Classical 95.9-FM WCRI

12-05-25 Vocalist Nancy Wilson- A Nancy Wilson Christmas - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Vocalist Nancy Wilson from her 2001 Telarc Records recording titled “A Nancy Wilson Christmas.”

12-07-25 LaGrua Center - Conducting Conversations

The LaGrua Center in Stonington, CT, is the subject of this week's program, with Dan Brandl, Executive Director. We talk about what has been happening at the Center, the upcoming Whiffenpoof Concert on December 13th, and the Music Matters series, which continues to run. For more information, you can go to www.lagruacenter.org

11-29-25 The General Sherman Tree: First Encounters - This Old Tree

In this episode of This Old Tree, with Doug Still...High up in California's Sierra Nevada mountains stands the largest tree on earth by volume - the General Sherman Tree. The famous giant sequoia has captivated millions of visitors, but few know the rich tapestry of stories woven around its massive trunk. Join us as we explore the “Giant Forest” of Sequoia National Park with former park ranger and author William C. Tweed. From the indigenous Monache and Yokuts who first walked among these giants, to ambitious Euro-American explorers like John Muir, to a Black Army Captain who became the park's first actual manager, discover how "first encounters" with giant sequoias become life-altering events. What evolutionary secrets enable sequoias to grow so large? Why do frequent fires help them to survive? And what is "sequoia time?" The General Sherman tree and its mates have changed how we view the natural world and our place within it.
 

11-27-25 Norman Rockwell - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane examines how our holiday expectations may differ from reality.

11-28-25 Bassist Charlie Haden-Haunted Heart - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Bassist Charlie Haden from his 1991 Verve Records recording titled “Haunted Heart.”

11-30-25 Jenette DelMonaco, Vocalist of Blues, Country & Folk - Conducting Conversations

Jenette DelMonaco, vocalist of Blues, Country, and Folk music, is our special guest. We are happy to introduce the RI singer to the WCRI audience. We'll listen to examples of her music, most of which was recorded live, and discuss her career and how she has had the opportunity to travel the world. For more information, you can go to www.LuckyBmusic.com

11-20-25 Pointing Up - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane shares that pointing up may be better than pointing elsewhere.

11-21-25 Guitarist Jim Hall-“These Rooms” - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Guitarist Jim Hall from his 1988 Columbia Records recording, titled “These Rooms.”

11-23-25 - Cornerstone Church Holiday Concert 2025 - Conducting Conversations

The Cornerstone Church on Cowesett Rd. in Warwick is the subject of this week's program with Jeff Pierce, Assistant Pastor of the Church, and Jocelyn Pierce, soloist. We'll talk about their church ministry and a special Holiday Concert with the Narragansett Bay Chorus being presented on Thursday, December 4th. For more information, you can go to www.cornerstonechurchri.org

11-15-25 Former U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross - Risks and Returns - Ocean House Author Series

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with our featured author, Wilbur Ross, former U.S. Secretary of Commerce.
About the Author: Wilbur L. Ross, Jr. served as Secretary of Commerce in the Trump administration following 55 years of experience in investment banking and private equity. In this capacity, he advised President Donald Trump on commercial and economic affairs and helped American entrepreneurs and businesses create jobs and economic opportunity.
A native of North Bergen, New Jersey, Ross spent a significant portion of his business career at Rothschild, Inc. Ross negotiated on behalf of creditors in some of the highest-profile bankruptcy proceedings in history, including those involving Pan Am, TWA, Texaco, and Drexel Burnham Lambert. After founding his own private equity firm in 2000, Ross purchased and restored many companies to profitability, including those in the steel, coal, textile, and banking industries. Over the course of his career, Ross restructured more than $400 billion in assets, earning him a distinguished reputation on Wall Street. In 2011, Bloomberg Markets named him one of the 50 most influential people in global finance.
Secretary Ross’s philanthropic work has included significant support for the Japan Society, the Brookings Institution, the Blenheim Foundation, and numerous entities devoted to the fine arts, including the Rene Magritte Museum in Brussels. He was also a member of the advisory board of the Yale University School of Management.
Secretary Ross is a graduate of Yale University and Harvard Business School. He and his wife, Hilary Geary Ross, have four children.
Before being named President Trump’s Secretary of Commerce in 2017, Wilbur Ross had already earned a reputation as the “King of Bankruptcy” over his 55-year career on Wall Street. Often working on high-profile bankruptcies such as Pan Am and Texaco, Ross helped restructure more than $400 billion in assets, and was named among Bloomberg’s 50 most influential people in global finance. After coming to Washington, Ross faced equally tough challenges, yet survived in his post for all four years.
About The Book: Creating Success in Business and Life explains how Ross got to the top and stayed there. Rising from humble beginnings in North Bergen, New Jersey, Ross applied simple principles with strict discipline—something readers can apply in their own quest for success. Ultimately, Ross’s strategies and dealmaking skills led to relationships with King Charles, Warren Buffett, Carl Icahn, the Rothschild family, Steve Wynn, Lakshmi Mittal, Mike Milken, and many other famous personalities. Ross also documents his experiences with President Trump in the Oval Office. 
Whether you’re interested in Ross’ experiences as a neighbor of John Lennon in the legendary Dakota apartment building, celebrating with Sir Richard Branson on his private island, or his tumultuous time in Washington, you will find Risks and Returns to be a candid reflection of a life lived at the pinnacle of Wall Street, New York, and Palm Beach society, and the Trump administration. Above all, anyone driven to find career success will learn from Ross’ life the strategies and mentality to achieve it. 
Please find out more about Wilbur Ross and his book at www.risksandreturns.net. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

