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Soundcheck

Wednesday, November 12, 2003
  • The San Francisco Symphony, photo courtesy of SFS
    The San Francisco Symphony

    Making Music with a Maverick

    With American symphony orchestras in a state of crisis, the San Francisco Symphony has bucked the downward trend while rising into the ranks of the world's great ensembles. Its celebrated music director, Michael Tilson Thomas, joins John Schaefer today to discuss his innovative views on programming, community relations, education, and more. Also, we continue with Soundcheck’s ongoing discussion about the notion of cultural literacy – those art and entertainment forms that a person feels they should know to be (or appear to be) educated. We look at contemporary music’s place in that rubric with Wall Street Journal music critic Greg Sandow.

Additional Resources: More about the San Francisco Symphony More about Greg Sandow Read Sandow’s latest article on new music in Newmusicbox.org

Introducing our Video Contest

Soundcheck

John Schaefer gives the lowdown on Soundcheck's music video challenge with the Fiery Furnaces.

In Studio: Angel Deradoorian

Soundcheck

The 22-year-old multi-instrumentalist performs live in our studio.

Cucu Diamantes Performs Amor Cronico

Soundcheck

Cucu Diamantes went from a tough childhood in Havana, Cuba, to an art school in Rome to underground New York City, where she co-founded the Latin alternative band Yerba Buena.

In Studio: Stephanie McKay

Soundcheck

The local singer-songwriter performs "Jackson Avenue," a nostalgic toast to her childhood in the South Bronx.

In Studio: The Decemberists

The Portland, Ore., band's latest album, "The Hazards of Love," is a concept album with a mythological flair. They joined Soundcheck to play live for a studio audience in WNYC's Greene Space.

Sound Off

Soundcheck

Throughout May, Soundcheck presents “Sound Off” a Friday series on the many aspects of noise in music and our lives. The series -- which coincides with “Better Hearing and Speech Month” -- looks at issues like New York’s noisiest neighborhoods, the latest research on iPods and hearing loss, and what happens when noise becomes a musical ingredient.