I'm working at home, listening to Joan as Policewoman. Where would I be without you, John?

Stella

NYC

New Sounds is as necessary to me as the air I breathe. I'm listening to Gavin
Bryars' Quartet The Last Days performed by the Balanesqu Quartet as I write, thanks to John. Each show is a revelation: I'm always engaged, thanks to John's sensitivity (to musicians as well as their music), deep knowledge, maturiity and enthusiasm. More, please...

Stella

NYC

Growing up in the 1960s-70s in queens I wasnt exposed to many different musical genres. My friends were all classical rock people. Stones, Beatles,Zeppelin. The Who,Pink Floyd,Yes,Deep Purple,Santana etc.. were all considered acceptable music. However I wanted more, I wanted to hear different styles and being the younger brother of John by a mere 11 1/2 months I had the best teacher anyone could ask for. Back in 1977 is when the change began, when John brought home David Bowie's Low album. I remember listening to side 1 it was great.Side 2 however was like nothing I'd ever heard before, at first I couldnt believe this was Bowie, John told me Brian Eno produced the albumi I listened a few more times and was hooked. He opened my world to the likes of Eno,Fripp,Talking Heads,all the way to Ravi Shankar. I am still amazed how much knowledge my brother can retain, its a true gift and I an very fortunate to have him as a brother, and more importantly one of my best friends.
Jerry Schaefer

Jerry Schaefer

Jerry from Queens

John Schaefer brings new music to life with his live interviews of composers at concerts. I've had the pleasure of seeing and hearing him at two of the League of Composers/ISCM season finale concerts. As the host, he interviewed some truly amazing composers like Elliott Carter, Shulamit Ran, Joan Tower, and others, allowing me, the listener, to understand the creative process of the composer. Truly awesome experiences!

Lisa Freeman

Farmingdale, NY

Every Thursday since 1997 I have driven an hour each way to check up on my elderly parents. I am often getting in the car for the return at 2pm. Listening to John on Soundcheck has been a great comfort and inspiration to me, from interviews with pianist Robert Taub, to the current Met or Citi Opera production (remember when City Opera began the Handel Festival?), to Hem, to Animal Liberation orchestra, to African, Caribbean or Latin music artists. And the depth and breadth of those conversations provide endless mental stimulation, but I also have a soft spot for "smackdowns," a totally different experience which John offers to listeners.
I also am executive producer of a very large private fireworks display each spring in central New Jersey, and John's conversations help me broaden my thinking about the pool of music I consider for the custom soundtrack we assemble.
I am constantly referring friends to Soundcheck, and my daughters now 24,22, and 17 are all listeners too. Many thanks!

Dorothy Bedford

Mercer County, NJ

one of the very, very many New Sounds moments that lit up my ears was listening to the Bulgarian Radio Women's Chorus in "la Mystere de Voix Bulgare. I've been listening to New Sounds since the 80's, and I credit that show for enriching my musical experience in so many ways.

Wanda Eisenman

New Burnswick, NJ

It's been my great fortune to be featured on the show a few times over the years but the only reason I ever ended up on the show was because I was and still am such a big fan.

Over those years I've discovered tons of great new music that has directly influence and inspired my work as a composer (I recall hearing John Cage's Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano for the first time on the show - I've since written several works for 'prepared guitar') but more than that the whole attitude to new music seemed and still seems refreshingly open to all the amazing possibilities of 'new sounds'.

Thirty years is an extraordinary achievement - congratulations!! (and please, keep going).

Pete Wyer

London

Living and working in NY in the 90's I typically got up at 5:00 am precluding late-night anything, so I could not often listen to New Sounds. But I can never forget one star-filled night as I was leaving Manhattan after a late evening and tuned into New Sounds for the drive along the Hudson. That night sky and the might of the cities' silhouette leapt into focus as achingly beautiful, crystalline music filled the spheres. I never knew what it was but it carried me home with all of my senses wide open, in awe of the beauty in the world. Tuning in was always a great surprise. Thank you John!

Loretta McNeely

San Diego

Minimalism, back in the early/mid '80s... Whether it was Penguin Cafe Orchestra or Steve Reich, there's no way I would have heard that stuff, let alone become a fan of something relatively avaunt-guard... Of all the things I heard on "New Sounds," it would be really hard to choose between "Tehelim" and "Music for a Found Harmonium," with honorable mention to "Voices of Light" and "Koyaanisqatsi" as favorite music I owe to John.

David Emery

Reston VA

John has introduced me much music. Richard Einhorn's composition for the silent Joan of Arc film in 2006 was an amazing experience at New Sounds Live, and on a late night drive back from L.I. this past October I was introduced to the ARTE Quartet.

My favorite Schaefer moment, though, is when I first met him in 2005. I was listening to Soundcheck for about a month when I was assigned to write a script/outline for his appearance at Celebrate Brooklyn. During the short meeting before the show I became affixed to his face because his voice sounded like it did on the radio! He talks like that! Soundcheck should take a page out of Wait Wait and offer John's voice for telephone's messages or mixtape compilations.

I've only listened to John for six years, but I hope my children get a change to listen to his voice and become exposed to sounds and voices that are not presented to the masses. Here's to js60.

