The Vermont Public Radio Blog

VPR's Community Forum Seeks New Members

2012-01-27T16:10:00.004-05:00

Do you describe yourself to friends as a passionate listener of Vermont Public Radio? Maybe you're all about the news or social media or classical music. Maybe you're fascinated by the all the changes occurring in media. Then a seat on VPR's Community Forum may be just the right thing.

What exactly is the Community Forum?

The Community Forum is a volunteer group of about 40 listeners that meets twice a year in half-day sessions over a two-year term. It's something like a large focus group. The Forum provides VPR with a valuable regular connection to listeners from our communities. In our sessions, members share perspectives on programming (broadcast and digital) and learn how VPR works behind the scenes. It's also an opportunity to meet the VPR staff and fellow listeners from around the region. Some of the sessions are held at VPR's Colchester studios. Some are held in central or southern parts of the state.

We're taking applications now for the new two-year term on the community Forum. Check it out here, tell us a little about yourself using the Community Forum Application.

This year's meetings will be held on Friday, April 6 and Wednesday, October 3.

Welcome Mary Williams

2012-01-24T16:17:00.000-05:00

VPR is pleased to announce that Mary Williams has joined us as a full-time producer/announcer. Mary has more than 20 years' experience in the broadcast industry - as an on-air personality and production director. A native Vermonter and long-time public radio fan, her favorite programs are, Says You, Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me, and The Splendid Table. Mary has a B.A. in Journalism from Saint Mike's and is also the owner/operator of Good Girls' Cupcakes, which offers 100% vegan treats and sandwiches. Mary is on the air 10 till noon every day on VPR.

The ($100k) Challenge Is On!

2012-01-19T16:19:00.002-05:00

There’s a buzz in the pledge room.

Phones are ringing off the hook.

Volunteers sit elbow-to-elbow taking pledges.

Then, a dramatic countdown…

There’s just NOTHING like a challenge to add some excitement to membership drives – and to give VPR an important financial boost.

So why wait?

When you and fellow listeners come together to contribute $100,000 to VPR before the drive begins on February 15, a member of VPR’s Board of Directors, and listener Neda Nobari of Meriden, NH, will contribute an additional $15,000 to VPR.

Click here to make your pledge now, or call 1-800-639-6391!

Why $100,000? We’re working to keep our membership drives as short as possible by raising more support without interrupting programming. Your gift will go directly to pay for the programs you enjoy and rely on every day.

So, exactly what does $100,000 pay for?

Eleven weeks of Morning Edition and All Things Considered.
One year of tower leases to operate our VPR Classical network of 13 transmitters and translators.
One year of the weekend programs, including Car Talk, Wait, Wait… Don’t Tell Me, A Prairie Home Companion, and This American Life.
Five years of web streaming service at VPR.net.
One year of electricity to power our 23 transmitters and translators statewide.

As a member of the VPR community, you know full well that when people work together, great things happen. $100,000 will go a long way towards paying for the programming you love – and when we raise $100,000 by February 15th, VPR will receive an additional $15,000.

Every pledge will help VPR meet this important goal. Whatever amount is right for you, please call 1-800-639-6391 or pledge online today.

Thank you so much. Together, we can do it!

Covering The Upper Valley & Northeast Kingdom

2012-01-16T12:22:00.005-05:00

Charlotte Albright is a familiar voice to most VPR listeners. It'll soon become much more familiar.

Charlotte has covered the Northeast Kingdom for VPR News for a number of years as a free-lance reporter. She's fit reporting in with her duties as a professor at Lyndon State College.

But now Charlotte has joined the VPR News staff and she'll have expanded responsibilities. Charlotte will continue to cover the Kingdom from her home in Lyndonville. But she'll also cover the Upper Valley, up and down both sides of the Connecticut River from Windsor County north.

Charlotte has a long history in public broadcasting. She worked at the Maine Public Broadcasting Network for 15 years where she was host and producer of MPBN's weekly public affairs television program, MaineWatch.

When she moved to Vermont in 2006, Charlotte produced features, stories and series for VPR News while teaching journalism at Lyndon State. She'll be teaching a reduced course load at Lyndon while she expands her reporting from the Upper Valley and the Northeast Kingdom.

If you've got a story that you think Charlotte should know about, please be sure to send her an email. Charlotte will be based at VPR's studio in Norwich.

The Met And Mimosas

2012-01-09T12:50:00.005-05:00

We love the opera on VPR Classical. And with the Met’s radio and HD broadcast season in full swing, VPR is doing something else we love: having a party.

Join me for food, drink, and conversation with VPR and other Met in HD ticket holders on Sunday, January 22nd at 11 a.m. at the Top of the Hop, before the HD broadcast of the Met’s exciting new production, “The Enchanted Island.”

What a broadcast it will be, too! Combine two Shakespearean plays with the operatic music of several Baroque composers and the flawless technical and artistic prowess of the Met, and you have a recipe for a very “enchanting” afternoon! It will be a truly unique experience and I hope to see you there! Click here for more information.

- Joe Goetz, VPR Classical Host

George's Best Jazz of 2011 - A Start

2012-01-03T20:02:00.008-05:00

Here's my list, in random order, of great jazz from 2011, which could have been three times as long! I'd love to add your favorites to the list. What's moved you in jazz in the past year?

Will Patton - "Flow" - www.wpatton.com
Vermont mandolinist plays jazz, Brazilian, jazzgrass & musette musics.

Terell Stafford – “This Side Of Strayhorn” – MaxJazz
Trumpeter tackles Billy Strayhorn – both win.

David Murray Cuban Ensemble – “Plays Nat King Cole En Espanol” – Motema
Tenor sax player does Nat King Cole ala Cuban – everyone dances.

Aurora Nealand – “The Royal Roses” – www. Auroranealand.com
Young soprano sax player in live Preservation Hall Sidney Bechet tribute.

