Classical 95.9-FM WCRI

05-26-24 Theatre by the Sea's A Chorus Line - Conducting Conversations

Theatre By The Sea's opening production of the 2024 season, A Chorus Line, is the subject of this week's program, with Josh Walden, director, and Amanda Lamotte, who plays the role of Bebe. We talked about the musical and listened to some of the very popular songs from the show. For more information, you can call (401) 782-8587 or go to www.theatrebythesea.com

05-18-24 New York Times bestselling authors Susannah Marren, Laura Zigman, and Dara Levan - Ocean House Author Series

Join Ocean House owner, actor, and bestselling author Deborah Goodrich Royce for a conversation with New York Times bestselling authors Susannah Marren, Laura Zigman, and Dara Levan, who will be discussing their novels, new in paperback.
About the Authors: 
Susannah Marren is the author of Between the Tides, A Palm Beach Wife, A Palm Beach Scandal, and Maribelle’s Shadow. Susannah has been featured in The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Elle, and Marie Claire and has appeared on national television, including the Today Show, Good Morning America, CBS, CNN, and MSNBC. Several of her titles have been optioned by Lifetime and HBO. She has served as a literary panelist for the New York State Council on the Arts, as a judge for the International Emmys, and as Vice Chair of the Mentoring Committee of the Women’s Leadership Board at the JFK School of Government, Harvard. Her featured novel is Maribelle’s Shadow. 
About Maribelle’s Shadow: When her adored and impressive husband, Samuel, dies suddenly, the secrets and lies between Maribelle and her sisters rise to the surface. Compounding the anguish, the authenticity of their socially ambitious mother and lavish lifestyle of mansions, privilege, and couture clothes is thrown into doubt.
Each sister realizes she must fend for herself as their carefully constructed image unravels. The pathway out is steep and worth any risk. Until the winner takes all.
Laura Zigman is the author of six novels, including Small World, Separation Anxiety (which was optioned by Julianne Nicholson and the production company Wiip for a limited television series); Animal Husbandry (which was made into the movie Someone Like You, starring Hugh Jackman and Ashley Judd), Dating Big Bird, Her, and Piece of Work. She has ghostwritten/collaborated on several works of non-fiction, including Eddie Izzard’s New York Times bestseller, Believe Me; been a contributor to the New York Times, the Washington Post, and the Huffington Post; produced a popular online series of animated videos called Annoying Conversations; and was the recipient of a Yaddo residency. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts, where she helps clients via Zoom, phone, and sometimes in person with their writing. Her featured novel is Small World. 
About Small World
A year after her divorce, Joyce is settling into being single again. She likes her job archiving family photos and videos, and she’s developed a secret comforting hobby: trolling the neighborhood social networking site, Small World, for posts that help solve life’s easiest problems. When her older sister, Lydia, also divorced, calls to tell her she’s moving back east from Los Angeles after almost thirty years away, Joyce invites Lydia to move into her Cambridge apartment. Temporarily. Just until she finds a place of her own.
But their unlikely cohabitation—not helped by annoying new neighbors upstairs—turns out to be the post-divorce rebound relationship Joyce hadn’t planned on. Instead of forging the bond she always dreamed of having with Lydia, their relationship frayed. They rarely discuss the loss of their sister, Eleanor, who was significantly disabled and died when she was only ten years old. When new revelations from their family’s history come to light, will those secrets further split them apart or, of course, correct their connection for the future?
Written with wry humor and keen sensitivity, Small World is a powerful novel of sisterhood and hope—a reminder that sometimes you must look back to move ahead.
Dara Levan is the creator and host of Every Soul Has a Story, a podcast in which she interviews inspiring people from around the globe. Her calling to impact others began at the age of twelve in her hometown of North Miami Beach, Florida, when she interviewed the nursing home residents where her grandmother lived and wrote their stories. As an undergrad at Indiana University, Dara earned a BA in English and pursued a career in journalism but decided to pivot and return to South Florida to earn her MS in Communication Sciences and Disorders. Dara stopped practicing speech therapy to return to full-time writing. Actively involved in her community, she is currently a board member of the Community Foundation of Broward and a board member of Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital Foundation/Memorial Hospital Foundation and the Community Foundation of Broward. Dara served as a board member of the Goodman Jewish Family Services (JFS) of Broward County and Junior Achievement of South Florida. She is also a founding member of the Circle of Friends for the Alvin Sherman Library Research, Information, and Technology Center at Nova Southeastern University. Dara is a member of the Women’s Fiction Writers Association, Women’s National Book Association, and the Authors Guild. Her featured novel is It Could Be Worse.
About It Could Be Worse
Mired in self-doubt and blind loyalty, Allegra Gil suspects her charmed life may be a gilded cage. She has a devoted husband, Benito, two loving children, a thriving therapy practice, and lifelong friends. But when a surprising discovery in a piano bench reveals a shocking family secret, Allegra questions everything she thought she knew about the two people who raised her. Was it true? Did her father, a respected pediatric neurosurgeon, harm instead of heal? And Allegra’s mother—how much did she know?
As the past threatens the present, Allegra plays the song of what was, what is, and what may never be in this “powerful and poignant story about letting go” (Jean Meltzer, international bestselling author of The Matzah Ball).
Composed with the cadence of a waltz—up, up, down—through flashbacks to childhood memories in Miami and a music camp in Michigan, It Could Be Worse is a heartwarming, at times heart-wrenching, multigenerational story of a woman supported and embraced by many while shaken to the core by a few. “The gorgeous prose and raw, unflinching narrative both heal and inspire. A stunning debut.” (Samantha M. Bailey, USA Today and #1 international bestselling author of Woman on the Edge)
For more information about the authors, please visit Susannah Marren, Laura Zigman, and Dara Levan. For information on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit www.deborahgoodrichroyce.com

