Classical 95.9-FM WCRI

09-21-25 Classical Guitarist Aaron-Larget Caplan 2025 - Conducting Conversations

This week, we feature Aaron-Larget Caplan, classical guitarist. He’s back after a couple of years to introduce another brand new lullaby album, and we'll listen to examples of music from his other CDs. We’ll discuss his career and how he has had the opportunity to travel the world playing at great concert venues. For more information, go to www.alcguitar.com

09-13-25 Nationally Bestselling Author Jessa Maxwell - Dead of Summer - Ocean House Author Series

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with our featured author, Jessa Maxwell, a nationally bestselling author.
About the Author: Jessa Maxwell is the nationally bestselling author of The Golden Spoon, I Need You to Read This, and Dead of Summer. She is also the author and illustrator of five picture books for children. Her comics and cartoons have been published in The New Yorker and The New York Times and her writing has been published in Slate, Marie Claire, and many others. She now lives in Jamestown, Rhode Island, with her husband, two cats and three-legged dog.
About The Book: Years after her best friend mysteriously disappeared from a remote New England island, a young woman returns in search of answers in this atmospheric and scintillating thriller from Jessa Maxwell, nationally bestselling author of the “deliciously entertaining” (Sarah Penner, New York Times bestselling author) The Golden Spoon.
Orla O’Connor hasn’t been to the isolated New England enclave of Hadley Island since she graduated from high school a decade ago. As a teenager, her best friend Alice disappeared from its shores without a trace—but with plenty of rumors.
Now, Orla returns to her family’s beachfront home to clean it out before her parents sell it. The island and her best friend’s house next door, abandoned after her family left in grief, are stirring up memories she would like to avoid. Then there are the locals, always gossiping and watching Orla’s every move. Worst of all, David, Orla’s childhood crush and son of a wealthy Manhattan family, is back for the summer with his new, impossibly pretty girlfriend, Faith.
Faith suspects that David is going to propose but as soon as she settles into his family’s sprawling Hadley Island estate, she feels out of place. She anticipated a luxurious summer of fun and romance, but David is never around—lured into business conversations with his entrepreneur father from dawn to dusk. With nothing else to do, Faith begins to investigate the island’s dark past, curious about what really happened to Alice all those years ago.
Meanwhile, local Henry hasn’t left his house since the young girl went missing, in an attempt to let the accusations against him die down. Except they never have. For years, Henry has had an endless supply of time to pursue his only hobby, watching the island from his telescope and recording the activities of its inhabitants. But Orla’s return has shaken him and lately he’s been seeing strange things: shadowy figures walking on the beach in the middle of the night and a light on in the upstairs window of the long-abandoned house of the missing girl.
When there’s another disappearance on the island, all three find themselves pulled into an eerie and twisty mystery that will haunt them for the rest of their lives.
Find out more about Jessa Maxwell and her books at simonandschuster.com. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

09-12-25 Saxophonist Hal McKusick-Now’s The Time - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Saxophonist Hal McKusick, from his 1995 GRP Records recording, originally recorded for Decca Records in 1957-58, titled “Now’s The Time."

09-14-25 Mystic Chamber Music Series - Conducting Conversations

The Mystic Chamber Music Series is the subject of this week's program with Thomas Readett, Artistic and Executive Director, and Sila Senturk, pianist. We discuss the upcoming 2025-2026 series and its concert, scheduled for Saturday, October 11, at 5:30 PM at The Noank Baptist Church. For more information, you can go to www.mysticchambermusicseries.com

09-11-25 Same Waves - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane explores how observing nature helps us cope with the challenges in our lives.

09-06-25 Perro Salado - The 95.9 Company Break

In this week's 95.9 Company Break program, Mike talks to Zack Pierce, General Manager of Perro Salado. Co-owner and general manager Andi Johnson’s artistic eye transformed this historic 18th-century home of a naval officer in the heart of Newport into a casual and boisterous gathering space. Earthy colors saturate the walls, and the whimsical decor makes each of the cozy rooms come alive with a fiesta-like energy. Behind the bar, Andi’s experience as a mixologist turns classic margaritas into bold and fresh concoctions as exciting and remarkable as a great glass of wine. Perro Salado is at 19 Charles St., Newport, RI 02840. Call 401-619-4777 or visit them at perrosalado.com

09-05-25 Bassist Christian McBride-Vertical Vision - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Bassist Christian McBride from his 2003 Warner Brothers Records recording, titled “Vertical Vision.” 

09-04-25 Subtle Inconvenience - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane examines how nature can influence our thinking with its subtle inconveniences.

09-07-25 Salt Marsh Opera 2025 - Conducting Conversations

Salt Marsh Opera’s production of “Pirates of Penzance” is the subject of this week's program with Simon Holt, Artistic Director and Founder. We discuss the company and the opera, and listen to some of the very popular songs from the score. For more information, you can call (860) 535-3456 or go to www.saltmarshopera.org

08-30-25 S'Ozzastru and the Ancient Olive Trees of Sardinia - This Old Tree

In this episode of This Old Tree, Doug introduces us to S'Ozzastru and the Ancient Olive Trees of Sardinia. Some trees are old — and then there's S’Ozzastru. Nestled near the village of Luras on the island of Sardinia, this ancient olive tree has stood for nearly 4,000 years. Also known as "The Great Patriarch" or "The Patriarch of Nature," the Bronze Age tree is a living witness to the rise and fall of civilizations. How has it endured for millennia? Who, across the centuries, has found shelter beneath its branches? And will the millennial olive trees of Sardinia continue to survive? Join us as we travel to the heart of the Mediterranean in search of secrets to one of the world’s oldest living trees. 