3 Cohens – “Family” – Anzic Records
Anat, Yuval & Avishai with guest vocalist Jon Hendricks in spirited arrangements of old and new classics.

Christian McBride – “Conversations With Christian” – Mack Avenue
One album of duets with “It’s Your Thing” shinning above all other songs

Christian McBride Big Band – “The Good Feeling” – Mack Avenue
And one spirited Big Band. Two sides of a great bass player.

Enrico Rava Quintet – “Tribe” – ECM
Italian trumpeter at his peak with superb ensemble.

James Carter Organ Trio –“At The Crossroads” - EmArcy
Gritty alto & organ, sweat drippin’ fatback. Very danceable.

Les Doigts De L’ Homme – “1910” – Alma Records
Of all the Django-style groups out there this French quartet has IT.

Roswell Rudd – “The Incredible Honk” – Sunnyside
Duets, ensembles all held together with humor and raw sound.

Monty Alexander – “Uplift” – Jazz Legacy Productions
Monty Alexander - “Harlem-Kingston Express” – Motema
Jamaican pianist swinging hard through standards & Marley too.

Rene Marie – “Black Lace Freudian Slip” Motema
Rene Marie - “Voice Of My Beautiful Country” – Motema
One album of standards and one of her own steamy songs. Guess which is which.

Fred Hersch - “Alone At The Vanguard” – Palmetto
Never still, always quiet, Fred rules the Bill Evans school of solo piano.

Karrin Allyson – “’Round Midnight” – Concord Jazz
The height of this pianist/vocalist’s career, esp. the title duet.

Etienne Charles – “Kaiso” – Culture Shock
A trumpeter brings Calypso back to Bebop.

Marcin Wasilewski Trio – “Faithful” – ECM
A perfect ECM Polish piano trio – melodic and full of joyous space.

Alan Pasqua – “Twin Bill” – BFM
A tribute to another pianist, Bill Evans’s overdubbing duet pianos.

Terri Lyne Carrington – “The Mosaic Project” – Concord Jazz
Simply the greatest (and most successful) gathering of young female jazz players and vocalists ever put together.

Sonny Rollins – “Road Shows, Vol. 2” – Doxy
Live recordings of greatest living jazz tenor player . Hell -"greatest jazz musician" - period.

Vijay Iyer, Prasanna, Nitin Mitta – “Tirtha” – Act
Indian trio of piano, guitar & Indian percussion.

Michael Dease – “Grace” – Jazz Legacy Productions
Great straight-ahead trombone with guests to die for.

Eric Reed – “The Dancing Monk” –Savant
One of the most thoughtful, and swinging, Thelonious Monk trios.

Joe Lovano/Us Five – “Bird Songs” – Blue Note
Charlie Parker tunes done by a master with Esperanza Spalding, James Weidman and two drummer/percussionists.

Ambrose Akinmusire – “When The Heart Emerges Glistening” – Blue Note
Best CD title, best cover, trumpet with Gerald Clayton on piano.

Donald Harrison, Ron Carter, Billy Cobham – “This Is Jazz” – HalfNote
Alto sax, bass & drums soaked in New Orleans, live.

Gretchen Parlato – “The Lost And Found” – ObliqSound 113
Distinctive vocals, sound & Taylor Eigsti on piano.

Sophie Milman – “In The Moonlight” – EOne
Great vocalist in her prime, mostly standards.

Steven Bernstein's Millennial Territory Orchestra - "MTO Plays Sly" - The Royal Potato Family
Extraordinary gathering of jazz players & others with a tribute to Sly & The Family Stone

Iowa & New Hampshire on VPR News

2012-01-02T20:00:00.002-05:00

As the presidential election season intensifies, you can count on VPR to bring you ongoing coverage of the candidate selection process.

Listen January 3rd at 9pm for NPR's special coverage of the Iowa Caucuses. Since 1972, the Iowa Caucuses have been the first major electoral event of the nominating process for President.

NPR's coverage will include candidate speeches, newsmaker interviews and, and expert analysis from NPR Contributors. This special broadcast will run from 9pm till 11pm - later if necessary.

On Tuesday the 10th, VPR News brings you comprehensive coverage of the New Hampshire Primaries from New Hampshire Public Radio. NHPR has many years experience covering the Primary from all corners of the Granite State. For the first time, NHPR is making their broadcast available to other stations. Host Laura Knoy is joined by NPR's political analyst Ken Rudin and a team of journalists throughout the state. Listen from 8pm till 10pm when VPR will pick up NPR's special coverage till 11 - or later if necessary.

All The Traditions Moving To Sunday Evenings

2012-01-01T13:00:00.002-05:00

A note from All The Traditions Host Robert Resnik:

Happy New Year! I wanted to let you in on some exciting news that I announced on All The Traditions today: beginning next Sunday, January 8th, we’ll be moving our weekly kitchen party to Sunday evenings from 7-10 p.m.!

In the 40-plus years that I have been hosting radio programs in our area, this is the very first time that I have ever had an evening show! The show will continue to feature the best folk music from Vermont and around the world, plus live performances and my weekly calendar of upcoming concerts and events. Plus, the new time may also provide opportunities to add some occasional live performances by local and touring musicians.

I hope you’ll join me for this new adventure! You can read more about the other changes to VPR’s Sunday schedule here.

Best wishes for a happy and musical new year!

Robert Resnik

The New Sound Of Sundays

2012-01-01T12:59:00.004-05:00

Sundays on VPR will have a new lineup beginning next weekend, featuring a new program and additional hours and times for some of your favorites.

We’re adding The State We’re In on Sunday mornings 6 a.m. The program features first-person stories from around the world about how we treat each other. Then, after On Being at 7 a.m., enjoy an additional hour of Weekend Edition Sunday from 8-11 a.m., followed by A Prairie Home Companion from 11 a.m. - 1 p.m.

