John Pitman, All Classicalâs Program Director, recently caught up with Hollywood actor and classical musician John Malkovich. Hear their hilarious chat about Malkovichâs The Music Critic, released last year from a recording made in 2020.
Malkovich shares what went into this funny and fascinating recording, based on the live show, where the actor reads actual (and unbelievably negative) contemporary reviews of DvoĆĂĄk, Beethoven, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, and other 20th century composers.
John (Pitman) had a blast talking with one of his favorite actors about the process, and their shared love of classical music. He hopes you enjoy it just as much!
In May 2024, pianist Christopher OâRiley was in Portland for a concert with his good friend, cellist Matt Haimovitz. All Classical Radioâs Program Director, John Pitman, invited Christopher for an interview in the Roger O. Doyle Performance Studio, the day before their concert.
Christopher shared his knowledge, talent, and insight about Bach and the upcoming album, The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 1. He performed two of the preludes and fugues in the studio, and â through interjected examples during their conversation â revealed hidden dialogues within Bachâs work. It was a very illuminating conversation, with powerful music by, arguably, one of musicâs greatest composers.
Hear John Pitmanâs conversation with Christopher OâRiley, as well as some highlights from his upcoming album:
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, and Intersex (LGBTQI+) Pride Month is observed each year in commemoration of the June 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York, a tipping point for the Gay Liberation Movement in the United States. Nationally, Pride Month is observed in June. Locally, the city of Portland celebrates its queer community in July.
In honor of Pride Month, All Classical is shining a spotlight on musicians from the LGBTQI+ community who bring so much beauty and joy to listeners around the world. Join us in celebrating the musical contributions of five extraordinary contemporary LGBTQI+ artists who we love to play on air all year round.
Photo by Andrew Bogard; courtesy of Higdonâs website
JENNIFER HIGDON
Jennifer Higdon, a Pulitzer Prize and three-time GRAMMY award-winning composer and flutist, has proven herself a major figure in contemporary classical music time and time again. Higdonâs exquisite music encompasses a wide range of genres, from large-scale pieces for orchestra and stage to intimate songs for voice and piano. Among her many accolades, Higdonâs first opera, Cold Mountain, won the International Opera Award for Best World Premiere in 2016 (the first American opera to do so), and her GRAMMY award-winning recording of Percussion Concerto was inducted into the Library of Congress National Recording Registry in 2019.
Interestingly, Higdon had a relatively late start to music. At age 15, she taught herself to play flute, and she began formal studies in composition at 21. Nonetheless, Higdonâs path to a career in music has led her to become one of the most influential musical voices of our time. Her music is both distinct and accessible and has been praised as being âimbued with integrity and freshness.â
Together with her wife, Cheryl Lawson, the couple established their own publishing company, Lawdon Publishing (a fun combination of the coupleâs last names), through which Higdon publishes all of her musical works. Fun fact â revered conductor Marin Alsop officiated the coupleâs marriage in 2014.
Photo courtesy of Cheeâs website
CONNOR CHEE
Navajo pianist and composer Connor Chee is best known for combining his Western classical training with his Native American heritage. Making his Carnegie Hall debut at just 12 years old after winning the World Piano Competition, Chee is no stranger to the music world. Exposed to traditional Navajo music from a young age, Cheeâs classical piano training proved to be a perfect companion for fulfilling the musicianâs artistic spirit while also serving as a vehicle to preserve the beloved music of his ancestry.
Chee primarily writes for the piano and incorporates traditional Navajo chants and songs, in addition to piano transcriptions of Navajo music. In fact, writing down music that had previously been exclusively communicated orally was what drew Chee to composition in the first place. Currently based in Phoenix, Chee continues to perform throughout the United States. Several of his studio albums have earned accolades, including Best Instrumental Recording at the 16th Annual Native American Music Awards for The Navajo Piano.
