Interview with Anthony McGill

Many of you may remember Anthony McGill from when he served as Associate Principal Clarinetist with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra back in the early 2000s. You also may have seen him perform at President Obama’s inauguration in 2009. He currently holds the Principal Clarinet position with the New York Philharmonic and appears frequently as a soloist with North America’s top orchestras. Mr. McGill was kind enough to carve a few minutes out of his busy schedule to chat with me about his latest release on the Cedille label that he recorded alongside his brother Demarre
McGill, Principal Flutist with the Seattle Symphony. He told me how this new album came about.


He went on to talk about how he and his brother first came to play music.


This album contains two world premiere recordings that were both written for the McGill brothers.



I asked him to share a few interesting tidbits about these new works.



Of course, I had to ask if he was a fan of WGUC during his time living in Cincinnati!



While living in Cincinnati, he came to discover his favorite pastime (besides clarinet, of course!)


Be sure to tune to 90.9 WGUC for the latest from Anthony McGill! You won’t be disappointed.

Meet Stephen Baum

Over the past several months, we’ve taken the time to meet several of WGUC’s on-air hosts. There is quite a bit involved with running a radio station beyond the personalities you hear each day. For instance, Cincinnati Public Radio has a full-time Master Recording Engineer whose job it is to record local performances to be used on air. Have you ever heard a broadcast on 90.9 from the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra? Or what about the May Festival Chorus, Cincinnati Opera, Linton Music Series, or the Vocal Arts Ensemble? You owe the recording and production credit for these outstanding broadcasts to Stephen Baum. Learn a little more about Stephen below, in an interview I had with him back in 2018.

New Release from Yolanda Kondonassis and Ward Stare

Azica Records recently released an album titled American Rapture from Ward Stare and the Rochester Philharmonic. The release contains three American works from three different generations of composers, one being Grammy-winning Jennifer Higdon. Her new Harp Concerto, written for and performed by Yolanda Kondonassis, is a delightful addition to the harp repertoire and one, I believe, will be performed for years to come. You may have recently heard an excerpt from this concerto on WGUC’s New at Noon. Not long after the album’s release, I had the pleasure of chatting with both Stare and Kondonassis about this project. Kondonassis explained to me how the idea for a Higdon Harp Concerto first came about.

 

She went on to talk about collaborating with Ward Stare and the Rochester Philharmonic to make the recording.

 

Writing for the harp isn’t exactly easy.

 

Even though Kondonassis gave Jennifer Higdon a wish list for her concerto, she didn’t want to
interfere too much with the compositional process.



She added a fun Cincinnati connection to the Higdon Concerto.

 

I next turned my attention to Maestro Stare, who told me about the other two works on this new album.

 

And of course, my favorite way to end an interview is to ask what folks like to do in their free time! At first, I got a laugh because “free time” is hard to come by. But then they obliged.

 

Metropolitan Opera National Council Finals Concert

After a series of competitions at the district, regional, and national levels, a panel of judges has named five young singers the winners of the 2019 National Council Auditions. Each winner, who performed two arias onstage at the Metropolitan Opera with conductor Carlo Rizzi and the Met’s orchestra, received a cash prize and the prestige and exposure that come with winning a competition that has launched the careers of many of opera’s biggest stars. This year’s Grand Finals Concert was hosted by countertenor Anthony Roth Costanzo and featured a performance by guest bass-baritone Christian Van Horn. One of this year’s winners is Elena Villalón, a student at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music.

Just what exactly is the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions? It is the nation’s most prestigious vocal competition that is designed to find young, talented opera singers, and to help them launch a successful career. The Auditions take place throughout the United States and Canada. If you’re interested in the history of the Auditions and more about how they are run, check out the MET’s website for a great video!

This year’s final concert will air on WGUC Sunday, July 14 at 8 p.m. Be sure to tune into 90.9, listen online at wguc.org, or via our free mobile app!

Happy Fourth of July!

Happy Independence Day from 90.9 WGUC! In honor of the holiday, enjoy this patriotic playlist.