At 1 p.m., enjoy a rebroadcast of Saturday morning favorite Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me, followed at 2 p.m. by This American Life. At 3 p.m., you’ll hear Fresh Air Weekend, a collection of the best recent arts and culture interviews, and then On The Media at 4 p.m., All Things Considered at 5 p.m., and Says You at 6 p.m.

Robert Resnik’s All The Traditions folk music program will move to evenings from 7-10 p.m. And at 10 p.m., round out the evening with the second hour of To The Best of Our Knowledge (the first hour airs on Saturdays at 2 p.m.)

We’re also making one addition to our Saturday schedule: you can now hear A Way With Words Saturday mornings at 6 a.m.

We hope you’ll check out the new sound of Sundays on VPR and let us know what you think!

***************************************

Update for 1/10/12:

Thanks to everyone who has provided feedback about VPR’s new Sunday program lineup. Hearing your comments reminds us how important a responsibility we have to our listeners and supporters. It’s a responsibility we take very seriously, and while we know that we’ll never be able to get it exactly right for everyone, we carefully consider any change in programming and these adjustments were made after much deliberation.

We wanted to update this post to answer a few of the questions we’ve been asked over the last week.

Why move All The Traditions to evenings?

Our goal with this change was to provide listeners with a consistent experience seven days a week, with news and information during the day, music in the evening and overnight news with the BBC. All The Traditions is a Sunday fixture on VPR, and we felt that moving the program to evenings would coincide with the time of day when listeners can unwind and enjoy music, while reinforcing our commitment to locally-hosted music by making it available every night of the week. While not everyone has embraced the new time of day yet, a few listener comments from yesterday included:

"I am so thrilled to have the program with me n Sunday evening! The only

problem is that I had to forfeit Masterpiece Theater on Public television, as I was enjoying your program too much to turn on the tele(vision)."

"Congratulations on your evening program. It started out with a bang...Dylan rocks! Please bring back the blues. We were dancing in the kitchen and enjoying a look back to "the good 'ole days" as you said. We appreciate your program and will be listening to every program."

Why are Living On Earth, Selected Shorts, and Studio 360 no longer part of VPR’s Sunday schedule?

These programs were a part of the VPR News schedule for many years, but unfortunately, they didn’t gain a lot of traction with listeners. At the same time, environmental and arts reporting, as well as storytelling, has become widely available in other programs that we carry. As a result, we decided to try something new by providing music programming on Sunday evenings as we do Monday through Saturday.

You can listen to or download these shows online:

Living On Earth

Selected Shorts

Studio 360

Why are you rebroadcasting programs like Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me and Fresh Air?

These programs are some of the most popular programs on VPR, and we wanted to provide an additional opportunity for people to access them.

How does VPR make programming decisions?

As a statewide public radio network, it’s a challenge to provide the right programming lineup for every listeners - impossible, in fact. However, we are constantly monitoring our programs and our public radio colleagues around the country to make sure we are serving our audience as a whole in the best possible way.

We make programming decisions based on a number of factors: listener feedback, our Community Forum, audience data, and the experiences of other public radio stations.

While VPR has one of the highest rates of listening, per capita, in the country, Sunday listening to VPR has always been relatively low compared to stations of similar size. In our research of those stations, we discovered that all of them reserved the weekend evening hours for music, but maintained a daytime schedule of news, information, humor and lifestyle programming. That is the primary factor that led us to decide to try this new lineup.

While the transition to the new schedule may jolt some of our listeners, we truly believe that over time, the new programming line-up will attract more listeners and prove to be a satisfying mix for a majority of those who tune in. Again, we realize that we'll never get it just right for everyone, but I want to assure you that we're doing everything we can to make sure we're serving as many listeners as possible, in the best possible way.

We hope you will stay tuned and thank you for your support and loyalty.

First Night in Vermont

2011-12-29T09:26:00.004-05:00

Ring in the new year with music, poetry, crafts and all sorts of merriment for the whole family! VPR is collaborating with First Night festivities across the state.
Here are a list of websites for First Night Celebrations in Vermont.

Burlington
Montpelier
Saint Johnsbury

From all of us at VPR - Happy New Year!

Help Us Start The New Year Strong

2011-12-28T07:30:00.001-05:00

Vermont Public Radio strives to bring you programming that connects you with your community. The programming respects your intelligence and sparks new ideas and conversations.

You and other caring members of our community provide the financial support that makes Vermont Public Radio such an important and independent voice in the region.

Your year-end contribution today helps ensure the bright future of YOUR public radio station.

Your support is vital: Last year, contributions from our members made up nearly half of our annual budget! Please make your year-end gift online, send your check by mail to the address below, or phone in your gift at 1-800-639-6391.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit, gifts to Vermont Public Radio received by December 31st will qualify for the 2011 tax benefit on your tax forms.

Thank you so much, and all the best to you in the new year.

Download Favor Johnson And A Pair Of (Good) Fruitcake Recipes

2011-12-19T10:05:00.001-05:00

Commentator Willem Lange’s story “Favor Johnson” has been a holiday tradition on Vermont Public Radio for more than a decade. It’s the heart-warming story of a Vermont farmer, his dog Hercules, homemade fruitcake, and the real spirit of Christmas.

You can hear “Favor Johnson” on VPR this Saturday, December 24th at 9:20 a.m., or you can download the story here to enjoy with your family whenever you like.

And, because we just know the tale will whet your appetite for fruitcake, we’ve provided a pair of (good, we promise!) fruitcake recipes; this one from our own Ty Robertson and Chef Jean-Yves Vendeville of the New England Culinary Institute.

You’ll find our full holiday programming schedule online here.

Finally, because VPR is your constant companion during the holidays and throughout the year, I hope you’ll make a year-end gift to VPR today. Your contribution will insure another great year of in-depth news, stories, and music on VPR and VPR Classical.

Thank you so much for listening and for your support.

A Message From VPR President Robin Turnau

2011-12-14T10:34:00.001-05:00

2011 has been quite a year! On behalf of all of us at Vermont Public Radio, I just wanted to say thank you for listening to and supporting VPR.   

