Sam Wisman
Senior Producer - 91.9 Classical KC / Backup Announcer - KCUR 89.3Sam started listening to jazz on his local NPR affiliate when he was just 13 years old, and his life as a musician and radio guy continues to intertwine. Son of a merchant and a classical musician, he came to Kansas City to attend the UMKC Conservatory. During school, he shelved a lot of records and played “drop the needle” at The Marr Sound Archives, working with KCUR’s own Fish Fry host Chuck Haddix. After graduating Cum Laude with a degree in Percussion Performance, Sam became a versatile fixture in Kansas City’s music scene. He hosted Jazz Afternoon on 90.1 FM KKFI for over 10 years, and currently hosts Jazz Across America - Kansas City on San Diego's KSDS Jazz 88.3. Sam lives with his family in Roeland Park, and has yet to measure the volume of his kids with a decibel meter — but he has thought about it.
Email him at samwisman@classicalkc.org.
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From Paraguay to Kansas City and Great Bend, KS, this musician is working to uplift local guitaristsAleia Gonzalez came to Kansas City to study guitar at the UMKC Conservatory but shortly after graduation, the classical guitar program was dissolved. While holding teaching positions in Great Bend, KS, she is active with the Kansas City Guitar Society and performs in Kansas City. Celebrate guitar month by listening to performances from Aleia and another local guitarist, Beau Bledsoe, with music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Brad Cox and more.
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Celebrate the birthday of Sergei Prokofiev by listening to the Kansas City Symphony perform three of his works: the invigorating suite from "Love of Three Oranges," his third piano concerto and an epic cantata comprised of music from his score to the Sergei Eisenstein film "Alexander Nevsky." We'll also hear Beethoven's portentous tone poem "Calm Sea and Prosperous Voyage."
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With the world premiere of "The Haberdasher Prince," a one act opera by Rosabella and Dina Gregory, the Lyric Opera of Kansas City hopes to inspire and bring new audiences of all ages to the art form. Classical KC's Christy L'Esperance speaks with the Lyric's director of learning, Neal Long, about the story and production.
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Violinist Joseph Genualdi, horn player Alberto Suarez and pianist Sean Chen have accomplished a lot individually. Now, they're joining forces as a chamber music trio. We'll get to know each of them, learn about their upcoming April 18 performance and hear their recordings of music by Gabriel Fauré, Alyssa Morris and more.
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This week, hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies explore a wonderful variety of works. We'll hear an organ concerto by Handel featuring Jan Kraybill, Adolphus Hailstork's 'Baroque Suite,' alongside works by Ferruccio Busoni and David Diamond. On top of all that great music, we'll hear a recent performance of Sergei Rachmaninoff's fourth piano concerto featuring pianist Conrad Tao.
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Originally from New York, award-winning pianist Michael Davidman has been honing his craft at Park University's International Center for Music. We'll get to know Michael and hear music by Franz Liszt, Frédéric Chopin, Arvo Pärt and Maurice Ravel. We'll also highlight his upcoming performance at "Musical Threads," an event at the Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art which is a collaboration between the Kemper, Park ICM and Classical KC.
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This week we'll hear Bach's Fantasia and Fugue in C minor as arranged by Edward Elgar. The rest of the program is Gustav Mahler's gargantuan Symphony No. 2, known as "The Resurrection." Mezzo-soprano Kelley O'Connor shares what excites and scares her about performing the work. And as always, co-hosts Michael Stern and Dan Margolies offer insightful background on each composer and composition.
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Celebrate the 292nd birthday of Franz Joseph Haydn by hearing the Kansas City Symphony perform three of the prolific composer's works. We'll also hear Nikolai Rimsky-Korsokov's rousing "Russian Easter Festival Overture" and the first of Sergei Rachmaninoff's four genre-defining piano concertos.
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Throughout classical music history, women composers have been creating right along with the men, but they weren’t given the flowers they were due. In honor of women’s history month, we’re sharing a program of music from some of our favorite women and female-identifying composers, including listener requests.
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This week we'll hear the Kansas City Symphony perform Franz Joseph Haydn's Symphony No. 102 and Leonard Bernstein's "Serenade," a work composed for Isaac Stern, the legendary violinist and father of co-host Michael Stern. Also, we'll hear a recent performance of Béla Bartók's "Concerto for Orchestra."