There is little doubt that when speaking of history’s greatest violinists, Itzhak Perlman’s name must be mentioned. In his long, illustrious career, critics have called his music and form nothing short of excellent bordering upon supreme. Now Perlman is bringing his amazing

talent to Dallas’ Meyerson Symphony Center for one night in February.

Perlman, who also conducts, performs with the Dallas

Symphony Orchestra Thursday, Feb. 25. He has selected

Bach’s Violin Concerto in A minor, Serenade

for String by Dvorak and Beethoven’s Symphony No.

5 for his performance.

Dallas resident and violinist Richmond Punch has long been a Perlman fan. “I once saw him in rehearsal,” said Punch. “When it was over, there was a standing ovation.” Punch said Perlman made a hundred-person orchestra feel as intimate as a chamber group. But more impressive was Perlman’s human touch with people.

When Punch graduated from the Juilliard School in New York, the young violinist and his mother, Gayle, ran into Perlman, who is also on the school’s faculty. “He was so humble,” said Punch. “He made my mother feel like she was special. He created a spontaneous, positive spark with her,” recalled Punch.

Video of Punch performing during his visit to the Classic Cafe at One Arts Plaza is available at wrr101.com along with a photo of Punch’s mother with Perlman and the story

behind the image.Pe r lman ,

who made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1963 at age 18, has performed before royalty and heads of state, including P r e s i d e n t O b a m a ’ s inauguration. He has also appeared on The Tonight Show and Sesame Street.

Listen to WRR throughout February for chances to win tickets to this once in a lifetime concert, and watch wrr101.com for helpful hints on a special trivia contest featuring Perlman.

Overture

1 101.1 FM WRR • wrr101.com

In this issue: Cliburn at the Modern • March March Countdown • Brian Stokes Mitchell • Romeo and Juliet • From the General Manager

Dallas / Fort Worth • wrr101.com

WRR CLASSICAL 101.1 FM A MONTHLY PuBLICATION FOR FRIeNDS OF WRR FeBRuARY 2010

Overture • February 2010

Legendary violinist Perlman brings magic, music to the Meyerson

WRR gets ‘Cosi’ with Don Pasquale

70 years of the Dallas Summer Musicals

If you can’t make it to Broadway, then let Dallas Summer Musicals (DSM) bring Broadway to you! For seventy years, theater lovers across North Texas have taken advantage of this opportunity and enjoyed countless performances from The Great White Way.

The 2009-2010 DSM season is eclectic and exciting in every artistic detail. February, the month for lovers, offers all romantics Phantom, a tale of love, heartbreak and suspense. As DSM moves into spring, Fab Four fans can look forward to Rain, A Tribute to the Beatles.

Selecting this season’s offerings by DSM was made in the most democratic

way. “We listened to you, our patrons and sponsors and brought back many of your all-time favorite shows from recent years,” said Michael Jenkins, President and Managing Director of DSM.

Some of the productions that will grace the stage of the Music Hall at Fair Park include Wicked, The Music of Andrew Lloyd Webber, and DreamGirls.

Tickets for Phantom, which runs Feb. 17- March 14, are now on sale. For more information, visit the DSM web site at dallasmusicals.org and listen to the DSM Spotlight, Sunday, Feb. 14 on WRR 101 at 5 p.m. and on the web at wrr101.com.

For opera lovers, 2010 promises to be a love affair with spectacular performances. The stars have aligned as The Dallas Opera (TDO) has conjured up a stunning array of offerings for everyone, from the neophyte to aficionado.

The Dallas Opera begins its 2010 season Feb. 12 with Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart’s Cosi Fan Tutte. This poignant romantic comedy explores the mysteries of the heart with the aid of four young lovers, a crafty maidservant and a jaded man-of-the-world.

In the key roles of Don Alfonso and Despina, TDO presents two extraordinary talents: bass-baritone Sir Thomas Allen in his long anticipated company debut and soprano Nuccia Focile as the scheming ladies’ maid. Cosi continues at the Winspear Opera House Feb. 14, 18, 20, 26 & 28.

