Voice of the Arts

Ed Simon is the author of An Alternative History of Pittsburgh from Belt Publishing choosing figures from the story of Pittsburgh and updating the relevance of events along the way. His choices include prehistoric Pittsburgh, Emma Goldman and Alexander Berkman with the assassination attempt on Henry Clay Frick, the Carnegie International with Pablo de Sarasate, Billy Strayhorn meeting Duke Ellington, Evelyn Nesbitt The Girl on the Red Velvet Swing, John Kane, Stephen Foster, Andrew Carnegie, Andy Warhol. Rachel Carson, with a stop at Shadyside Presbyterian Church and East Liberty at the end.. Ed Simon writes for the History News Network, the Atlantic, Paris Review, Newsweek, The Washington Post and and several websites including The Millions. His fondness for the city where he spent his formative years is obvious in this conversation with Jim Cunningham.

Pittsburgh Opera presents David Hertzberg's "The Rose Elf" January 22 through the 30th at the Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters.  WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with the opera's Stage Direcctor, Kaley Karis Smith, about the meaning of the opera and how she plans to present the opera to the audience.

Pittsburgh Opera presents David Hertzberg's "The Rose Elf" January 22 through the 30th at the Pittsburgh Opera Headquarters.  WQED-FM's Jim Cunningham spoke with the opera's conductor, James Lesniak, about the opera's music.

Chamber Music Pittsburgh presents an all Beethoven concert February 5th, 7pm at Rodef Shalom Temple in Levy Hall. Edward Leonard is sharing the podium with Awadagin Pratt who plays and conducts from the keyboard the First Beethoven Piano Concerto. Awadagin joins Executive Director Andrew Swenson and Maestro Leonard plus Jim Cunningham to discuss his early years in Pittsburgh and his work at the University of Cincinnati, the performances he will give of the new Piano Concerto by Jessie Montgomery and the state of people of color in classical music today. Awadagin's dad was a nuclear physicist studying at CMU and his Mom finished a degree at the University of Pittsburgh in social work when he was born. He's played for the Tuesday Musical Club, Chamber Music Pittsburgh and the Pittsburgh Symphony, still follows the Steelers, and love's his home town even if he can't remember his childhood in East Liberty.

Honduran pianist Oscar Rossignoli, who is based in New Orleans, talks about his new CD "Inertia."