In my 2011 President’s Letter, I share some of the accomplishments that listener support made possible over the past year, including:

Unprecedented news coverage after Tropical Storm Irene

The launch of VPR’s Public Post

More than 50 live performances and interviews on VPR Classica l

Click here to read the full letter.

  At a time when newsrooms are shrinking and classical music is disappearing from the radio, Vermont Public Radio is more essential and relevant than ever. These achievements could not have been possible without the support of our listeners.

Please make your year-end gift to Vermont Public Radio today to pay for another great year of news, music, and community service.

 Thanks for all you do for your public radio station. I wish you the best for the season and all of us at Vermont Public Radio look forward to serving you and your community in 2012.

George Thomas Remembers Dave Sanjek

2011-12-12T14:19:00.011-05:00

A friend died recently who was directly responsible for my start & style in radio. Dave Sanjek was on WCNI in the fall of 1972 at Connecticut College For Women (the year the school went co-ed) doing a jazz radio show. He was playing absolutely amazing selections but talking for what seemed like a half hour between each cut. I called him up at the station and said something to the effect of, “you're playing great music, man, but you talk too much." He got off the air at the end of his show, asked around and found out who I was and showed up at my dorm room with a stack of LPs under his arm.

We started listening to what was, at the time, very rare jazz, delicious stuff, and then he noticed the photos all over my walls from The Farm & Wilderness Camps in Vermont where I had been a camp counselor that summer . It was an instant trade. He found the summer camps of his dreams, I got a start in radio and a lifetime education in music: jazz, Holy Modal Rounders, Dave Van Ronk, on and on. We also shared a love of poetry. He gave me Living/Dying by Cid Corman and Hayden Carruth's great poetry anthology The Voice That Is Great Within Us.

In my 39th year of radio, I think of him every show I do. Thank you Dave for all of it: the 20 page catch-up letters with writing so dense you could walk on it; your dad’s record collection; your mother’s exquisite Chinese cooking; the joy of an obscure movie. You shared it all. I miss you terribly. And yes, Oliver Nelson’s solos on Blues And The Abstract Truth were the best.

Locally-Made Tables For VPR's Conference Room

2011-12-08T16:42:00.004-05:00

VPR is a proud member of the VBSR Marketplace, a program of Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility and Vermont Sustainable Exchange. The VBSR Marketplace is an online business-to-business e-commerce and online payment system. We've been using the Marketplace for more than a year now to help keep our costs down while working with local, socially-responsible businesses.

When we were recently looking for tables for our conference room, we found the Vermont Woodworking School and Rachel Brydolf-Horwitz, who is a big VPR fan and wanted to craft our tables as her final project. The tables, made of solid maple, arrived today - and they are gorgeous. Thanks so much, Rachel, and to the VBSR Marketplace for helping us find each other!

Love For Love

2011-12-08T09:29:00.005-05:00

Who loves Darlene Love more than My Place Host Joel Najman? Probably no one. His devotion to her as a performer goes back all the way to the beginning. And his cover story for this week's Seven Days is testament to that love of Love. You can read the whole article here.

And if you have your tickets for her concert "Love for the Holidays" on December 14th at the Flynn Center be sure to get there early for Joel's pre-concert talk at 6 p.m. in the Hoehl Studio Lab on the 3rd floor.

Vermont Public Radio is a proud media sponsor for this event. Don't have tickets yet? Da Do Ron Ron over to flynntix.org to get them now!

VPR News Special Calculates “The Irene Effect”

2011-12-07T09:54:00.004-05:00

From Senior Reporter Steve Zind:

Just below me on my Braintree road, there’s a strip of land where a neighbor’s house stood before being destroyed in Tropical Storm Irene. For me that spot, empty but for some scattered household belongings, is a daily reminder of the incredible loss some Vermonters experienced in the storm and how, months afterward, many people are still living with the devastating floods of August 28th.

That ongoing struggle is one of the messages of “The Irene Effect” airing on VPR next Wednesday, December 14th at noon and 7 p.m. Producer Lynne McCrea and I have been visiting individuals and communities changed by the storm and we’ve been listening to the dozens of stories VPR reporters have done in the past several months, tallying the effects and the lessons of Irene.

“The Irene Effect” tells many stories: The young couple whose lost farm can’t be replaced, a mother who found the strength to speak out on behalf of mobile home owners after her own home was inundated, and a community that discovered it could take care of its own when Irene cut it off from the outside world.

We also take you out on our roads and rivers, to see how they’ve been rebuilt and reshaped, and find out if we’re better protected from future storms.

“The Irene Effect” takes stock of where Vermont stands nearly four months after the historic flood. I hope you can check it out Wednesday, December 14th at noon and 7 p.m. on VPR, Saturday December 17th at 4 p.m., Wednesday the 28th at 9 a.m., and online at VPR.net.

Photo Credits: AP/Tony Talbot,

The Boston Symphony Orchestra Comes To VPR Classical

2011-12-05T10:00:00.002-05:00

VPR Classical will take you to Boston's Symphony Hall on Sunday afternoons. One of the world's great orchestras begins a new broadcast series and VPR Classical is one of only a handful of stations in the country to bring it to you.

Listen Sunday afternoon at one for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, followed at three by Performance Today Weekend.

Ron Della Chiesa is your host for the 60th Anniversary Season of the BSO from WGBH in Boston. Founded in 1881, the BSO is one of America’s “Big Five” orchestras, performing at Boston’s Symphony Hall and, during the summer months, at the Tanglewood Music Center.

Thanks to WGBH and Classical New England for partnering with Vermont Public Radio to bring these live performances to VPR Classical listeners. You’ll hear emerging and established guest conductors, extraordinary soloists and enduring repertoire.

Listen for the Boston Symphony Orchestra Sundays at 1 on VPR Classical. This week, Jonathan Biss is the soloist in Beethoven's Piano Concerto No.4.