05-19-24 Music on the Hill - Conducting Conversations

Music On The Hill is the subject of this week's program with Emily Atkinson, the festival's Executive Director. We talk about their upcoming concerts and listen to some of the music from the programs presented from May 27th to June 8th. For more information, you can call 401-738-5632 or go to www.musiconthehillri.org

05-17-24 Saxophonist Phil Woods - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Saxophonist Phil Woods from his 1991 Chesky Records recording, “The Little Big Band; Real Life.”
 

05-16-24 Coexistence - A Walk In The Park

In this week's A Walk In The Park with Jane Andrews, Jane observes nature & coexistence.

05-11-24 Award-Winning Author Jeffrey Blount - Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way - Ocean House Author Series

Join Ocean House owner, actor, and bestselling author Deborah Goodrich Royce for a conversation with award-winning author Jeffrey Blount. Blount discusses his latest novel, Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way. About Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way: James Henry Ferguson doesn’t belong here. After a highly publicized fall from grace, James attempts to flee from the chaos in his life. He ends up in a community he had never heard of before, one that has been neglected and ignored by everyone in rural Ham, Mississippi. A place of abject poverty, the neighborhood is commonly referred to as “Around the Way.” Within a place forgotten by the rest of the world, politics can be a dangerous game. When a troubling discovery is made, the entire neighborhood is rocked to its core and James is forced to confront his own past in order to help the community have a future. He will have to find the strength to fight for the neighbors he once disregarded and avert a heart-breaking disaster. A self-identified failure is forced to uncover the wisdom of his past in order to recognize that money can’t solve every problem. Full of never-ending twists and turns, no one can prepare themselves for the surprises in store. Mr. Jimmy From Around the Way is a story about failure, self-discovery, empowerment, and the possibility of redemption.
For more information about Jeffrey Blount, please visit www.jeffreyblount.com For information on Deborah Goodrich Royce and the Ocean House Author Series, visit www.deborahgoodrichroyce.com
 
 

05-09-24 Oriole Encounter - A Walk In The Park

In this week's A Walk In The Park with Jane Andrews, Jane talks about an encounter with an Oriole who wanted things just so.

05-10-24 Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Vocalist Dee Dee Bridgewater from her 2000 Verve Records recording titled “Live At Yoshi’s.”

