Overture
In this issue: The Meyerson at 20, 23rd Annual Grapefest, Texas Discovery Gardens, Friends of WRR Members
Dallas / Fort Worth • wrr101.com
WRR Classical 101.1 FM
A Monthly publication For Friends of WRR
September 2009
WRR to present final concert of BBC Proms by Kevin Pytcher
Proms’ commitment to modern music continues to this day. The festival finale features Oliver Knussen’s Fanfare Flourish and other works commissioned by the Proms. As with the Knussen work, the festival is a platform for composers from the United Kingdom. Works by Purcell, Elgar, Ketelbey, Parry, Arnold and others make up a large part of the final program, as complemented by music by non-British composers. The Proms 2005. Most people sit, while Examples include Haydn’s E-flat Promenaders stand in front of the orTrumpet Concerto (with Balsom as chestra. The Royal Albert Hall Organ is soloist) and Mahler’s Songs of a in the background. from wikipedia Wayfarer (with Connolly.) The broadcast is hosted by Brian Newhouse of Minnesota Public Radio, who recently appeared as an interview guest in a concert of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, broadcast live on WRR from the Meyerson Symphony Center.
Widely considered the world’s greatest classical music festival, the BBC Proms is an annual celebration of acclaimed musical talent from around the world. WRR listeners can enjoy the grand finale of this summer’s series with the “Last Night of the Proms” broadcast at 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12. The four-hour event features David Robertson leading the BBC Symphony Orchestra. Guest performers Sarah Connolly, mezzo-soprano and trumpeter Alison Balsom will also appear. “Last Night at the Proms” caps off 76 concerts given in London over the past eight weeks. In addition to presenting timehonored classics, the festival is famous for spotlighting the works of many modern composers. Concerts that date as far back as the turn of the last century heralded the talents of Debussy, Richard Strauss, Vaughan Williams and others who’ve become legends. The Proms in the Park from Neil Rickards
Winspear Opera House to make lasting impression
The “who” of The Wyly Theater
by Kevin Pytcher
by Adriana Bate
Opera fans and other arts enthusiasts only have a few weeks to wait before the state-of-the-art Winspear Opera House opens in downtown Dallas. The venue is just one of the most eagerly anticipated venues in the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts. The opera house was made possible by a $42-million gift from Margot and Bill Winspear, for whom the facility is named. The impact the opera house and the rest of the performing arts center will have on the North Texas region will be immediate, said Caren Prothro, vice-chair of the DCPA Board of Directors. “We will have all kinds of performance opportunities,” Prothro said. “From opera to ballet to contemporary dance and [some] really exciting Broadway ... it’s a convergence of so many different performing arts opportunities,” she said. “This will change the face of our city forever,” Prothro said. “In the coming decades, many of the great international artists will come and there will be an incredible excitement of the performances and of cutting-edge material ... that will be presented here.” Prothro says 95 percent of the funding of the performing arts center has come from philanthrop- Caren Prothro, Viceic organizations and private donations. “Dallas is a chair of the DCPA can-do city. The history of our city reflects a high de- Board of Directors gree of citizen involvement. Only $18 million of the total $354 million total cost of the project was picked up by city bond issuances,” she said. Opera fans should note baritone Thomas Hampson and mezzosoprano Denyce Graves will appear at a gala at the Winspear on Oct. 15. It’s one of the major events planned during a week of opening festivities for the DCPA. WRR will be there live with up-to-the-minute coverage of all the festivities including live broadcasts of some of the season opening performances.
With opening performances this autumn, three significant performing arts groups will continue playing their roles in the developing life of the downtown Dallas Arts District, taking up residence Dee and Charles Wyly in the Charles and Dee Wyly Theater: Dallas Theater Center (DTC), Dallas Black Dance Theater (DBDT) and the Anita Martinez Ballet Folklorico Audiences know the theater’s namesake, Charles Wyly, for his success in business and in the community. “How drab would life be without the arts?” he “How drab would life be without wonders. Mr. Wyly credits his mother’s influence for the arts?”- Charles Wyly his interest in the arts. As a young woman she studied dance in New York and returned to her home town as a teacher and advocate for the arts. Following her lead, Charles Wyly has exercised his own passion for the arts, serving the Dallas Theater Center and the Dallas arts community for over thirty years. In last month’s issue of Overture, DTC’s Kevin Moriarty spoke about the possibilities inherent in their move. Ann Williams, founder and artistic director of DBDT is equally enthusiastic: “We’re proud to be one of the resident companies at the Wyly. Being a part of the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts is the next step in achieving our Ann Williams, mission of producing contemporary modern dance founder and artistic at its highest level of artistic excellence, offering director of DBDT an even broader platform for collaboration with the great artistic companies in the region ” she said. These performing arts companies have had a significant impact on the cultural life of Dallas and Fort Worth. Visit the Arts Center at wrr101.com to see what’s next as they make their move to the Wyly Theater this fall and stay tuned to 101.1 fm as we bring you live coverage of all the opening night festivities from the Dallas Center for the Performing Arts.
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