Classical WETA 90.9 FM To Broadcast Concerts From The Library of Congress Radio Series

ARLINGTON, VA — Classical WETA 90.9 FM will broadcast the 90th anniversary edition of Concerts from the Library of Congress, a radio series co-produced by WETA, the Library of Congress and Classic Digital Syndications. Beginning October 1 at 9 p.m., Classical WETA will broadcast the series each Saturday evening for listeners throughout Greater Washington. Concerts from the Library of Congress features 13 performances by world-class classical artists recorded live in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium in Washington, D.C. WETA distributed the radio series to public radio stations nationwide, bringing the concerts to a wide audience beyond the national capital area. 

“As the leading classical music radio station in America, we are delighted to partner with the Library of Congress and Classic Digital Syndications to produce this engaging series and share these superb concerts with listeners around the country and across the globe,” noted Sharon Percy Rockefeller, president and CEO of WETA.

“The Library of Congress is famous for bringing live music to the public, free of charge, for nearly a century,” commented Dr. Carla D. Hayden, the Librarian of Congress. “We are delighted to work with WETA to bring these excellent concerts from our 90th season to listeners nationwide. If you can’t visit your national library this year and marvel at the acoustics of our storied Coolidge Auditorium, I hope you are able to enjoy some of our treasured programming where you live, thanks to this collaboration.”

Bill McGlaughlin, winner of the prestigious Dushkin and Peabody awards, hosts the programs. Guest hosts include experts from the Library’s Music Division — among them concert producers Anne McLean, David Plylar and Nicholas Alexander Brown and music specialist James Wintle. Violinist Nicholas Kitchen and Dan DeVany, vice president and general manager of Classical WETA, also participate as guest hosts.

“The concert presentations at the Library are one of America’s truly outstanding musical traditions,” said DeVany, who also serves as executive producer of the series. “The scope and vibrance of the performances in Concerts from the Library of Congress reflect the high standard of musical quality established by the Library since its first concert in 1925.  This series presents listeners with an array of wonderful musical offerings.”

Concerts from the Library of Congress offers audiences exquisite interpretations of powerful classical music, from Beethoven’s first “Razumovsky” string quartet, to a Brahms sonata performed on the Library’s “Tuscan-Medici,” one of only 10 Stradivari violas in the world. The lineup of esteemed performers includes Apollo’s Fire, a Baroque ensemble; Richard Goode, pianist; Kim Kashkashian, viola; the Michelangelo Quartet and Claremont Trio; Anne Sofie von Otter, mezzo-soprano; Lynn Harrell, cello; Ensemble Intercontemporain, French chamber; and many others.

The following are the featured 13 programs, each airing on Saturday at 9 p.m. on Classical WETA 90.9 FM and streaming available through Listen Live at classicalweta.org.

Program 1 –    Brahms and Beach (airs October 1, 2016)

Program 2 –    Bach Collegium Japan (airs October 8, 2016)

Program 3 –    Michelangelo Quartet and Claremont Trio (airs October 15, 2016)

Program 4 –    Music for a While (airs October 22, 2016)

Program 5 –    The Virtuoso Horn (airs October 29, 2016)

Program 6 –    Bartók and Borromeo (airs November 5, 2016)

Program 7 –    Apollo's Fire: The Power of Love (airs November 12, 2016)

Program 8 –    Schumann Sampler (airs November 19, 2016)

Program 9 –    Cello Collection (airs November 26, 2016)

Program 10 –  Handel and Haydn Society at 200 (airs December 3, 2016)

Program 11 – Ensemble Intercontemporain (airs December 10, 2016)

Program 12 – Calefax: In the Reeds (airs December 17, 2016)

Program 13 – Debussy and Dvořák (airs January 7, 2017)

Visit weta.org/fm/features/loc for additional information. An electronic press kit with promotional images is available at weta.org/press.

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Classical WETA 90.9 FM is the exclusive home of classical music in Greater Washington. Each week, the station attracts over 450,000 broadcast listeners, as well as tens of thousands of online listeners from around the globe who stream the station at classicalweta.org and listen via iTunes. The station provides opera broadcasts of world-class companies on Saturday afternoons, including live performances of The Metropolitan Opera and performances by the Washington Concert Opera. Among the station’s programs is “Front Row Washington,” which presents classical performances by renowned soloists and ensembles recorded at venues throughout the national capital area. In addition, the service VivaLaVoce features classical vocal music available by live stream at vivalavoce.org and via the HD2 signal of Classical WETA 90.9 FM.

The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States — and extensive materials from around the world — both on site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov, access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov, and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.

Classic Digital Syndications is a leading producer of classical music programming for the national market. Headed by Vic Muenzer, the company is known for innovative programs such as Indianapolis On-The-Air and Center Stage from Wolf Trap, produced in association with Classical WETA 90.9 FM. Vic Muenzer is the founder of two record labels and a production company; he has produced more than 70 recordings, winning a Grammy for a 1994 recording of the Mozart and Beethoven wind quintets with Daniel Barenboim and members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.