At 3 0'clock, hear Performance Today Weekend with Fred Child. Performance Today features performances from around the world as well as interviews and classical music news. Listen weekdays 1-3pm and now, Sundays at 3.

The Met On VPR Classical

2011-12-02T06:00:00.001-05:00

The Metropolitan Opera's 81st radio broadcast season gets underway this Saturday at half past noon with Handel's Rodelinda, featuring soprano Renee Fleming.

The season continues with an exciting production of Gounod's Faust, with tenor Jonas Kaufmann in the title role. He knocked us out last season as Siegmund in Wagner's Die Walkure, which he'll do again in April. Wagner fans have Gotterdammerung and Siegfried to look forward to in February and April, as well.

On December 17, Popular Italian repertory begins with Puccini's Madama Butterfly, conducted by Placido Domingo. New Hampshire native Patricia Racette will be Puccini's Tosca on January 28.

Join us for the Met every Saturday on VPR Classical. The majority of programs start at 1, right after A Passion for Opera with Peter Fox Smith. Click here for details. And for information about where to see The Metropolitan Opera live in HD at a local theatre, click here.

Photo:
Patricia Racette as Tosca stands over the fallen Scarpia in Puccini's "Tosca."
Cory Weaver/Metropolitan Opera (c) 2010

Special Programming This Week

2011-11-21T11:40:00.006-05:00

Best wishes from all of us at VPR for your Thanksgiving Holiday. We're grateful to everyone in the VPR community - our listeners, friends, business partners and volunteers - for helping us bring you great public radio every day.

VPR and VPR Classical have some special programming to listen to while you're shopping, chopping, washing dishes and relaxing:

VPR:

Wednesday at Noon: Counting Vermont, a VPR Documentary examining the meaning of the 2010 Census. Counting Vermont is made possible by The VPR Journalism Fund. (Vermont Edition returns Friday at noon)

7pm: The Moth Radio Hour. A special broadcast of "true stories told live with no notes."

Thursday 11am -1pm: Turkey Confidential with Lynne Rosetta Casper, a two hour live call-in program. Lynne offers solutions for your Thanksgiving dilemmas, along with recipes and great conversation. Call (800) 537-5252.

7pm: The Hidden World of Girls, hosted by Tina Fey. The first in a two part series about girls around the world and the women they become. Listen Friday at 7 for hour 2.

Friday at 7pm: The Hidden World of Girls, Hour 2.

VPR Classical:
Thursday at noon: Thanksgiving with Cantus. Join one of America's best male vocal ensembles for an hour of singing and story telling about gratitude.

8pm-10pm: Giving Thanks with John Birge, a Celebration of Fall, Food and Gratitude. John Birge is joined this year by authors Nora Ephron and Roy Blount, Jr. Hear the premiere of "Table Grace", Matthew Brown's choral setting of a grace by Garrison Keillor, sung by VocalEssence.

Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me On TV

2011-11-17T15:45:00.004-05:00

You can see Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me on BBC America Friday, December 23rd. In this special NPR/BBC collaboration, Peter Segal, Carl Kasell and a panel of US and UK talent will lead us through a “2011 Year in Review” with perspectives from both sides of the pond.

Doug Berman, creator and benevolent overlord of NPR’s Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me! and Car Talk, says: “It’s going to be pretty much what we do every week, except NPR has to add a budget line for pants.”

Host Peter Sagal says: “This is terrific, because I always assumed that the only way I could get on the BBC would be to have David Attenborough narrate my mating rituals. Glad this happened instead.”

The show will air Friday, December 23rd at 8pm on BBC America. You’ll hear the radio version Saturday the 24th at 11.

Does this mean a weekly Wait Wait.... Don't Tell Me TV program is in the works? In a recent New York Times article, Sagal said, “No comment. (I’ve always wanted to say that to The New York Times.)”

©2004 NPR Photo by Tony Nagelmann

'Counting Vermont:' Documenting The State's Changing Population

2011-11-14T12:14:00.001-05:00

VPR News has been poring through the 2010 Census, and a portrait of settlement patterns has emerged.

One ummistakable conclusion is that a lot more people live in Burlington and the necklace of towns around the city. More and more, northwestern Vermont has become the center of the state’s population.

But what does that mean for the rest of the state? We take a look at that and other questions in a documentary, “Counting Vermont,” which airs on Saturday at 4 p.m.

The short answer is that Burlington’s gain is not necessarily a loss for other parts of the state.

Population in some of the state’s other traditional centers has declined in some cases. And in other places population has not kept up with statewide growth. But those communities are still vital, inviting places.

Increasingly, access to broadband computer hookups is allowing towns large and small to hold their own. In “Counting Vermont,” we’ll meet Carmen Tedesco. She lives in Huntington and works for a firm in Washington, D.C. She commutes via her computer.

Experts tell us that such technological advances allow Vermont, and its many small towns, to compete in the 21st century even at a time when our population is growing much more slowly than other parts of the country.

Steve Delaney hosts “Counting Vermont” on Saturday at 4.

The Race For Burlington Mayor

2011-11-11T15:25:00.003-05:00

Burlington voters will elect a mayor on Town Meeting Day in March. Before they do, VPR is looking at the candidates who are currently in the running.

The Progressive Party has held the mayor’s office for 28 of the past 30 years. In the wake of the Burlington Telecom, scandal both the Democratic and Republican parties say it’s time for a change.

The field of candidates is crowded with politicians promising to restore trust and increase transparency. With four candidates, it's a wide-open race for the Democratic mayoral nomination. The Democrats caucus on Sunday, November 13th. In partnership with CCTV.org, you can stream that video here beginning at 1 p.m.

Our Newest VPR Classical Fan

2011-11-10T14:13:00.004-05:00

Caroline Anderson is only two and half weeks old, but she's been listening to VPR Classical for months. Congratulations to Karen and Seth Anderson! Karen is Traffic Specialist in VPR's Operations Department.