Shawâs music doesnât adhere to strict genre guidelines but rather crosses over in unexpected ways, both in musical style and artistic collaboration. If you looked up the word âvisionaryâ in the dictionary, Caroline Shawâs name would come up. According to her official bio, through her music, Shaw is âtrying to imagine a world of sound that has never been heard before but has always existed.â
In addition to Shawâs extraordinary work as a composer, together with her partner Danni Lee, the couple created the band Ringdown, which they describe as âthe love child of Johannes Brahms and Brandi Carlileâif they were born in the same century and if Brahms was a queer woman.â
New York-based composer Nico Muhly is at the forefront of American classical music. Best known for his acclaimed operas, including Two Boys and Marnie (both commissioned by The Metropolitan Opera), Muhly is an incredibly sought-after musical voice. In addition to The Met, Muhly has received commissions from Carnegie Hall, LA Phil, Tallis Scholars, and St. Johnâs College, Cambridge, among others. Muhlyâs musical influences range from American minimalism to the Anglican choral tradition. In addition to writing works for the stage and concert hall, Muhly frequently collaborates with choreographer Benjamin Millepied. Adding to his extensive list of projects, Muhly has also scored several films and TV shows, including the Academy Award-winning The Reader, and the BBC mini-series Howards End.
Muhly is not afraid to address queer subject matter in his music, as seen in the opera, Two Boys, inspired by a true case involving a toxic teenage relationship and its tragic repercussions, and the oratorio Sentences, based on the life of Alan Turing. Rather, he leans into his commitment to spotlighting voices that have been historically underrepresented in classical music.
As a musician, Herrodâs musical style traverses many genres, including jazz, pop, and funk. A longtime resident of Portland, Herrod regularly tours with Pink Martini as a featured vocalist in addition to headlining his own shows. Praised for âa voice like a beacon of hope,â Herrod has a gift for piercing the hearts of his listeners and is changing todayâs musical soundscape for the better.
In April, the Danish String Quartet performed the world premiere of a new work written for them by English composer Thomas AdĂšs at Carnegie Hall.
For this edition of John Pitmanâs Reviews, John has invited All Classical Radio host Warren Black to speak with the Quartet about the premiere and get a preview of their upcoming new album, Keel Road. The album features arrangements of folk music and more.
Hear Violinist Frederik Ăland and violist AsbjĂžrn NĂžrgaard tell Warren Black about some of the music on their new album, coming soon in the summer of 2024.
Before each piece, hear Herrod and Hanriot discuss the music and their creative process, as well as some insight into the original composers. This is a unique opportunity to experience the talents of these two extraordinary artists in an intimate setting.
JUST JIMMIE
The same week, Herrod was featured as the 28th creative profiled in All Classical Radioâs Artist Anthology, spotlighting 40 contemporary artists of the Pacific Northwest in honor of the stationâs 40th anniversary. The spotlight takes viewers behind the scenes of Herrodâs artistry and career through an exclusive interview and photos.
On May 29, 2024, at 5:00 PM PT, Herrod was interviewed by aspiring young musician Jayden on ICAN BECOME. The International Childrenâs Arts Network program pairs youth hosts with their career heroes.
With âa voice like a beacon of hopeâ (Seattle Times), vocalist Jimmie Herrod brings singular power and expressivity to his globe-trotting career as a singer, songwriter, and entertainer on stage and screen. Herrod first came to worldwide prominence as a finalist on the NBC nationally broadcast television show, âAmericaâs Got Talent,â earning the rare âGolden Buzzerâ recognition from actress Sofia Vergara, and returning the following year on the âAmericaâs Got Talent: All-Starsâ series.
All Classical Radio congratulates on-air host Lynnsay Maynard, who is pursuing her passion for social work with a new position. We thank Lynnsay for her time with All Classical and wish her every success in her new role.
We will miss you, Lynnsay!
We look forward to continuing to celebrate the connections between music and literature with special programs coming up this summer. Stay tuned to learn more about our summer highlights, and more exciting radio programming to come in the year ahead.
As always, thank you for listening to All Classical Radio.
In honor of Asian American and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month, and all year round, All Classical Radio is programming music by AANHPI composers and musicians on our playlist. We love sharing music richly and meaningfully woven with a diverse array of influences, as well as insight into the lives of artists you may not yet know about.
Keep reading to learn about six groundbreaking artists weâre featuring on airin celebration of AANHPI Heritage Month.
