Classical 95.9-FM WCRI

02-27-26 Pianist Stanley Cowell-"Games" - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Pianist Stanley Cowell from his 1991 Steeple Chase Records recording titled “Games.”
 

03-01-26 The Music of Disney - Conducting Conversations

The music of Disney is the subject of this week's program with Kurt Anderson, singer and music lover, and Jamie Jones, WCRI’s President and former Disney performer. We talk about many Disney movies and listen to some of their favorite music from those films. For more information, you can call 401-294-0274 or go to www.classical959.com

02-22-26 RI Civic Choral & Orchestra February 2026 - Conducting Conversations

The RI Civic Choral and Orchestra is the subject of this week's program with Fred Surr, singer and Board Member. We talk about their upcoming concerts, and listen to some of the music being presented on Sunday, March 1st at 3 PM at the URI Fine Arts Center. For more information, you can call 401-521-5670 or go to www.ricco.org

02-21-26 On Defense: Estonia's Stadium Oak - This Old Tree

In this episode of This Old Tree, with Doug Still...In the small Estonian town of Orissaare, football players dribble around a 150-year-old oak tree standing impossibly in the middle of their soccer field or "stadium." What seems like a quirky local oddity became a symbol of national pride when this tree won the 2015 European Tree of the Year, beating much larger countries like Hungary, Spain, and the UK.
How did an unknown Estonian oak outcompete all of Europe? The answer involves brilliant PR, ancient folklore, a fierce independence forged by centuries of foreign invasion, and a profound connection to forests rooted in animism. Could a tree resist the Soviets? Learn about its inspiring legend that captured the attention of tree-lovers around the world.

02-20-26 Saxophonist Gerry Mulligan-"Re-Birth of the Cool" - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Saxophonist Gerry Mulligan from his 1992 GRP Records recording, titled “Re-Birth of the Cool.

02-14-26 A Panel of Fantastic Thriller Novelists Talk About Their Books, Writing Process, the Thriller Genre - Ocean House Author Series

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with thriller authors Christa Carmen, Karen Dukess, Vanessa Lillie, Kristin Offiler, and Tessa Wegert.
About the Authors:
Christa Carmen lives in Rhode Island. She is the author of The Daughters of Block Island, winner of the Bram Stoker Award and a Shirley Jackson Award finalist, the Indie Horror Book Award-winning Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked, and the Bram Stoker Award-nominated "Through the Looking Glass and Straight into Hell" (Orphans of Bliss: Tales of Addiction Horror). She has a BA from the University of Pennsylvania, an MA from Boston College, and an MFA from the University of Southern Maine.
Karen Dukess is the USAToday bestselling author of  Welcome to Murder Week and The Last Book Party and is a contributor to the upcoming anthology (November 2025) Ladies in Waiting: Jane Austen’s Unsung Characters. She is also the host of The Castle Hill Author Talks, a series of virtual and in-person interviews with some of today’s most exciting authors. Karen has been a tour guide in the former Soviet Union, a newspaper reporter in Florida, a magazine publisher in Russia and a speechwriter on gender equality for the United Nations. She has a degree in Russian Studies from Brown University and a Master’s in Journalism from Columbia University. She lives with her family near New York City and spends as much time as possible in Truro on Cape Cod.
Vanessa Lillie is the author of the USA Today bestselling suspense novel, Blood Sisters, which was a Target Book Club pick and GMA Book Club Buzz Pick as well as named one of the best mystery novel in 2023 by the Washington Post and Amazon. The sequel, The Bone Thief, was recently released, landing a spot on the USA Today Bestseller List. Her other bestselling thrillers are Little Voices, For the Best and she’s the coauthor of the Young Rich Widows series. Originally from Oklahoma, Vanessa is a citizen of the Cherokee Nation. She has fifteen years of marketing and communications experience and enjoys organizing book events in and around Providence, RI where she lives now. She loves connecting with readers and hosts an Instagram Live show with crime fiction authors!
Kristin Offiler is represented by Tia Ikemoto at Creative Artists Agency, and her fiction has been published in the Waccamaw Journal of Contemporary Literature, the Bookends Review, and The Raleigh Review.She has an MFA from Lesley University, but most of what she's learned about writing has come from reading and taking classes with some of her favorite authors. And, of course, through a lot of trial and error with her work.She writes novels and short fiction and also loves teaching creative writing. She's a big fan of summertime, clean sheets, and reading good books on the porch of my 130-year-old house. New England features prominently in most of her work. There’s something special and magical about the region, and she is forever attempting to capture it in her stories.
Tessa Wegert is the critically acclaimed author of the Shana Merchant mysteries, as well as the North Country series, beginning with In the Bones. Her books have received numerous starred reviews and have been featured on PBS and NPR Radio. A former journalist and copywriter, Tessa grew up in Quebec and now lives with her husband and children in Connecticut, where she co-founded Sisters in Crime CT and serves on the board of International Thriller Writers (ITW). 
For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com
 

02-13-26 Pianist & Vocalist Nat "King" Cole-“The Best of The Nat “King” Cole Trio” - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Pianist and Vocalist Nat “King” Cole from his 1992 Capitol Records compilation recording, titled “The Best of The Nat “King” Cole Trio.” 

02-15-26 Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra-Feb. 2026 - Conducting Conversations

The Narragansett Bay Symphony Community Orchestra is the subject of this week's program with President Greg Henninger. We discuss their upcoming concert and listen to music from the March 8th at 3 PM performance at the E. Providence H. S. Auditorium. For more information, you can call (401) 274-4578 or go to www.nabsco.org

02-07-26 Music for a Patriots Super Bowl - WCRI's Kids Hour

In this week's WCRI's Kids Hour, your host Jamie listens to music celebrating the New England Patriots' return to the Super Bowl. You'll hear music from Bon Jovi, Gustav Holst, Ozzy Osbourne, John Adams, and more!