Patrick

Brooklyn

In the late 80s & early 90s I worked weekends on the air at Oregon Public Broadcasting, which meant long shifts with not much to do. I would kill time browsing the public radio satellite for interesting shows. I stumbled across New Sounds (which was distributed at the time by NPR). I'd stand next to the big bulky machine when it was time for the New Sounds feed, plug in my headphones...and stand there listening for an hour. Every week. EVERY week. John introduced me to Meredith Monk, Laurie Anderson, La Monte Young, Alvin Lucier...and about a zillion other creative musicians who didn't get much (or in most cases, ANY) radio play elsewhere. I think it would be hard to overstate how much John's musical curation shaped my view of music. Classical, world, experimental, jazz, rock, minimalism, conceptual works...John's unique musical stew turned me on to the fact that there is a huge range of possibilities out there. He opened my ears & opened my brain. Impossible to thank him enough.

Fred Child

St. Paul, MN

I was listening to Sound Check the day after Renata Tibaldi died. After announcing that she passed away, John played a gorgeous aria that literally brought me to tears. I had recently been held up at knife point, and I needed a good cry. Have listened to New Sounds for years...so much wonderful music I would not have heard otherwise. Great concerts too. Thanks John!!!

Colleen Lynch

Brooklyn

I heard so many new things for the first time on his show - John Luther Adams, Caetano Veloso, The Time Curve Preludes, and too many others to name - and listened to artists I already new like Fela Kuti and Nusrat but as if for the first time. Every year the top 10, both John's and the listener poll (never forget that many of these listeners came of age with the show) was an introduction to new artists, new genres and ideas that occupied my musical life for months afterward. Thank you John for changing my life through changing the music I listen to.

Shaloub Razak

London, formerly NY

Around 1982 or 3, When I was starting high school, I was a frustrated piano student. I knew I would never play classical music or pop music and I couldn't hold a note as a singer. I was still searching for a way to realize that what I was searching for was a way to express myself. Was it the positive result of restrictive parents who sent me to bed by 9 PM that I would clandestinely stay up to listen to New Sounds near my pillow? When John played Laurie Anderson's Big Science, and I heard the lyric, "We have to put some stairs here, otherwise what are the characters going to fall off of?" I had the instant realization that I wanted be "there." Adventures of a lifetime ensue.

Matthew Kohn

Greenpoint

Dad,
I remember all the times in the car driving to soccer games, you would play music I never heard from your Ipod. I have fallen in love with the music you have exposed me to, such as The New Pornographers, Arcade Fire, Bloc Party, Beirut, Yo La Tengo, Scroobius Pip, and so many more. After developing a love for these bands, my taste in music has expanded, and now I'm introducing you to bands!
I'm so glad to have a dad so involved with music.

Bella Schaefer

NYC

There are many Schaefer moments, John is my oldest brother, 1 am the 5th out of the additonal 8 siblings. 2 years ago it was the day before Christmas Eve and John asked what people thought of Christmas Songs, did they love them or hate them, my mother felt that she should call in and tell John how much she loved Christmas songs. She was put thru to John who was not that surprised to hear from our Mom or the fact that she loves Christmas muscic. He was however, surprised when my Mom was receiving another call and put John on hold while still on the air!! We still laugh about it now!

Regina Schaefer Santoro

Richmond Hill, NY

I've a slightly different take on this.

We don't get WNYC in Ireland where I'm from, so I didn't know about the station, let alone John's work, until I was planning a trip to the US in 2009.

I googled 'new music radio new york' and New Sounds popped up top of the list.

I dropped New Sounds an email to say I'd be in NYC if they were interested in interviewing me about my music.

John replied with a very nice email and an offer to come into the station.

When I came to the station I still had no clue about WNYC's reach and so I asked John 'So is this like a small local radio station?' to which he replied 'No. It's the biggest public radio station in the USA!'

I was both embarrassed and gob-smacked! I didn't think a big radio station like that would be interested in my music. But that's what makes John different to most broadcasters, he's open-minded and always seeking new music.

Needless to say I was very grateful to John for taking a chance on me and exposing my music to a wide audience in the USA for the first time.

When John interviewed me I was very impressed by the breadth of his knowledge. He knows more about new and old Irish music than most broadcasters in Ireland do!

I now listen in regularly online and am always discovering great music from John.

Congratulations John on 30 years of pioneering work.

Dave Flynn
Composer & Musician
www.daveflynn.com

Dave Flynn

Ireland

When I was overnight host on WNYC, I had the privilege of following New Sounds every night. It not only opened my ears and mind on a regular basis, it meant that I could play ANYTHING on my show, and the listeners would be receptive to it.
If I had to choose a personal Schaefer moment, it would be swimming across a lake near Tanglewood together when we had gone up for a remote broadcast, or perhaps his reaction after Sir Paul McCartney ate all of the dark chocolate during a live intermission interview at Carnegie Hall.
Go for another 30 years, John!
George

George Preston

Chicago

Last month I was driving in rural northern Michigan listening to my favorite music via my iPod, and I silently thanked Steve Jobs for inventing it. As soon as I did that however, I realized that almost ALL the music on my iPod, I first heard on New Sounds (via internet), and so I thanked John Schaeffer, out loud, in the car.

Thank you again, John!

Linda Burnett

Farmington, Michigan

first recall was hearing unknown dark celtic acoustic /electric soundscapes on new sounds mid 1980s. I wrote to the station and john sent back a reply . The music was from the Irish film Cal, music by Mark Knofler. I bought the record and have to say it sounded better on the Radio. For me with radio Im surprised, sometimes moved, no real expectations before hand. My brother bought Johns book New Sounds.when it was first published. Saw john at the Balken Music fest in Brooklyn with his daughter last winter,Just cool to see him out with family at a very festive event. I wanted to say hello, however I just let john enjoy the time with family.

walter donnelly

astoria nyc