Caroline is a proud Walter Parker and Joe Goetz groupie.

Going To Bat For Vermont Farmers

2011-11-09T17:04:00.005-05:00

VPR Classical host, and fan of the World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, Walter Parker is preparing to attend Saturday's Going to Bat for Vermont Farmers benefit at Vermont Technical College in Randolph.

Some of the best minds in baseball will be at the November 12th Roundtable event. Former Red Sox GM and new Chicago Cubs President Theo Epstein will join Yankees General Manager Brian Cashman and Pirates General Manager Neal Huntington for a discussion that includes a question-and-answer session with the audience about their teams, their sport, and off-season plans.

All proceeds will go to the Vermont Community Foundation Farm Disaster Relief Fund.

Listen to Mitch Wertlieb's interview with baseball writer Buster Olney, who grew up on a farm in Randolph.

You can purchase tickets through the Flynn Box Office. When you go, say hi to Walter!

National EAS Test Wednesday

2011-11-04T06:00:00.001-04:00

The first nationwide test of the Emergency Alert System (EAS) will be held Wednesday, November 9th at 2pm.

The test is being conducted by the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and will be broadcast on all radio and TV stations. It will be less than a minute long and sound very much like the EAS tests you hear regularly on VPR and VPR Classical.

This Nationwide EAS Test will help the federal government and EAS participants determine the reliability of the system and its effectiveness in notifying the public of emergencies and potential dangers nationally and regionally.

FEMA encourages everyone to have an emergency preparedness kit and have emergency plans for themselves, their families, communities and businesses.

Visit Ready.gov for more information about how to prepare for and stay informed in the event of an actual emergency: Prepare. Plan. Stay Informed.

BirdNote - A New Feature On VPR

2011-11-02T05:00:00.001-04:00

VPR's Vermont Garden Journal with Charlie Nardozzi has concluded for the season, and it's time to put out the bird feeders.

Beginning Saturday, you can listen to and learn about the intriguing ways of birds on VPR. Listen for BirdNote, a new feature Saturday mornings at 8:57.

From New England to the tropics, migration patterns to mating rituals, BirdNote brings you into the world of nature. You'll also hear the featured bird each week, so don't be surprised if your cat runs for the radio on Saturday mornings!

This is a 'test run' of BirdNote, so please let us know what you think.

No Spooky Cliches

2011-10-28T15:01:00.006-04:00

We've been eating candy corn all week at our Colchester Studios. There are orange bits stuck in our teeth, but the sugar buzz has certainly boosted productivity!

We'll spare you great classic lines such as "VPR is Scaring Up Some Spooky Tricks And Treats For Your Halloween Weekend". Just the facts, ma'am:

Saturday at 8pm: Joel Najman invites you to a Halloween Party of new and known classics on My Place. Do you remember the words to Monster Mash?

Sunday 1-4: 50 Hillbillies in a Haunted House! Robert Resnik previews live music throughout the region on All the Traditions.

Monday 9am - 7pm: Walter Parker and Joe Goetz reveal their dark side on VPR Classical. By the way, if you missed Naomi Lewin's annual Dracula performance on Classics for Kids, you can listen here.

Monday 6pm: Capitol Steps Halloween Edition. Did you know The Capitol Steps bond rating is higher than the US Government? Enjoy music and comedic relief from the headlines.

Monday 8pm: Radiolab takes us to the front lines of War of the Worlds. A fascinating analysis of what really happened during the iconic broadcast. This special edition of Radiolab was recorded live at the Fitzgerald Theater in Saint Paul. (The World returns Tuesday evening)

Monday 9pm: Turn off the porch light and and enjoy the rest of the evening listening to Jazz with George Thomas. George always surprises us with his holiday selections. requests!

Best wishes for a fun and safe Halloween from all of us at VPR.

Where's The VPR Android App?

2011-10-24T14:09:00.001-04:00

We knew when we launched the VPR iPhone App the first question we'd receive from listeners would be "what about the Android?" Well, you haven't disappointed. On Facebook, Twitter, email, and in person, listeners have asked why we launched an iPhone App but no equivalent Android App.

Since this is our first mobile App, we wanted to choose just one platform (iOS or Android), go through the process, learn a lot of lessons (about the audience, supporting the App, the expense, etc.), and then expand from there. To us, it made more sense to achieve success with one App before trying to support multiple Apps. After all, it's not just about developing and launching the App: once it's launched, it must be fixed when there are issues, updated when there are changes to the OS, and enhanced with new features as listeners' habits and expectations evolve. It's an ongoing commitment and service, not just a one-and-done build.

So why the iPhone, especially when there are more Android smartphones on the market than iPhones? The first reason is that we've received more requests from iPhone users than Droid users, and our web-analytics back this up: we have more visitors using iOS devices (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) than we do using Android (or Blackberry). It's true that Android is growing fast and has more users, but our web metrics and requests from listeners still pointed us to the iOS.

The other factor is that because Android is open, it's used by many manufacturers, each with their own modified versions. We've learned from other stations and App developers that it's a real challenge to keep up with the differences among all these permutations. It's not impossible, of course, it's just more of a challenge. iOS is not open and is controlled closely by Apple, which isn't great for a lot of reasons, but it does make iOS a lot more stable and straightforward to develop for and support.

The VPR iPhone App was developed with our partners at PRX, the outfit behind many other public radio Apps. In May they blogged about "Why There's No Public Radio Player For Android Yet", any many of our arguments echo theirs. That post is definitely worth a read.

We will continue to expand our mobile offerings and we are talking to PRX about developing a Droid App as well. In the meantime, the NPR Android App provides a great way to stream VPR and VPR Classical on your Android smartphone.

Thanks for listening. If you've tried the VPR iPhone App, or if want a VPR Droid App, we'd love to hear from you.

