to the Batte Center at Wingate University on Saturday, November 23 rd to tape an episode of their award-winning radio program. From the Top , which airs on WDAV each Sunday at 5pm, is the preeminent showcase for America’s best young musicians.
Pianist Ethan Uslan is a rare breed here in the 21st century -- he provides accompaniment for silent movies. His next presentation will be music for the 1930 Spanish film La aldea maldita – The Cursed Village – by the legendary director Florián Rey. Uslan chats with Frank Dominguez in the John Clark Performance studio, and plays some Albéniz as well as some of his trademark ragtime.
Matt Rogers host a LIVE in studio performance and chat with the Kontras Quartet prior to their final Chamber Classics concert of the season Sat May 18th at 7:30 p.m.
Frank Dominguez welcomes the Copley String Quartet to WDAV’s John Clark Performance Studio. The Copley String Quartet is comprised of members of Boston’s Handel and Haydn Society, which – at 200 years old – is the oldest performing arts organization in the United States. They are here to talk about their appearance in the Bechtler Music & Museum concert series and to perform several pieces for us.
Irrepressible ragtime pianist Ethan Uslan joins Matt Rogers LIVE in the John Clark Performance Studio to play his ragtime arrangements of seasonal favorites.
Join us to hear classical guitarist Adam Levin and violinist William Knuth perform live in the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio. They'll also talk with Matt Rogers about the duo's role in the chamber music world and their appearance at the Music and Museum program at the Bechtler Museum in Charlotte.
Opera Carolina begins its 2013 – 2014 season with Verdi’s Aida . Two of the performers, baritone Mark Rucker and soprano Othalie Graham, joined us in the WDAV John Clark Performance Studio. Midday host Matt Rogers talked with them about the show, and they sang highlights from Aida .
Dmitry Sitkovetsky, violinist and conductor of the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, chats with WDAV host Matt Rogers about the ensemble's 'Diamonds in the Rough' concert on January 23 and 25. Sitkovetsky will also give us a performance of works by Beethoven, Brahms, and Tchaikovsky.
The FireBird Singers are a Charlotte-based classical vocal ensemble. The group visited the WDAV studio to preview their concert 9/11: An A Cappella Remembrance.
Jessica Lindsey, assistant professor of clarinet at UNC Charlotte, and pianist Christian Bohnenstengel, an assistant professor at Southern Utah University, give a preview of an upcoming concert highlighting women composers. They will perform Sheila Silver's work Lullaby in its entirety.
Grammy-nominated violinist Robert McDuffie joins host Frank Dominguez for a preview of his upcoming concert to benefit Davidson College and WDAV. McDuffie, whose son attends Davidson College, has performed with the New York and Los Angeles Philharmonics and numerous ensembles abroad, including the Orchestra del Teatro alla Scala. He is the founder of both the Rome Chamber Music Festival in Italy and the Robert McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in his native city of Macon, Georgia.
The A.W. Duo, cellist James Waldo and pianist Alyona Aksyonova, with guest Ariadne Greif visit WDAV to preview the groups two upcoming performances. The ensemble will perform as part of the Music at St. Alban's series and the Center City Concerts at St. Peter's. Their program will include chamber music exploring themes of romantic love in music of the 19th century, from soulful art songs to sassy parlor music.
After guitarist Peter Blanchette spent a year learning to play the lute, he decided it just wasn't the right instrument for him. He enjoyed playing guitar, but the guitar wasn't capable of easily playing the renaissance and baroque music he loved. So Blanchette solved his problem by creating the archguitar; combining the characteristics of a lute and a Spanish vihuela (an early guitar-like instrument.) Blanchette visits the station to give a live preview of his upcoming Music and Museum performance at the Bechtler Museum of Modern Art.