Eugene Symphony Launches New Radio Program on KLCC
The limited edition series will debut on Sunday, May 17 at 1 p.m. PDT on KLCC (FM 89.7)
EUGENE, OR (May 13, 2020) – Eugene Symphony Association (ESA) and KLCC FM 89.7 have partnered to bring listeners a special limited radio series with three installments. Produced and hosted by ESA Executive Director Scott Freck, each one-hour program will examine a previous Eugene Symphony concert in-depth through interviews, commentary and musical excerpts from the performance.
The first installment of the series will be broadcast on KLCC at 1 p.m. on Sunday, May 17 and features music from ESA’s September 26, 2019 concert that opened the 2019/20 season, Tchaikovsky’s Fifth. Freck interviews Portland composer Kenji Bunch about his pieceGroovebox Fantasy, a tribute to music industry legend Quincy Jones. Then, he speaks with Bulgarian violin star Bella Hristova who was the featured guest soloist in Max Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy. Finally, he and Music Director & Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong examine the “Fate Theme” of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony. The interviews are underscored with key moments from each piece and are followed by extended and uninterrupted portions of the concert recording.
“I’ve conducted Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony with nearly every orchestra I’ve been a part of and it never gets old,” says Lecce-Chong. “It has it all – achingly beautiful melodies, searching emotions, and a blazing finale that will make your heart soar. For the September program, we paired with it Bruch’s virtuosic trek through the Scottish Highlands, which really takes you on a journey and which Bella played brilliantly, and Kenji Bunch’s upbeat Groovebox Fantasy that had everyone’s toes tapping.”
“Eugene Symphony is working to find ways of engaging our patrons and the wider community while we are unable to perform concerts in person,” Freck says. “We believe it important to give our fellow Oregonians ways of connecting with each other, providing hope and togetherness in this time of uncertainty, and music has a powerful way of doing just that.” For five years during his tenure at North Carolina Symphony, Freck produced a monthly radio broadcast series for WUNC-FM in Chapel Hill, NC.
Two future installments of this radio series will air in June and July, with specific dates, times, and topics to be determined. This radio series is sponsored by Farmers Union Coffee Roasters (farmersunioncoffee.com).
Live online engagement
Listeners can connect online during and after the program with questions and reactions by following this Zoom link: https://lanecc.zoom.us/j/97212349468
For details about online events and radio broadcasts, subscribe to Eugene Symphony’s enewsletter at the bottom of the home page of eugenesymphony.org or follow Eugene Symphony at facebook.com/EugeneSymphony
About Eugene Symphony
Now in its 54th season, the Eugene Symphony is a nonprofit and 83-member orchestra based in Eugene, Oregon. Led by Music Director & Conductor Francesco Lecce-Chong, Eugene Symphony reaches more than 40,000 adults and children annually with live music performances. Recognized as a cornerstone of the performing arts in Oregon’s southern Willamette Valley, Eugene Symphony pursues its mission of enriching lives through the power of music by presenting annual classical and pops concerts, as well as music education and community engagement programs, regularly commissioning and premiering new American works, and disseminating its performances via radio broadcasts and recordings. More at eugenesymphony.org.
About KLCC
KLCC serves more than 100,000 Oregonians each week with award-winning news and cultural programming. The member supported station is heard on a network of 10 FM transmitters throughout western and central Oregon, as well as online at KLCC.org. KLCC is a charter member of National Public Radio and is licensed to Lane Community College in Eugene.