Lisa Simeone And Activism (Updated)

2011-10-21T14:44:00.004-04:00

Several listeners have asked VPR for more information on the stories in the news this week about the NPR-distributed World of Opera program and its host Lisa Simeone. VPR does not broadcast World of Opera because we have our own locally-produced program with Peter Fox Smith. VPR also carries opera broadcasts from the WFMT network.

Earlier this week, Lisa Simeone came under scrutiny as an organizer of the Occupy D.C. movement. Her program, produced by WDAV in North Carolina, is distributed by NPR to more than 30 radio stations across the country. Simeone was also host of the documentary program, Soundprint, which is also not part of the VPR lineup. VPR Classical does broadcast the Chicago Symphony on Thursday evenings, which is hosted by Simeone.

There have been inaccuracies in the reporting of this story. First, Simeone continues in her position as host of World of Opera, a decision made solely by WDAV. Also, NPR had no role in the decision made by the managers of Soundprint to end its relationship with Simeone as the program's host, nor did NPR have contact with the management of the program prior to their decision.

NPR maintains a strict code of ethics to maintain its integrity as a news organization. Many stations and independent producers, including VPR and the producers of Soundprint, have adopted NPR's code of ethics or adopted their own to preserve neutrality and trust in the news. To provide transparency, the codes are public and widely distributed.

The NPR code has a restriction on participating in political activities because it’s a news network and needs to remain neutral. The debate is whether the same ethics should apply to Simeone, who is a freelance host. Do all distributed programs, regardless of their content, reflect on a network’s identity? If a group of hosts were involved in political activities of one kind or another, would listeners begin to associate those politics with the network?

Update: On Friday, we learned that NPR has decided to cease distribution of World of Opera. However, the program's distribution will be handled by WDAV, the station that produces the show. On their blog, WDAV assures that listeners to the over 60 stations that broadcast World of Opera, will not experience any interruption of the program. Here are the details from the story on NPR's news blog, The Two-Way:

Dana Davis Rehm, senior vice president for communications for NPR, said the decision to change the arrangement came "from different views about the role of a program host." She said NPR believes hosts "represent NPR regardless of the type of program they host." As such, they are barred from any political activity.

Although Lisa Simeone is not an NPR employee, NPR has taken the position that hosts of any programs they produce or distribute are highly visible public figures that by default, serve as representatives of NPR. As such, these hosts cannot serve as both the voice of that program and the voice of an activist movement without jeopardizing the trust listeners put in NPR to serve as an impartial provider of news and information.

It’s an important and complicated discussion, and we welcome your thoughts and comments. To make comments directly to NPR, please call 202-513-3232, or send an email by going to NPR.org.

Bob Kinzel and The Barn Band Release "The Spirit Of Vermont"

2011-10-20T15:51:00.005-04:00

You know VPR Reporter Bob Kinzel for his outstanding coverage of the Statehouse and Vermont's political scene. But did you know that he's also an accomplished musician? His band, The Barn Band, recently released an original song to raise money for Irene recovery. Jane Lindholm spoke with Bob about the song on today's Vermont Edition. Check out the full video of "The Spirit of Vermont" and its lyrics below.

The Spirit of Vermont

Mother Nature
Do what you want
You can’t break
The spirit of Vermont.

Try anything,
Take your best shot,
You can’t break
The spirit of Vermont.

Big rains came
Flooded our land,
We joined together,
We took a stand.

Folks in Waterbury,
All gathered round,
Went door to door,
Rebuilding the town.

CHORUS

Roads got washed out,
Soon it was clear,
Rochester to Rutland,
You can’t get there from here.

Some folks lost all,
But all lent a hand,
From mucking the floors
To clearing the land.

CHORUS

Now the sun is shining
There’s lots to be done,
Down in Wilmington,
It’s already begun.

We’ll end up stronger
Than we did at the start,
We helped each other,
With our hands and our hearts.

CHORUS

Do You Listen To VPR In The Shower?

2011-10-19T03:23:00.001-04:00

Sing along to the Morning Edition theme music? Do a victory dance when the Eye on the Sky forecast is for sunshine? It's okay - so do we. Then we wondered what would happen if VPR literally was with you in the morning - check out this video below!

This morning we're giving away 20 Sangean waterproof radios so you can listen in the shower and never miss a minute of VPR or VPR Classical - all you have to do is make a pledge to be entered to win. Thanks!

Book Suggestions From This Morning's Membership Drive

2011-10-18T09:26:00.003-04:00

I was up early this morning with Mitch Wertlieb, Jonathan Butler, and Peter Biello asking our loyal listeners to support VPR with a financial contribution. To sweeten the deal, we were giving away a $1,000 gift certificate to Northshire Bookstore at 9 a.m.

It didn't take long for us to begin making recommendations for books the lucky winner could buy when he or she won the drawing - and congratulations to Margaret A. Johnson of Hanover, NH, who is the winner!

If you didn't win, no worries - there are more drawings ahead this week. Below is a list of the books we recommended this morning. Enjoy!

Busy Monsters, William Giraldi
American Gods, Neil Gaiman
The Art of Fielding, Chad Harbach
River Town, Peter Hessler
The Book Thief, Marcus Zusak
Splendid Table How to Eat Weekends, Lynne Rosetto Kasper
Freedom, Jonathan Franzen
Born to Run, Christopher McDougall

Public Post: Issues That Matter In Your Community

2011-10-14T09:06:00.000-04:00

More than a month after many Vermont communities were torn apart by Tropical Storm Irene, a natural disaster that demonstrated the need for quality, local journalism, VPR is upgrading its new online service Public Post.

This service provides a new way to glean the inner workings of a city or town with online access to government minutes. Since Public Post launched in August, VPR’s reporting from those primary sources has unearthed a number of stories – from the dredging of a river in Middlebury to efforts in Richmond and other communities to expedite building permitting.