KĆsaku Yamada (1886-1965)
Japanese composer and conductor KĆsaku Yamada pioneered modern Japanese music influenced by European tradition. After attending the Tokyo Music School, Yamada studied composition at the Hochschule fĂŒr Musik in Berlin. Following his education in Germany, Yamada sometimes used the name âKĂłsçak,â as a variation of his Japanese name, KĆsaku.
As a composer, Yamada was exceptionally prolific and wrote more than 1600 works, including opera, orchestral works, chamber music, and songs. Unfortunately, many of Yamadaâs manuscripts were destroyed as a result of an air raid targeting Tokyo in May 1945. Listeners will hear the clear influence of German Romanticism in Yamadaâs music; yet, he never lost touch with his Japanese identity.
Image courtesy of Li Dakangvia China Plus
Li Huanzhi (1919-2000)
Li Huanzhi has remained a significant figure among Chinese classical composers. Having grown up exposed to a wide variety of music, Li eagerly pursued a career in the art form from his teens. Despite interruptions to his studies due to war and family obligations, Li never strayed far from his desired path. Much of Liâs music was inspired by regional folk songs and nationalist sentiment. Perhaps most notably, following the founding of the Peopleâs Republic of China, Liâs âThe March of the Volunteersâ was chosen as the new National Anthem.
Li wrote hundreds of compositions, from symphonic works and opera to songs and choral pieces. His Spring Festival Overture remains one of the most frequently performed Chinese works for orchestra.
TĆru Takemitsu (1930-1996)
TĆru Takemitsu was a largely self-taught Japanese composer whose music blends modernist Western styles with Japanese traditions and instruments. Takemitsuâs first encounter with Western music came about while serving in the Japanese military during WWII (Western music had been banned in Japan during the war). An officer played the French chanson âParlez-moi dâamour,â which made a deep impression on Takemitsu and kicked off a lifelong love of music by French composers such as Debussy and Messiaen.
By the late 1950s, Takemitsuâs music began gaining international attention, including one famous incident where Stravinsky heard his Requiem for Strings and subsequently declared it a masterpiece. Also in the 1950s, Takemitsu co-founded the âExperimental Workshopâ whose mission was to explore avant-garde multimedia projects.
He Zhanhao; Image courtesy of South China Morning Post
Chen Gang (b. 1935) & He Zhanhao (b. 1933)
Chen Gang and He Zhanhao are both musicians from China best known for co-composing the Butterfly Loversâ Violin Concerto. Born in Shanghai, Chen was the son of songwriter Chen Gexin and grew up learning piano and composition from his father. In 1955, Chen began studying composition at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where he would eventually meet fellow student He Zhanhao.
He was born in Zhuji and began learning violin at 17 years old. His studies at the Shanghai Conservatory fortuitously overlapped with that of Chen, and the two would soon embark on a life-changing collaboration. In an experiment to adapt Chinese tunes for violin, Chen and He created the Butterfly Loversâs Concerto, based on a centuries-old Chinese folk tale.
Photo by Hui Liu & Steve Zhao; Image courtesy of Warner Classics
Chen Qigang (b. 1951)
Born in Shanghai, Chen Qigang was introduced to music at an early age. Despite being imprisoned as a young teen amid the Cultural Revolution and undergoing âideological reeducation,â Chen never lost his passion for creating music. The composer moved to Paris for graduate studies and shortly thereafter began working with Olivier Messiaen. Chen was Messiaenâs last student and studied with the French composer from 1984-88. Messiaen became a committed supporter of Chenâs music and praised Chenâs harmonious union of Asian and Western musical ideas. After receiving a doctorate in musicology from the Sorbonne in 1989, Chen remained in Paris and became a French citizen in 1992.
Chenâs music is performed all over the world, earning the composer countless honors and awards. Fun fact: Chen composed the official theme song of the 2008 Summer Olympics held in Beijing called âYou and Me.â
Image courtesy of ASCAP
Karen Tanaka (b. 1961)
Japanese composer and pianist Karen Tanaka began formal compositional studies at 10 years old. After receiving her undergraduate degree from the TĆhĆ Gakuen School of Music in Tokyo, Tanaka moved to Paris with the help of a scholarship from the French government to study with Tristan Murail and work at IRCAM. The recipient of several prestigious awards, Tanakaâs beautifully crafted works have been performed by distinguished orchestras all over the world, including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and Baltimore Symphony Orchestra. Outside the concert hall, Tanaka has also written scores for films and documentariesâher score for Sister was nominated for the 92nd Academy Awards for Best Animated Short Film.
