“A lot has changed at WRTI, the Temple University-owned station with a twin jazz-classical identity,” writes Peter Dobrin in Sunday’s (2/24) Philadelphia Inquirer. “In perhaps its most significant bit of evolution, WRTI has taken on a heavy schedule of performances aired live from its studios … a shift … away from simply playing CDs and toward promoting local music groups and presenters to a concentrated listenership. Imani Winds recently previewed the quintet’s Philadelphia Chamber Music Society concert with a visit to the WRTI studio…. We live with instant access and bottomless supply…. And yet, the need for curation has never been more acute…. There is tremendous value to having someone else tip you off to composers and pieces you’d have never known…. If you loved the explosive first movement of Nielsen’s Symphony No. 3, you might seek out the rest of it…. A local focus differentiates WRTI. Sometimes now, the station will air unpublished recorded performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra and other groups. Live-from-studio classical and jazz broadcasts are averaging four per week. ‘More organizations and artists are reaching out to us than ever before, asking how they can be a partner,’ says WRTI General Manager Bill Johnson.”
Posted February 28, 2019
