On July 21st, 2021, 91.9 Classical KC celebrated its first birthday live on-air with music curated by local Kansas City musical luminaries.

This week, hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies take a look back and a look forward with a program commemorating anniversaries — including the launch of 91.9 Classical KC a year ago. We'll hear music by Bernstein, Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky, as well as a performance of Chen Yi's "Fountains of KC" from the Kansas City Symphony's opening subscription concert in Helzberg Hall nearly a decade ago.

We'll enjoy wonderful Russian music this week, with gems like an exotic tone poem by Alexander Borodin, a whirling waltz fantasy by Mikhail Glinka, and Sergei Rachmaninoff’s valedictory masterpiece

Cellist, composer and singer Helen Gillet speaks with Classical KC about her classical influences and training, composing through improvisation, and developing her unique electrified sound. We'll hear her original music as well as a life-changing performance of a Shostakovich string quartet.

Classical KC speaks with Jackie Lee, artistic director for the Heartland Chamber Music Festival, about the origin of the festival, keeping talented local students in the area, and various community outreach programs. Joining Jackie is Hez Leung, violist with the award winning Rolston String Quartet - featured performers at this year's festival.

Hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies welcome renowned conductor David Zinman for a program of Bernstein, Prokofiev, Debussy and Schumann. David and Michael recount their many musical and personal connections, and David shares some humorous trash talk between two legendary figures —conductor Pierre Monteux and choreographer and dancer Vaslav Nijinsky.

The third in the series “Themes and Variations” features music by Max Reger, Ludwig van Beethoven and Antonín Dvořák – proving that variation is also the spice of musical life.

This week begins a new series called Castaway Classics, where host Frank Byrne shares special recordings he'd want to take if marooned on a desert island. In this first episode, we’ll hear distinctive performances of music by Bach and Mussorgsky. Don’t forget the sunscreen!