Testing the Winspear’s ability to rapidly change productions, Don Pasquale, occurs in

festival with Cosi Feb. 19, 21, 24, 27, March 5 & 7. Described as a mixture of “romantic

bliss and marital diss,’ Legendary Italian bass Donato DiStefano performs the title role in this piquant, clever comedy. Joining DiStefano is Nathan Gunn who portrays the timeless Doctor Malatesta and Adriana Kucerova, making her American debut as Norina.

The season continues with the world premiere of Jake Heggie’s Moby Dick April 30 – May 16 and concludes with Madame Butterfly, the turn-of-the-century tale of heartbreak where a young Japanese girl is given in “marriage” to an American naval officer.

Donato DiStefano

Sir Thomas Allen

Itzhak Perlman

Richmond Punch

Michael Jenkins in 2008 with four Tony Awards® and two Drama Desk ® Awards.

2 101.1 FM WRR • wrr101.com

General Manager: Greg DavisManaging editor: Ernest Gurule’editor: Paul Adams

Overture is the official publication of WRR Classical 101.1 FM. Send Comments or story ideas to:

editor: wrrmac@wrr101.com, or

Overture editor - WRR FMPO Box 159001Dallas, TX 75315 214-670-8888

Overture • February 2010

Overture

Find us at: facebook.com/wrr101 twitter.com/wrr101 youtube.com/wrr101fm flickr.com/wrr101fm

‘March March Countdown’

‘Cliburn at the Modern’ features pianist Oppens

Fort Worth goes Broadway with Brian Stokes Mitchell

Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell brings his extraordinary talent to Ft. Worth’s Bass Performance Hall for a weekend of shows February 19-21. Audiences have experienced Mitchell’s baritone in roles from Broadway and beyond in Ragtime, Kiss Me, Kate and as Cervantes’ Don Quixote in Man of La Mancha. He has also appeared on NBC’s Today Show.

Mitchell, who the New York Times called “the last leading man,” performs tunes from South Pacific, West Side Story and Man of La Mancha with the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra.

The Seattle-native has been working steadily since 1978 when he earned a role in the television epic Roots: The Next Generation. Since then he has juggled an amazing career that has placed him both in front of the camera and live audiences. As a two-time Tony Award winner for his work in Man of La Mancha and Kiss Me, Kate, Mitchell’s performance promises to be an exciting one for everyone in the audience at Fort Worth’s Bass Hall.

Mitchell, who calls himself a working actor who has “never waited tables or pumped gas,” has also written musical scores. His work was featured in the television series, Trapper John, M.D., which ran on CBS for several years featuring Mitchell in a co-starring role.

Modern art and modern music come together in perfect harmony on Saturday, Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. as the pianist ursula Oppens appears for the Cliburn at the Modern series. Oppens has been a tenacious champion of contemporary piano repertoire since her Carnegie Hall debut in 1969. She studied at Juilliard under Rosina Lhevinne, who also trained Van Cliburn and composer John Williams. Some of the star composers who have

written pieces specifically for ursula Oppens include elliott Carter, Gyorgy Ligeti and Tobias Picker.

The Cliburn at the Modern series is an opportunity to enjoy discussions and performances of music form our own time. The audience gets an opportunity to interact personally with prominent creative artists. ursula Oppens will play and comment on works by John Corigliano, William Bolcom and Fort Worth native Julius Hemphill.

More information is online at www.cliburn.org.

Looking ahead, we’ll once again present the WRR March March Countdown in, you guessed it, March! every weekday at 7:35 a.m.,from March 4-31, during March of the Day, we’ll count down your 20 favorite marches. To vote, go to wrr101.com or send a postcard with your three favorite marches to WRR March March Countdown, P.O. Box 159001, Dallas, TX 75315. Ballots will be taken though Feb. 26.

These exciting musical pieces are the best of the best, designed to provide a musical morning boost. And, best of all, they were chosen by you!

The March March Countdown and the March of the Day are brought to you by Dougherty’s Pharmacy. The March of the Day airs weekdays at 7:35 a.m. with Amy Bishop.