In addition to being a freelance composer, Tanaka currently teaches composition and experimental sound practices at the California Institute of the Arts.
Learn More
To keep learning about AANHPI musical artists we love to play on air, check out these posts from the Arts Blog:
All Classical Radioâs Program Director, John Pitman, shares his recent conversation with two members of the Neave Trio. They speak about their latest recording titled âA Room of Her Own.â This is the second of their recordings amplifying the voices of women composers in classical music. Their first, âHer Voice,â was released in 2019.
Violinist Anna Williams and cellist Mikhail Veselov share their passion for performing chamber music masterpieces by Lili Boulanger, Cecile Chaminade, Germaine Tailleferre, and Dame Ethel Smyth. John learns not only about the music but also about the stories of the women who composed these trios.
Hear their conversation and excerpts from the album:
We are excited to announce ELEVATE, the second installment and brand-new album from All Classical Radioâs Recording Inclusivity Initiative (RII) and GRAMMYÂź award-winning Navona Records and PARMA Recordings. ELEVATE is available now on all streaming platforms and digital music stores. Physical CDs will be available in the All Classical Gift Shop later this year.
âI would like this recording to expand the general perception and conversation of what classical music is,â pianist MarĂa Garcia tells Navona Records on their blog The Inside Story. MarĂa and flutist Martha Long recently spoke about All Classical Radioâs new album, ELEVATE.
ON-AIR LAUNCH PARTY
On May 10, 2024, All Classical Radio celebrated the release by sharing music from the album throughout the day, along with exclusive interviews with ELEVATE musicians: violinist Emily Cole, pianist MarĂa GarcĂa, and flutist Martha Long.
On Saturday, May 11th, Club Mod host Andrea Murray shared excerpts from Damien Geterâs Neo-Soul, (commissioned by All Classical in 2020), and an interview with the composer about the creative process.
EXCLUSIVE PREVIEW
Enjoy this exclusive sneak peek at the first movement of Damien Geterâs String Quartet No. 1: Neo-Soul: I. Bop.
ABOUT
All Classical Radioâs Recording Inclusivity Initiative is a response to the classical music industryâs longtime need for greater diversity, with the purpose of increasing awareness and opportunity for previously marginalized artistic communities. Learn more at recordinginclusivity.allclassical.org.
All Classical Radio extends heartfelt thanks to all those who have supported this important recording initiative, including but not limited to Bob Lord and PARMA Recordings; the RII Panel; Regional Arts and Culture Council; the team at The Hallowed Halls; Arianna Avena; Shawn Murphy; and the loyal listeners, supporters, staff, volunteers, CAG, and Board of Directors of All Classical Radio.
Tune in at icanradio.orgfor a special week of programming beginning Monday April 15, 2024, including celebrity guests, brand new youth interviews, and special features revisiting some of ICANâs first youth contributors.
Highlights of the networkâs birthday programming include:
An Audio Book Tour with legendary actress, singer, and author Julie Andrews, her daughter and author Emma Walton Hamilton, hosted by All Classicalâs 2024 Young Artist in Residence Elaina Stuppler
The first episode of ICAN Become season two, in which youth host Diarra Mboup interviews Tonia Jones, Nikeâs VP/GM of Jordan Womenâs Streetwear
Appearances by many of ICANâs youth reporters, hosts, and contributors from its five years of broadcasting on a birthday special on April 15
Learn more about these and all of ICANâs special birthday programming, and listen 24/7 and on demand, at icanradio.org.
About the International Childrenâs Arts Network.
The International Childrenâs Arts Network (ICAN) is a 24-hour arts and music HD radio station for children, their families, caregivers, and educators. A service of All Classical Radio, ICAN provides a dedicated space for children to listen, learn, and celebrate the joy of being a child. Available 24/7 at icanradio.org, via All Classicalâs mobile app, local HD radio, and on demand, ICANâs arts-focused and culturally diverse programming complements educational curriculum in schools, libraries, and after-school programs while offering a unique audio destination for children and families at home and in community spaces.