05-12-24 Kingston Chamber Music Festival 2024 - Conducting Conversations

The Kingston Chamber Music Festival is the subject of this week's program with Natalie Zhu, Artistic Director and Anna Gray, Communication Coordinator. We talk about the upcoming Festival and listen to some of the amazing music that will be presented from July 24th to August 4th. For more information, you can go to www.kingstonchambermusic.org

05-04-24 Actress, Author, and Philanthropist Deborah Goodrich Royce - The 95.9 Company Break

This month, The 95.9 Company Break welcomes actress, author, and philanthropist Deborah Goodrich Royce.  Deborah's thrillers examine puzzles of identity. Reef Road, a national bestseller, was named one of the best books of 2023 by Kirkus Reviews and an Indie Next pick by the American Bookseller’s Association. Ruby Falls won the Zibby Award for Best Plot Twist, and Finding Mrs. Ford was hailed by Forbes, Book Riot, and GoodMorning America’s “best of” lists.
   The Ocean House Author Series—a salon style conversation that Deborah hosts in partnership with Bank Square Books—brings world-class authors to the stunning seaside location of Watch Hill, RI. It has featured a wide range of fiction and nonfiction writers including Chris Bohjalian, Katie Couric, Emma Straub, and many more. With fellow authors, Luanne Rice and Amy Scheibe, she is currently creating the Deer Mountain Writers’ Retreat in the Catskills.
   Deborah writes a quarterly column for Hey Rhody Magazine, sharing her book recommendations and news with the Ocean State. She began as an actress on All My Children and in multiple films, before transitioning to the role of story editor at Miramax Films, developing Emma and early versions of Chicago and A Wrinkle in Time.Deborah holds a bachelor’s degree in modern foreign languages and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Lake Erie College.
      With her husband, Chuck, Deborah restored the Avon Theatre, Ocean House Hotel, Deer Mountain Inn, UnitedTheatre, Martin House Books, and numerous Main Street revitalization projects in Rhode Island and the Catskills. She serves on multiple governing and advisory boards. For more information on Deborah visit deborahgoodrichroyce.com or oceanhouseri.com

05-04-24 The Scores & Sounds of Star Wars - WCRI‘s Kids Hour

In this week's WCRI Kids Hour, hosts Jamie and Spencer listen to parts of documentaries about the scores & sounds of Star Wars along with some of the music to celebrate May the 4th! 

05-02-24 Hope - A Walk In The Park

In this week's A Walk In The Park with Jane Andrews, Jane talks about a pattern of hope.

05-05-24 Mystic River Chorale - Conducting Conversations

The Mystic River Chorale is the subject of this week's program with Frank Zilinyi, Artistic Director. We talk about what the Chorale has done in the last season and their concert coming up on Sunday, May 19th, at 4 PM in Harkness Chapel at Connecticut College. For more information, you can go to www.mysticriverchorale.org

05-03-24 Saxophonist Ike Quebec - Jazz After Dinner

Featuring Saxophonist Ike Quebec from his 1987 Mosaic Records recording, titled “Blue Note 45, Originally released on Blue Note in 1961.” 

04-27-24 Preservation is Progress: The Brontë Oak - This Old Tree

In this month's episode of This Old Tree, host Doug Still introduces us to The Brontë Oak, which is a massive white oak tree in Oakville, Ontario, that has been threatened by every type of construction project imaginable. Logging, overhead power lines, a regional water conduit, highway expansion, you name it. But in the face of multi-billion dollar corporations, it still stands thanks to the collective efforts of a persuasive neighbor, two savvy arborists, an 87-year-old schoolteacher, a tuned-in Town Councilor, and a favorite Canadian folk-rock singer.

04-25-24 Osprey in the Rain - A Walk In The Park

In this week's A Walk In The Park with Jane Andrews, Jane talks about a mindset that is easy to slip into.

4-26-24 Pianist & Vocalist Mose Allison - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring Pianist & Vocalist Mose Allison from his 1962 and 1966 Atlantic Records, with recordings titled “I Don’t Worry About A Thing and Mose Live.”

04-28-24 Theatre By The Sea 2024 Season Announcement - Conducting Conversations

Theatre By The Sea's announcement of the 2024 season is the subject of this week's program with Bill Hanney, owner of the theatre, and Karen Kessler, Director of Marketing. We talk about this summer's musicals and listen to popular songs from Chorus Line, Tootsie, The Sound of Music, and 42nd Street. For more information, you can call (401) 782-8587or go to www.theatrebythesea.com

04-18-24 The Eclipse - A Walk In The Park

In this week's A Walk In The Park with Jane Andrews, Jane discusses the three minutes before the eclipse.

4-19-24 The Ray Brown Trio - Jazz After Dinner

This week, Joe is featuring The Ray Brown Trio from their 1989 Concord Jazz Records recording titled “Bam, Bam, Bam.”