Your card gets you intowhatever you’re into.

Free with Museums on Us®

Participating museums in Dallas/Fort Worth:Dallas Museum of Art

Dallas Museum of Nature and Science Fort Worth Museum of Science & History

Artist’s rendering. Card not available.

Visit bankofamerica.com/art to sign up for monthly email or text reminders.

Just show your Bank of America check, debit or ATM card to over 100 museums nationwide

on the first weekend of every month for free admission to art, science, history . . . whatever

it is you’re into. It’s on us.

Offer valid the first full weekend (Sat. and Sun.) of the month through January 3, 2010. Photo ID and any valid Bank of America check, debit or ATM card must be presented. Free admission

limited to cardholder at participating institution. Excludes fundraising events, special exhibitions and ticketed shows. Not to be combined with other offers. Bank of America, N.A. Member FDIC.

© 2009 Bank of America Corporation. AR87913 SPN-121-AD

Ursula Oppens

Dallas Symphony Orchestra

D a l l a s S y m p h o n y.c o m2 1 4 . 6 9 2 . 0 2 0 3MeyerSon SyMphony center

BUY YOUR TICKETS TODAY!

ITzhAK PERlmAn with the DSOFebruary 25 at 8:00 pmthe Dallas Symphony presents world-renowned violinist itzhak perlman, performing with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra for one incredible evening! perlman has won over 15 Grammy awards and is undeniably the reigning virtuoso of violin. this is a concert experience you will not want to miss as he leads the DSO in this exciting performance!

Brian Stokes Mitchell

As the country continued to battle a stubborn economy the Cultural Arts scene in Dallas was in the middle of a renaissance. Thanks to our listeners, patrons and advertisers, 2009 was a celebratory year. New venues and programs placed Dallas firmly on the national and international scene. Fort-Worth celebrated a Van Cliburn Cliburn Piano

competition that shook the political barriers of China, Korea and Japan with gold and silver medals. WRR presented an unprecedented number of live events from a myriad of cultural arts venues.

We could not have done it without you. WRR has the most passionate and attentive classical music listeners in the u.S. And that is not surprising since we have been broadcasting since 1920.

Looking ahead, the economy will continue to be a challenge. Our intention is to provide the best broadcasts possible. Technology has proven to be a growing part of our strategy to reach the classical music audience. Technology portals such as websites, social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and yes, Youtube, will only grow. Many of you have written letters encouraging our technology enhancements. We welcome the ideas and suggestions.

The Friends of WRR are vital to Classical 101.1fm. We owe many thanks to their hours of volunteer service. This year the Friends of WRR will have new leadership. We thank Bill Swart for his extraordinary contribution as President of the Friends of WRR. Bill is a visionary. We welcome incoming president Gary Olsen and look forward to working with him.

The future of classical music broadcasting in our area remains strong. We are weathering these economic times with prudent financial management. By doing so, WRR has proven to be an economic solution for our cultural arts community. This year the Dallas City Council approved a one-time contribution of $4 million from WRR to support the Cultural Arts. We are proud of our ability to make this contribution.

We love hearing from you. Drop us a line at info@wrr101.com.

Gary Olsen, Lynn Mock and Bill Swart at the Friends of WRR Annual Membership Meeting.

101.1 FM WRR • wrr101.com5Overture • February 2010

‘Romeo and Juliet’next treat from Texas Ballet Theater

From the General Manager

The story of Romeo and Juliet is timeless. Two young lovers, cursed by an unbroken and raging feud between their families, are forbidden to nurture their young love. It is a story that continues to inspire not only the young-and-in-love but generations of actors around the world.

This complex tale, written in the sixteenth century by William Shakespeare, comes to life again with Ben Stevenson’s artful rendition of this lover’s tale.

The tragic story of these star-crossed lovers is buoyed at every dramatic turn with the gossamer light music of Prokofiev and the stirring performances by the dancers of the Texas Ballet Theater.

