When I was in college, I helped to resurrect the school’s defunct radio station and eventually became the station’s Music Director.  It was the hardest I’d ever worked in my life — and the most fun I’d ever had too.  I spent countless hours at the station, on air and off:  studying, sleeping, listening to music, showing it off to girls in a feeble attempt to use my pseudo-quasi-celebrity status to try to impress them.

Not long after, I moved back to Southern California.  I haven’t been back on the air since those college days many years ago.  That is about to change.

Mystic Pete, cellist and radio personality, is hosting this Monday evening’s opera show (8-11pm) on KXLU 88.9fm in Los Angeles.  He has kindly invited me to join him during the 9-10pm hour.  Note that if you want to listen but don’t live in broadcast distance of KXLU, you can click HERE and join us online.

Also co-hosting that night before and after me will be Ariella Forstein (AKA “Songstress Ariella”) and Daniel Corral.

Pete has billed the show as “Three hours of beautiful female vocalists and composers, and opera.” With that in mind, he’s asked me to put together music to follow that theme.  I’ve decided to mix up well-known works with less familiar ones spanning the Baroque through to today, sung by some of my favorite sopranos and mezzos.

For the most part, you’ll have to tune in find out exactly what I’ll be playing; however, I am proud to announce that during the show, I will give the world broadcast premiere of Anne LeBaron‘s aria, Some Things Should Not Move, with soprano Elissa Johnston as the soloist, backed by Larry Kaplan (flute), Alison Bjorkedal (harp), and Tom Peters (double bass) of Southwest Chamber Music.  The libretto was written by Yvonne Eadon, the composer’s daughter.

The world premiere performance of the work was given just a few months ago as part of Southwest’s “LA International New Music Festival 2013.″  I will be play the recording made of that performance — so if you missed seeing/hearing it live, you now have a change to rectify that deficiency.  (My review from that concert is HERE)

I sincerely hope you will listen in.

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• Anne LeBaron’s latest gem out-sparkles the rest at final LA International New Music Festival concert

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Photo credit:  from the archives of CK Dexter Haven