- Colorado’s musical community received devastating news this week: violinist Charles Wetherbee died from cancer in the early hours of January 9. The Boulder Philharmonic concertmaster was 56. Charles Wetherbee, or “Chas” as he was known, debuted at age six with his hometown orchestra, the Buffalo Philharmonic, under conductor Symon Bychkov.
- Download a printable Sound of the Season schedule! Updated 12/26/2022: Kwanzaa is December 26 through January 1. Hear daily stories about the African American celebration each day at 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. on CPR Classical, or learn more here. Family, food and festivities are what the holidays are all about!
- There’s no predictable timeline for processing grief. For poet Charles Anthony Silvestri, it took 10 years to express the loss of his wife and the encouragement of his dear friend, composer Eric Whitacre. Silvestri’s feelings finally emerged as the “The Sacred Veil,” an intensely personal hour of healing meditation for choir, piano and cello.
- Join CPR Classical hosts, Clarinetist Anthony McGill and the Colorado Music Festival on August 4! Peter Oundjian conducts the festival orchestra in Stravinsky’s “The Firebird,” the world premiere of a piece inspired by climbing Colorado’s Eldorado Canyon from composer Wang Jie, and Weber’s First Clarinet Concerto featuring Anthony McGill.
- March is Women’s History Month and CPR Classical is spotlighting women composers, conductors and musicians. From the CPR Performance studio, mezzo-soprano Blythe Gaissert and baritone Kelly Markgraf of Opera Colorado sing “To Know” from Laura Kaminsky’s 2014 opera, “As One.” The libretto was co-written by Kimberly Reed and Mark Campbell.