The Texas Ballet Theater performs Romeo and Juliet Feb. 12-14, at Bass Performance Hall in Fort Worth and March 12-14 at the Winspear Opera House in Dallas.

Ticket information can be obtained by calling 877-828-9200 or by going to texasballettheater.org.

WRR will air a special Valentines edition of Command Performance... this time with a special twist.

Submit your request and message to that special someone at wrr101.com and you will be automatically entered to win a pair of tickets to Romeo and Juliet at Bass Hall. The winner also receives an overnight stay at the new Omni Hotel in downtown Fort Worth, complete with dinner at the Cast Iron Restaurant!

In the morning you’ll enjoy breakfast from the Omni ending your romantic weekend listening to Command Performance’s Valentines special at noon.

Command Performance is WRR 101.1’s all request show and airs every Sunday at noon. e-mail your requests to request@wrr101.com

Gregory T. Davis

OneDAY is coming to Dallas in March.STARTING IN MARCH 2010 

Dallas recycling and garbage will be 

picked up once a week—on the same day!

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visit www.OneDAYDallas.com

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Call today for your complimentary hearing evaluation.

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3Overture • February 2010

Classical CandidsPhotos from recent WRR Classical 101.1 FM events

1. David Bowe of Dougherty’s and Cindy Schneible of Gil-da’s Club prepare to talk with Tempie Lindsey on the Classic Cafe.

2. The Dallas Wind Symphony’s Luis Martinez, trumpet, with his WRR coffee mug at NorthPark Center’s Season of Wishes.

3. Adriana Bate talks with Jeanne Marie Clossey, Act III Chair for the AT&T Performing Arts Cen-ter.

4. Amy Bishop joins the SPCA of Texas at Dougherty’s Phar-macy.

5. Mark Hadley of the Dallas The-ater Center visits the Classic Cafe at One Arts Plaza to talk with David Pucek.

6. Craig Scott of The Adolphus hotel joins Amy Bishop to dis-cuss the rich history of the ho-tel.

7. The Dallas Symphony Orches-tra’s Yuri Anshelevich treats us to a performance from the Classic Cafe.

8. Jerry Stephens and Terry Price from the Dallas Symphony Chorus join WRR for Caroling at the Adolphus.

9. WRR’s Greg Davis with Steve Bock of Bachendorf’s at One Arts Plaza.

10. The Texas Ballet Theater visit the Dee & Charles Wyly The-atre for the opening of the AT&T Performing Arts Center.

11. Alexandra Deshorties, who played the role of Desdemona in the Dallas Opera’s Otello for the Classic Cafe.

12. WRR’s Kurt Rongey talks with Teiichi Sakurai of Tei-An Res-taurant.

13. Casey and Danny Saliba of Steinway Hall with WRR’s Brent Sanderson at the Clas-sic Cafe.

14. The Arts District Choral per-form during the Friends of WRR Annual Membership Meeting in the lobby of One Arts Plaza.

15. Veletta Forsythe Lill of the Dallas Arts District and Gillian Breidenbach of Bank of Ameri-ca visit the Classic Cafe.

16. Time for Three perform in the WRR Music Lounge at One Arts Plaza.

17. Maestro Jaap van Zweden of the Dallas Symphony Orches-tra with Gene Garramone.

18. John R. eagle, President of the DMA’s Board of Trustees with Jeremy Strick of the Nasher Sculpture Center at the open-ing of the Winspear.

19. The Dallas Opera’s Jonathan Pell with Phillip Jones of the Dallas Convention and Visitors Bureau.

20. Bette and Joe Mullins with Nancy Armour at the Friends of WRR Annual Membership Meeting.

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4 101.1 FM WRR • wrr101.comOverture • February 2010