11-13-25 Quiet - A Walk In The Park

In this week's A Walk In The Park with Jane Andrews...Jane states that we should reduce the noise and choose a different path.

11-14-25 Herbie Hancock-Directions In Music - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Pianist and Composer Herbie Hancock from his 2002 Verve Records recording titled “Directions In Music.” 

11-16-25 - Newport Classical-Holiday Concerts 2025 - Conducting Conversations

This week, Newport Classical is the subject of the program, with Trevor Neal, Artistic Director. We talk about their upcoming Annual Holiday Concerts, which will run at many locations in the Newport area, and listen to music related to those performances. For more information, go to www.newportclassical.org

11-07-25 N.Y. Times Bestselling Author Lisa Genova - More or Less Maddy - Ocean House Author Series

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with our featured author, Lisa Genova, a N.Y. Times bestselling author.
About the Author: Lisa Genova graduated valedictorian, summa cum laude from Bates College with a degree in Biopsychology and has a Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Harvard University.
​Acclaimed as the Oliver Sacks of fiction and the Michael Crichton of brain science, Lisa has captured a special place in contemporary fiction, writing stories that are equally inspired by neurological conditions and our shared human condition. She is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels STILL ALICE, LEFT NEGLECTED, LOVE ANTHONY, and INSIDE THE O'BRIENS. 
Her first work of nonfiction, REMEMBER: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting, was an instant New York Times bestseller. Her newest novel, MORE OR LESS MADDY, was released in January 2025 and became an instant #1 bestseller in Canada.
About The Book: A “riveting page-turner” (Jean Kwok, New York Times bestselling author of Searching for Sylvie Lee) about a young woman diagnosed with bipolar disorder who rejects the stability and approval found in a traditionally “normal” life for a career in stand-up comedy.
Maddy Banks is just like any other stressed-out freshman at NYU. Between schoolwork, exams, navigating life in the city, and a recent breakup, it’s normal to feel overwhelmed. It doesn’t help that she’s always felt like the odd one out in her picture-perfect Connecticut family. But Maddy’s latest low is devastatingly low, convincing her to go on an antidepressant. She begins to feel good, dazzling good in fact, and she soon spirals high into a wild and terrifying mania that culminates in a diagnosis of bipolar disorder.
As she struggles to find her way in this new reality, navigating the complex effects bipolar has on her identity, her relationships, and her life dream, Maddy will have to figure out how to manage being both too much and not enough.
With her signature “deep empathy and insight” (Booklist), Harvard-trained neuroscientist and New York Times bestselling author Lisa Genova has crafted an “affecting, harrowing, beautiful, and enlightening” (Shelf Awareness) novel that makes complicated mental health issues accessible and human. More or Less Maddy is destined to become another classic like Still Alice.
 
Please find out more about Lisa Genova and her books at lisagenova.com. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

11-06-25 Terrariums - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane recalls how nature can bring this planet we call home into perspective.

11-07-25 Drummer & Pianist Jack DeJohnette - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Drummer and Pianist Jack DeJohnette from his 1984 ECM Records recording, titled “Album, Album.”

11-09-25 - Westminster Youth String Ensemble - Conducting Conversations

This week, Westminster Youth String Ensemble is the subject of the program with Kathleen Curran Monroe, Director. We talk about the upcoming season and the Holiday Concert on Saturday, December 6th, at 3 PM at the Westerly Armory, and we listen to some selections from past concerts. For more information, you can call 401.596.5225 or go to www.westminsterstrings.org
 

11-01-25 Native American Heritage Month - WCRI's Kids Hour

In this week's WCRI's Kids Hour, hosts Jamie and Spencer listen to music about Native American composers, culture, cinema, and more to celebrate Native American Heritage Month. You'll hear music from Dances with Wolves, Pocahontas, Andrew Balfour, R. Carlos Nakai, The Last of the Mohicans, and many more!

10-31-25 Drummer & Band Leader Mel Lewis-"The Lost Art" - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Drummer and Band Leader, Mel Lewis, from his 1989 Music Masters Records recording titled “The Lost Art.”

10-30-25 Fall Leaves - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane explores how fall gives us many reasons to bathe in the season.