08-28-25 Mikey Likes It - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane finds a funny parallel to an example in nature.

08-29-25 Pianist Earl Hines-"Reunion In Brussels" - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Pianist Earl Hines, from his 1992 record, recorded in 1965, Sony Music Records recording, titled “Reunion In Brussels.”

08-31-25 LaGrua Center 2025 - Conducting Conversations

The LaGrua Center in Stonington, CT, is the subject of this week's program with Dan Brandl, Executive Director. We discuss what has been happening at the Center, as well as the upcoming Concert on the Green, scheduled for September 19th, and the Music Matters series, which begins on September 27th. For more information, you can go to www.lagruacenter.org

08-21-25 Something Tiny - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane explains how small projects can help us accept time.

08-22-25 Pianist Lynne Arriale - Recording "A Long Road Home" - Jazz After Dinner

This week on Jazz After Dinner, Joe features Pianist Lynne Arriale from her 1997 TCB Records recording titled “A Long Road Home.” 

08-24-25 Les Isle Rose-A Division of Dave’s Fresh Marketplace - Conducting Conversations

This week, Les Isle Rose, a division of Dave’s Fresh Marketplace, is the subject of the program, with LeAnn Cesario, founder, and Kate Humes, buyer. We'll talk about the Gift Basket, Catering, and Floral business located in East Greenwich that is one of the largest and busiest in the area. We'll listen to some selections of music by Joe Parillo, a Grammy-nominated Steinway Artist, to set the mood. For more information, go to www.davesmarketplace.com

08-16-25 New York Times Bestselling Author Victoria Christopher Murray - Harlem Rhapsody - Ocean House Author Series

Join us as Ocean House owner and award-winning author Deborah Goodrich Royce moderates a conversation with our featured author, New York Times bestselling author Victoria Christopher Murray.
About the Author: Victoria Christopher Murray is the best-selling author of more than 30 novels, including the New York Times Instant Best Sellers, The Personal Librarian, and The First Ladies. In both novels, Victoria co-wrote with Marie Benedict. A native New Yorker, Victoria Christopher Murray attended Hampton University, where she majored in Communication Disorders. After graduating, Victoria attended New York University’s Stern Business School, where she received her MBA in Marketing. Victoria spent ten years in Corporate America before she tested her entrepreneurial spirit. She opened a Financial Services Agency for Aegon, USA, where she managed the number one division for nine consecutive years. However, Victoria always dreamed of writing, and in 1997, she pursued her dream.
About The Book: She found the literary voices that would inspire the world…. The extraordinary story of the woman who ignited the Harlem Renaissance, written by Victoria Christopher Murray, New York Times bestselling coauthor of The Personal Librarian.
In 1919, a high school teacher from Washington, D.C arrives in Harlem excited to realize her lifelong dream. Jessie Redmon Fauset has been named the literary editor of The Crisis. The first Black woman to hold this position at a preeminent Negro magazine, Jessie is poised to achieve literary greatness. But she holds a secret that jeopardizes it all.
W. E. B. Du Bois, the founder of The Crisis, is not only Jessie’s boss, he’s her lover. And neither his wife, nor their fourteen-year-age difference can keep the two apart. Amidst rumors of their tumultuous affair, Jessie is determined to prove herself. She attacks the challenge of discovering young writers with fervor, finding sixteen-year-old Countee Cullen, seventeen-year-old Langston Hughes, and Nella Larsen, who becomes one of her best friends. Under Jessie’s leadership, The Crisis thrives…every African American writer in the country wants their work published there.
When her first novel is released to great acclaim, it’s clear that Jessie is at the heart of a renaissance in Black music, theater, and the arts. She has shaped a generation of literary legends, but as she strives to preserve her legacy, she’ll discover the high cost of her unparalleled success.
Find out more about Victoria Christopher Murray and her books at victoriachristophermurray.com. For details on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com

08-14-25 Make Your Bed - A Walk In The Park

This week, Jane tells us how changing one small habit can change a life.

08-15-25 Pianist Paul Bley Recording BeBopBeBopBeBopBeBop - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Pianist Paul Bley from his 1989 Steeplechase Records recording, titled “BeBopBeBopBeBopBeBop.” 

08-17-25 Theatre by the Sea production of "Heartbreak Hotel" - Conducting Conversations

Theatre By The Sea's production of “Heartbreak Hotel” is the subject of this week's program with guest host Jamie Jones, Joe Hebel, playing the role of Elvis, and Nikki Snelson, Director. We discuss the musical and listen to some of its most popular songs. For more information, you can call (401) 782-8587 or go to www.theatrebythesea.com