Dear Friend and Supporter, When you think of the best of Rochester, arts and culture always comes to mind. We have more great artists, musicians, museums, theaters, galleries and performances than almost any city of our size in the nation. WXXI’s core mission is education, but we’re also a partner, provider and supporter of arts and culture in our community, across all walks of life. In fact, it’s not uncommon to hear music while walking through WXXI, especially on the second floor where our radio studios are. But over the next few months while we shoot OnStage – our weekly series on WXXI-TV and WRUR-FM that highlights a wide range of performers from the region – Studio A on the first floor will be alive with music! You may already be familiar with how closely we work with our friends at the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Hochstein School of Music & Dance, and Garth Fagan Dance. But in our continuing effort to promote the best of the local arts scene, we’ve taped performances by Joe Beard and John Cole, Gaylord, Rick Holland Big Band, 40 Rod Lightning, and Kate Lee. This month Atomic Swindlers, The Isotopes, The White Hots, Hinkley, and Buddhahood take to the stage. This is season two for OnStage, a project funded by a grant from the New York State Music Fund. The goal of the fund is to heighten awareness of local artists, foster appreciation for a variety of musical styles, and provide a “backstage glimpse” of artists’ motivations and inspirations. As a member of WXXI, I would like to invite you to attend one of the tapings this summer. Visit WXXI.org/onstage for details on upcoming performances and how to reserve your seat. Seeing Joe Beard and John Cole in studio in April for their OnStage visits was a reminder that we’re about to release another season of performances from the Rochester International Jazz Festival. For the second year in a row we have had the opportunity to partner with the Jazz Festival, and last year recorded six acts from Kilbourn Hall. The Rochester International Jazz Festival series, featuring performances by Bill Frisell, Geri Allen, Harry Allen, James Moody, Don Byron and Christian Scott, premieres Sunday, May 4 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV 21 and on PBS stations and PBS-HD across the country. It also will air on WRUR-FM 88.5 Thursdays at 6 p.m., beginning May 1 and repeating Saturdays at 3 p.m. The 2008 Rochester International Jazz Festival begins June 13, and WXXI will be there to capture several new acts. (You can read more about the series on page 5 of this magazine.) WXXI is proud to share the exceptional talent from our region with viewers across the country. That talent pool extends beyond the amazing musicians we have in our City. We also have some of the finest artists, actors, filmmakers, and writers in Rochester. In fact, last month Albert Paley: In Search of the Sentinel, a filmwritten, produced and directed by Tony Machi of Machi & Machi Communications and presented nationally by WXXI, garnered a New York Emmy® Award. Seen on more than 200 PBS stations – and again nationally on the PBS HD channel – this film shared the story of an award-winning Rochester artist whom we all appreciate locally, with a responsive national audience. Spotlighting the arts is something WXXI does every day. Classical 91.5, the only full-time classical radio station in the region, and one of the most listened-to classical radio stations in the country, is dedicated to bringing its listeners beautiful music. This includes local treasures like the RPO, and performers on Live from Hochstein and Backstage Pass. WRUR, a broadcast partnership with WXXI and the University of Rochester, shares an eclectic mix of music – from local and national artists – to a wide-ranging audience throughout the city. Along with Classical 91.5 and WRUR 88.5, WXXI-TV presents a rich and diverse program schedule, which includes Live from Lincoln Center, Great Performances, Soundstage, The Metropolitan Opera, and Austin City Limits, as well as specials ranging from André Rieu to Broadway’s Company (which starred actor Bruce Sabbath, another Rochester native). We also dedicate time to the arts on AM 1370 with our monthly Arts Friday series, and each month Need to Know on WXXI-TV 21 invites guests and commentary on wide-ranging topics central to the arts in Rochester. Your membership support enables us to produce and acquire programming that enriches lives, as well as the vitality of our City to a national audience. As we enter our May radio membership campaign, I hope you take the opportunity to renew your support, or perhaps share with a friend the importance of public broadcasting. Thank you for being part of the WXXI family – and we hope you enjoy both our Rochester International Jazz Festival programming May 4th, and the Festival itself in June. We’ll see you there! Best regards, Norm Silverstein |
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