DAY PART SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

5 AMMusic All Night with Peter Van de Graaff

Music All Night with Peter Van de Graaff

6 AM

7 AMMorning Musicale

8 AMChristian Science Sentinel Morning

MusicaleWilshire Baptist Church

9 AMuniversity

Park Methodist

Lovers Lane united Methodist

10 AMPastoral

Reflections

Midday Musicwith Tempie Lindsey

Morning Musicale

St. Andrews episcopal

11 AM Preston Hollow

Presbyterian

NOON Command Performance

Classic Cafewith Tempie Lindsey

Afternoon Concert

1 PM

The Afternoon Concert

Midday Musicwith Tempie Lindsey

2 PM

3 PM

4 PM Art Matters

The Afternoon Concert

The Afternoon Concert

5 PM

6 PM

Art Matters

7 PM exploring Musicwith Bill McGlaughlin

8 PM

The evening Concert

Dallas Symphony Orchestra/ evening Concert

New York Philharmonic this Week

Fort Worth Symphony/

evening Concert

The evening Concert9 PM

10 PM

Pipedreams with

Michael Barone

Main eventA Night on the Town

11 PMThe

evening Concert

The evening Concert with ed Blaylock

Romantic Hours

with Mona Golabek

MIDNIGHT

Music All NightWith Peter Van de Graaff

1 AM

2 AM

3 AM

4 AM

DAY PART SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY

Station Program Schedule

the morning showwith amy bishop

The Going Home Showwith Kevin Pytcher

the morning showwith amy bishop

The Going Home Showwith Kevin Pytcher

The Evening Concertwith Ed Blaylock

LUXURY RESIDENCESIN THE ARTS DISTRICT

CONDOS,BRAVOS

CALL 214-520-4466 FOR TOURS

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WRR CLASSICAL 101.1 FM A MONTHLY PuBLICATION FOR FRIeNDS OF WRR FeBRuARY 2010

Overture

Overture • February 2010

Must Hear Radio:February Programming Highlights

By Kurt RongeyOperations Manager

Join Friends of WRR today!Why support the Friends? Music enriches all of our lives. We at the Friends of WRR are committed to providing program-ming that enhances classical music education and benefits the local community, its artists, and arts groups.

Support from individuals and organizations alike enables the Friends to continue responding to artistic needs within the community.

By giving to the Friends, you add your voice to our own and help promote classical music throughout the metroplex and beyond.

Members receive many benefits, including: • The monthly WRR Overture • Special discounts for merchandise and special events

Support the Friends of WRR today, and help to support the education, enjoyment and understanding of classical music

in the WRR listening area.

Friends of WRR Membership Levels (Please select one)❒ Benefactor ($1011) ❒ Patron ($500)❒ Classic Friend ($101) ❒ Regular Member ($50)

Full Name:

Billing Address:

City:

Zip:

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Select form of payment: ❒ Check ❒ Credit Card

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expiration Date:

Signature:

Please mail this form and check to: Friends of WRR P.O. Box 570495 Dallas, TX 75357

WRR celebrates the first anniversary of our exciting partnership with Dallas’ impressive new urban oasis, One Arts Plaza, this month. Back in February of 2009, we inaugurated the Classic Café at One Arts Plaza. Amazing musicians such as pianist Gabriela Montero, tenor Sean Pannikar and oboist Erin Hannigan have performed live from the One Arts WRR Music Lounge.

We’ve welcomed countless special guests including DSO Music Director Jaap van Zweden, movie composer George Fenton and philanthropist Don Winspear to the interview couch. Now, you can celebrate this first anniversary of the broadcasts with us Feb.

1-5 from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. with guests such as Dallas Summer Musicals’ Michael Jenkins, a preview of Texas Ballet Theater’s upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet, and maybe even a visit from a world famous pianist or two.

The Metropolitan Opera this month is full of star power. Placido Domingo stars in Simon Boccanegra on Feb. 6. Kiri Te Kanawa and Juan Diego Florez are on stage together for La Fille du Regiment on Feb. 16. And

songbird Anna Netrebko is back as Mimi in La Boheme Feb. 27.

Handel turns 325 years old on Feb. 25. Tune in to WRR and celebrate the “big three-two-five” with some of his best music.

Sean Pannikar

Patricia Bowles with Gabri-ela Montero

Maria May of AT&T Perform-ing Arts and Don Winspear