02-06-26 Guitarist Larry Coryell -"Shining Hour" - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Guitarist Larry Coryell from his 1990 Muse Records recording, titled “Shining Hour.”

02-08-26 Classical Guitarist Aaron-Larget Caplan-“Guitar America 250” - Conducting Conversations

This week, we feature Aaron-Larget Caplan, classical guitarist. He’s back to introduce another brand new album, “Guitar America 250”. This is the first time these songs will be heard anywhere! We’ll discuss his career and how he has had the opportunity to travel the world playing at concert venues large and small. For more information, you can go to www.alcguitar.com

01-30-26 Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard-"Topsy" - Jazz After Dinner

This week of Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Trumpeter Freddie Hubbard from his 1990, Alfa Records recording, titled “Topsy.”

02-01-26 Kristen & Del-Bourree Bach - Conducting Conversations

This week, our special guests are Kristen and Del-Bourree Bach. We discuss their theatrical careers, how they met, and how Del’s artistic abilities led to his becoming one of the most successful painters in the area. We listen to music from Mark Tabor, Del and Kristen’s favorite pianist. For information, you can go to www.del-bourreebach.com

01-25-26 Community Player's Production of "Harold & Maude" - Conducting Conversations

The Community Players' production of “Harold and Maude” is the subject of this week's program, featuring Karen Kessler, the actor, and Brad Kirton, the Director. We discuss production and listen to some of the very interesting songs from the movie soundtrack. The show is opening on February 13th in Pawtucket. For more information, you can call (401) 726-6860 or go to www.thecommunityplayers.org

01-24-26 Arborists Live: Our Tree Stories - This Old Tree

In this episode of This Old Tree, with Doug Still...What happens when six arborists come down from the trees to step behind the mic? Find out by listening to this special episode of stories by tree professionals told LIVE in front of an audience at the annual conference of the New England Chapter of the International Society of Arboriculture. Where does the adrenaline come from? What barriers have been climbed? What drives them, ropes and harness in hand? Hear what arborists say about defining moments in their careers, their struggles, and what they love about their profession.

01-23-26 Pianist/Composer Herbie Hancock-"Gershwin's World" - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Pianist/Composer Herbie Hancock from his 1998 PolyGram Records recording titled “Gershwin’s World.”

01-16-26 Pianist Barry Harris-At The Jazz Workshop - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Pianist Barry Harris from his 1992 Fantasy Records recording, titled “At The Jazz Workshop.”

01-18-26 Newport Classical-Executive Director Oliver Inteeworn - Conducting Conversations

This week, Newport Classical is the subject of the program with Trevor Neal, Artistic Director, and Oliver Inteeworn, the new Executive Director. We talk about their upcoming spring season and listen to music that relates to those performances. For more information, you can go to www.newportclassical.org

01-10-26 New York Times Bestselling Author Sarah McCoy - Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely? - Ocean House Author Series

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with New York Times Bestselling Author Sarah McCoy.
About the Author:
SARAH McCOY is the New York Times, USA Today, and international bestselling author of the novels Whatever Happened to Lori Lovely?, Mustique Island, Marilla of Green Gables, The Mapmaker’s Children, The Baker’s Daughter, a 2012 Goodreads Choice Award Best Historical Fiction nominee, the novella “The Branch of Hazel” in Grand Central, The Time It Snowed in Puerto Rico, and Le souffle des feuilles et des promesses (Pride and Providence).
Her work has been featured in Newsweek, Real Simple, The Millions, Literary Hub, Writer’s Digest, Huffington Post, Read It Forward, Writer Unboxed, and other publications. She hosted the NPR WSNC Radio monthly program “Bookmarked with Sarah McCoy” and served as a Board Member for the literary nonprofit Bookmarks. Sarah taught English writing at Old Dominion University and at the University of Texas at El Paso.
She lives with her husband, Dr. Brian Waterman, their dog Gilbert, and cat Tularosa in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
About The Book:
In 1969, twenty-three-year-old starlet Lori Lovely, the apple of Hollywood’s eye, shocks the world by ditching a promising film career to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a Benedictine nun. Gossip columnists and scandal sheets can’t get enough of the story. Why would such a beautiful girl take the veil? Was she hiding from someone? Did it have anything to do with her costar, heartthrob singer Lucas Wesley?
In 1990, Lu Tibbott is under the gun to complete her senior thesis in modern American history. Instead of spending weeks in dusty archives, Lu decides to dig into a true twentieth-century mystery and write about her aunt Lori, now the Mother Abbess at a cloistered convent in rural New England. Biographers, journalists, and media types have long speculated about her aunt Lori’s sudden departure from Hollywood. Mother Lori, however, has refused all requests for interviews—until Lu arrives at the abbey with a tape recorder in hand. To her delight, Mother Lori announces she’s finally ready to talk…but only if Lu is truly ready to listen.
Lu is shocked to discover that the story of Lori Lovely’s rise in Hollywood was far more tumultuous than she’d ever expected, a fairy tale twisting with ambition, unforeseen alliances, forbidden love, and secrets. What began as a history thesis now threatens to upend all their lives with its unexpected truths, especially as the media gets wind of Lu’s project and begins to ask…
Whatever happened to Lori Lovely?
Please find out more about Sarah McCoy and her book at sarahmccoy.com. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com
 

01-09-26 Trumpeter/Composer Tom Harrel-Sail Away - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Trumpeter/Composer Tom Harrell from his 1989 Contemporary Records recording, titled “Sail Away.”