It is not just National Public Radio and local news that will be lost when RGV Public Radio 88 FM ceases to operate. Mario Muñoz's classical music show "New Edition" will also be lost from the airwaves. It is a one-of-a-kind production in the Rio Grande Valley.  "It is very sad that the Valley will be losing this program," said Max Horowitz, a New York-based music promoter who has provided albums and artist interviews for Muñoz's show for many years. "Programs such as Mario's can only be found on non-commercial radio. To not have a non-commercial radio station that plays music in your market, means it is next to impossible to hear several genres of music." The Diocese of Brownsville is selling 88.1 and 88.9 FM to California-based Immaculate Heart Media. The new buyers plan to air religious programming, meaning NPR, local news provided by the Rio Grande Guardian, and music shows such as "New Edition" will be lost to the Valley. "I have run the classical music show for the past five years," Muñoz said. "The 30-minute show goes out at 11:30 a.m. every Tuesday. We feature selections from the newest classical music CDs, providing commentary about the music and interviews with the performers and composers." In addition to Muñoz's classical music show, the airwaves will also lose Chris Maley's blues music show, "On The Road Side." p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px} READ THE FULL Rio Grande GUARDIAN ARTICLE

Grammy Award-winning pianist/composer Laurence Hobgood has accompanied vocalists, collaborated with a poet laureate and fronted his own jazz trio. Now Hobgood is headed in yet another direction: Fusing his trio with a string quartet to create what poet Robert Pinsky calls "the adventure of unlikely mergings." On his new CD, Hobgood reinterprets standards by Jimmy Webb, Hoagy Carmichael, Paul McCartney and others with instrumental arrangements replacing the lyrics that have become so familiar. Hobgood will bring the seven-piece ensemble to Union Arts Center in Sparkill on April 27 for a concert to debut his new CD, "t e s s e t e r r a." The recording's title refers to the sonic textures expressed by music. The concert is presented by Hobgood and Circumstantial Productions, whose founder, Richard Connolly of West Nyack, is a writer, editor and publisher who has produced several of Hobgood's recordings. Hobgood, former accompanist/arranger for vocalist Kurt Elling, has been widely praised for his singular touch and tone, and his ability to bring something fresh to even the most timeworn Christmas classics. Read the lohud Q&A with Hobgood about his new project

The booklet notes state that of his Symphony No. 6 in B minor, Op. 54 from 1939, Dmitri Shostakovich (1906-1975) said: "Here I wanted to express feelings of springtime, joy and youth." And that is readily apparent within the middle and last movements, with the final movement in particular sounding more like "Rossini meets Circus Music". And I love the way Andris Nelsons hams it up and really brings it home. But what about the long, extended 20 minute Largo that is the first movement. Aside from the one and only powerful climax at the 6:00 mark that Nelsons captures and projects exceptionally well, the rest of the movement is bleak and subdued. The main theme that precedes the climax is doleful, and everything else that follows is very mournful and predominantly quiet and soft. Most of it is scored for a couple of woodwind instruments that seem to be involved in a secret conversation, against a backdrop of extremely soft shimmering strings. Everything is hushed, as if the conversation must not be heard by whoever else is listening in the darkness. And Nelsons well projects this mood of secrecy and contempt being covertly monitored by the Soviet regime. I think it's one of the most typical and memorable Shostakovich statements, and this account by the Boston Symphony Orchestra is chilling, and haunts the mind long after audition. SEE THE FULL Classical Music Sentinel REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d}

With chief conductor Kirill Karabits at the helm, the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra will return to the Royal Albert Hall for the BBC Proms. The world famous orchestra will be joined by critically acclaimed violinist Nemanja Radulovic, who will be making his BBC Proms debut. The concert on Sunday, July 21, marks the anniversary of the moon landing which the orchestra will celebrate with a performance of The Planets by Holst. In addition, the programme will also include Barber's Violin Concerto – performed by Nemanja Radulovic – and John Adams' Short Ride in a Fast Machine. Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra gave the UK and London premieres of Adams' popular fanfare for orchestra in 1988 with the then-principal conductor Andrew Litton. Radulović said: "I'm thrilled to be making my BBC Proms debut this summer, joining Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra and Kirill Karabits on the Royal Albert Hall stage. I first performed Barber's Violin Concerto with Kirill and BSO when I was their artist-in-residence in the 2016-17 season, and I look forward to revisiting this work with them in July." READ THE FULL Daily Echo ARTICLE

Recording for the first time together, clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer and pianist Yuja Wang perform beloved chamber repertoire by Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Weber in new arrangements. For Weber's Clarinet Concerto No.1 in F minor, Ottensamer is joined by one of the leading orchestras in the world, the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Mariss Jansons. These two young classical superstars team up for this album of Romantic-era gems. For the Week of April 22nd, the KDFC: San Francisco 'Album Of the Week' presents; Andreas Ottensamer, clarinet and Yuja Wang, piano Blue Hour.     p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

Recording for the first time together, clarinetist Andreas Ottensamer and pianist Yuja Wang perform beloved chamber repertoire by Brahms, Mendelssohn, and Weber in new arrangements. For Weber's Clarinet Concerto No.1 in F minor, Ottensamer is joined by one of the leading orchestras in the world, the Berlin Philharmonic under the baton of Mariss Jansons. These two young classical superstars team up for this album of Romantic-era gems. For the Week of April 22nd, the KUSC: Los Angeles 'Album Of the Week' presents; Andreas Ottensamer, clarinet and Yuja Wang, piano Blue Hour.   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px 'Helvetica Neue'; color: #4d4d4d; min-height: 14.0px}

CBC/QWF writer-in-residence Emira Tufo meets the yellow-eyed wolf who serenades Metro commuters. The masked violinist who plays in the Montreal Metro was inspired by the French-Belgian-German film, Le joueur de violon - the story of a concert musician who abandons the spotlight to play for passersby in the Paris Metro. The old proverb says; the Wolf is always bad, regardless of the colour of his pelt, and taken to its logical conclusion, wolf neither sings nor harbours good intentions. And yet, there is a yellow-eyed wolf who makes the rounds of the Montreal Metro, violin in hand, offering the comfort of music to the crowds of humans, mingling the melodies of Bach and Chopin with the roar of the passing trains and the familiar voice of Michèle Deslauriers: Attention à tous les passagers. Il y a un ralentissement de service sur la ligne … (and you pause, frozen in suspense, hoping not to learn, as you invariably will, that it is, indeed, your line. Again.)
PHOTO:  (Emira Tufo/CBC) READ THE FULL CBC ARTICLE & WATCH THE VIDEO