News
Benjamin Roe Named New General Manager of WDAV 6/24/08, Davidson, N.C.—Benjamin K. Roe, a Grammy and Peabody Award-winning producer for NPR and one of the nation’s leading strategists for music and public media, has been named general manager of WDAV, the all-classical music station serving the rapidly growing Charlotte, N.C. market and online at WDAV.org. Roe succeeds Kim Hodgson, who is retiring at the end of June after nine years as WDAV’s general manager. Roe’s appointment is effective July 1, 2008.Editor’s Note: Roe is available for interviews. Contact Stacey Schmeidel at 704-894-2798.  Read
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Robot Conducts the Detroit Symphony (05/14/2008 - Copyright 2007 NPR) Detroit's Orchestra Hall was like a scene out of the Jetsons on Tuesday night. A robot designed by Honda conducted the Detroit Symphony. ASIMO, which stands for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility, led musicians during a performance of The Impossible Dream. >>Read More |
Hitting a High Note  (05/11/2008 - Copyright 2008, Strings) The widely successful and critically acclaimed violinist Baiba Skride continues to freely express her passion for music.>>Read More |
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WDAV Celebrates Founders' Day |
When taking a tour of the WDAV studios, many find that the most interesting stop is the production control room. Unlike the broadcast or performance studios, it's not mentioned often by our announcers. But much of the “behind the scenes” work of production and recording is done there--interviews, promotional spots, recording live performances. Production control is a kind of heart-beat of the station where the business of radio happens. On Saturday, April 26, 2008, as part of a Founders' Day celebration, WDAV's Production Control room became the "Spencer Production Control Room" in honor of Dr. Samuel R.Spencer, Jr. president emeritus of Davidson College and Davidson class of 1940, a man whose work behind the scenes in the early years of WDAV made this station possible. 
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Cabbies Rewarded for Returning $4 Million Violin  (05/07/2008 - Copyright 2007 NPR) Grammy-nominated Philippe Quint left his $4 million Stradivarius in a Newark taxi last month. His driver brought the instrument back. Quint showed his gratitude Tuesday by playing a private concert for taxi drivers and their families.>>Read More |
On Rostropovich: Cellists Remember a Master  (04/28/2008 - Copyright 2007 NPR) He was a conductor, an activist, and a public figure in the world of classical music. But before all that, Mstislav Rostropovich captivated the world with his cello. Sara Fishko talks to leading cellists about "Slava" and his legacy.>>Read More |
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Marian McPartland's 'Rachel Carson' in Concert (04/22/2008 - Copyright 2007 NPR) In time for Earth Day, McPartland pays loving tribute to an early environmental hero, Rachel Carson, in a composition for symphony and improvised piano. The piece begins with a simple bird-song motif and moves through both the triumph of nature and its possible dramatic end. >>Read More |
Composing for the Pope: A Church Music Primer  (04/20/2008 - Copyright 2007 NPR) Throughout history, the papacy has been a powerful patron of music, from Gregorian chant to modern Masses. Historian Robert Greenberg notes that much of the finest music has come from composers associated with the Sistine Chapel.>>Read More |
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Charlotte Symphony Names new Executive Director The Charlotte Symphony Board of Directors has named Jonathan P. Martin President and Executive Director of the Charlotte Symphony. He will begin his duties here on May 5, 2008. Mr. Martin comes to the Charlotte Symphony from the Cleveland Orchestra, where he has served as General Manager since 1999. Read
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Orchestra Director Sees 'Tiny Step' in North Korea  (02/26/2008 - NPR) The New York Philharmonic's music director, Lorin Maazel, says he believes the concert his orchestra performed Tuesday in Pyongyang, North Korea, could help bring the peoples of the United States and North Korea a "tiny step closer." In an unusual move, North Korea's state-run television and radio broadcast the concert live. It began with the playing of both countries' national anthems. The stage included both the North Korean and American flags.>>Read More |
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Eastern Music Festival Founder Dies (12/19/07) Sheldon Morgenstern, Eastern Music Festival Founder and Music Director Emeritus, died on Sunday, December 16, 2007, in Geneva, Switzerland, near his home in Collonges, France. He had lived in that area for several years following his retirement as EMF’s music director in 1998. He was 69 years old and had been diagnosed a few months ago, following surgery, with stomach cancer which did not respond to chemotherapy. What Sheldon Morgenstern was able to imagine and bring to fruition in Greensboro nearly forty-seven years ago became one of its most significant cultural gems and put Greensboro on the map for music lovers everywhere. Read
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Soprano Dawn Upshaw Awarded MacArthur Grant (09/25/2007 - NPR) Soprano Dawn Upshaw is an equal-opportunity vocalist. From Bach to Broadway to today's composers, her creative approach to vocal music and her solid technique have earned her a 2007 MacArthur "genius" grant. >>Read More |
Midori Honored by U.N. (09/21/2007) Violinist Midori has been officially designated a Messenger of Peace by Ban Ki-moon, Secretary General of the United Nations. The announcement of her appointment is timed to coincide with the annual International Day of Peace (21 September 2007). The Messengers of Peace is a program instituted by Kofi Annan, the previous Secretary General of the United Nations, intended to promulgate the goals and ideals of the United Nations by partnering with prominent individuals who have an established and demonstrated commitment to those goals and ideals in their professional and private lives. Read
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Legendary tenor  (09/06/2007 - BBC) Luciano Pavarotti died today at the age of 71 after suffering from cancer. Pavarotti was in every sense a giant of the opera stage.>>Read More |
Opera Superstar Pavarotti  (09/06/2007 - New York Times Syndicate) Luciano Pavarotti, a performer helped redefine tenor stardom at a level scarcely seen since Enrico Caruso, died Thursday at his home in Modena, Italy, after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.>>Read More |
Luciano Pavarotti  (09/06/2007 - Reuters) Italian opera star Luciano Pavarotti, hailed by many as the greatest tenor of his generation, died on Thursday after a long battle with cancer, his manager Terri Robson said.>>Read More |
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Voice of a Legend: Pavarotti in Concert (09/06/2007 - NPR) We end Thursday's program with a 1982 performance at London's Royal Albert Hall. Luciano Pavarotti sings an aria from Puccini's Tosca. >>Read More |
Pavarotti Remembered  (09/06/2007 - VPR) For VPR's Peter Fox Smith, host of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, remembers the great tenor Luciano Pavarotti.>>Read More |
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Opera Star Remembered for Musical Versatility (09/06/2007 - NPR) Opera star Luciano Pavarotti is dead, but he leaves behind a legacy of beautiful music. He was the most famous opera singer in the world, but he also enjoyed collaborating with rock and R&B stars such as Bono, James Brown and Sting. >>Read More |
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Jazz, Opera Suffer Loss of Two Greats (09/07/2007 - NPR) It's been a tough few weeks for the music world, with the passing of Luciano Pavarotti and jazz master Max Roach. News & Notes commentator Betty Baye, a columnist with The Courier-Journal in Louisville, Ky., takes a moment to celebrate the sounds she was raised with. >>Read More |
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New WDAV Program Schedule Regular listeners will notice some changes to WDAV’s program schedule beginning this weekend. Read
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