VPR’s Public Post presents digital versions of the latest minutes from more than 50 cities and towns, displaying them across the top of the page. While the new website surfaces those stories from the minutes, it also gives nearly equal weight to what we’re calling “Your Reports,” listener comments and announcements.

Browse the minutes, read and listen to our stories on Public Post, and join the discussion: Engage with the broader Vermont community at vpr.net/publicpost, or message us on Facebook or Twitter. Want to post the records from your council and select board? Send us an email at PublicPost@vpr.net.

Vermont Public Radio is committed to the local government beat, and we hope this new version of Public Post reflects that pledge. We hope you will participate in Public Post online or simply by reading and listening. Thank you for your civic engagement, unbridled enthusiasm and continued support.

Kirk Carapezza
Online Editor/Reporter

Announcing The Moth in Vermont Lineup

2011-10-13T11:05:00.007-04:00

Just a little over a week until The Moth Mainstage makes its debut in Vermont! We can't wait to see The Moth’s signature true stories told live without notes to Burlington’s Flynn Center on October 22. You can get your tickets online here!

The theme of the night will be "Building A Bridge: Stories from Both Sides.” Our lineup features Vermonter and Wait, Wait...Don't Tell Me regular Tom Bodett, Vermont author Jamaica Kincaid, Moth regulars Brian Finkelstein and Boris Timanovsky, and filmmaker Ellie Lee. Check out a story by Boris below!

Our host will be comedian Rudy R ush, who has appeared with Dave Chapelle and Martin Lawrence, and on The Late Show with David Letterman and Def Comedy Jam.

Plus, The Moth Radio Hour returns to VPR with five new episodes this Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m.

VPR and PH International want to thank our generous sponsors for this event (at left). See you at the Flynn on the 22nd!

VPR Receives Three National Edward R. Murrow Awards

2011-10-12T13:55:00.006-04:00

Vermont Public Radio was honored with three national Edward R. Murrow Awards for its news coverage Monday evening at the Radio Television Digital News Association dinner in New York. John Van Hoesen, VPR's vice president of news and programming, and Senior Reporter Steve Zind attended the event. Steve sent along his thoughts about the evening:

Monday’s drive south took us through some beautiful peak foliage in Windham County and Western Massachusetts – quite a contrast to the view of warehouses that dominated the last leg of the trip on the train ride into the city. This was the 41st year of the Murrow Awards and 62 different news organizations were honored, from local radio and television stations to national networks and worldwide news services. As each award was presented, an audio sampling of the winning entry was played. It was fascinating to hear the range of stories and get a sense of the issues in play in other parts of the country. VPR’s three awards were for best documentary, best use of sound and writing.

A highlight of the evening for me was seeing former CBS reporter Richard C. Hottelet receive a distinguished service award. He’s someone I remember from childhood. Hottelet, who’s 93, worked with Murrow and covered WWII, providing the first eyewitness reports of the Normandy landing. He received a standing ovation when he went to the podium. When there was a problem playing audio from one of his old reports, he quipped, “Oh, it wasn’t that good, anyway.”

I sat next to NPR’s Boston-based reporter Chris Arnold, whose coverage of the home foreclosure mess was an award winner. It was interesting to talk with him about stories he’s working on. It was really an honor to be in the company of so many dedicated news people from old veterans like Richard Hottelet to young reporters like Chris who are so enthusiastic about the work they’re doing, and excited about all the changes happening in our profession.

Top Photo Caption: Steve Zind, NPR Interim CEO Joyce Slocum, and John Van Hoesen
Bottom Photo Caption: Steve Zind accepts VPR's National Edward R. Murrow Award

Piano Jazz's Marion McPartland Retires

2011-10-05T23:34:00.004-04:00

Marion McPartland, whose Piano Jazz program VPR has carried on Friday nights for many years, has retired. McPartland hosted her show for 31 years and was known for her improvisational skills in both music and conversation.

While no more shows are being produced, Marion is staying on to guide the Piano Jazz digital archive project and educational website. You can celebrate Piano Jazz's legacy with 30 favorite moments from NPR Music here.

She has big shoes to fill, but I am pleased to let you know that I'll be hosting jazz for an extra hour on Friday evenings beginning this Friday. I hope you'll join me beginning at 9 p.m. To suggest music or send your thoughts, visit VPR.net.

Marion McPartland Photo by RJ Capak

Enter To Win An iPad2 From VPR

2011-10-05T15:14:00.005-04:00

Vermont Public Radio’s October membership drive begins soon, but right now
is an especially good time to show your support by pledging to VPR.

Why?

Because when you pledge before the drive begins, you'll be entered to win a 16GB Apple iPad 2, thanks to our friends at Small Dog Electronics.

The iPad 2 is thinner, lighter, and faster than the original. With wi-fi and 16GB of storage you can browse the web, check e-mail, read the news, e-books, and magazines, and of course, listen to your favorite public radio station using the new VPR App for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch!

(Go ahead, play Angry Birds, too...we won't tell).

And when you pledge, you’ll feel good knowing you did your part to pay for the stories that move you.

The deadline to enter the drawing is Wednesday, October 12th. Listen to VPR on Thursday morning when we’ll announce the winner.

Support VPR and enter the drawing online here.

If you’re a sustaining member or have already made a gift or pledge in
advance of our fall membership drive, no worries - you’re already entered in
this drawing.

Thanks in advance for your support and good luck!

Contest Rules

The Moth Is Coming To Vermont!

2011-09-27T11:43:00.002-04:00

I was hooked the first time I ever heard The Moth. I was running early in the morning on Burlington's Bike Path, listening to Adam Gopnik’s story about communicating with his son and the meaning of “LOL.” I "LOLed" so hard I was glad there was no one else around to see it.

Next, I listened to Anthony Griffith’s story about working as a comedian while his daughter was undergoing treatment for cancer. I had to stop dead in my tracks because I was sobbing too hard to breathe.

The Moth Radio Hour has also been a hit with VPR listeners, which is why we are so excited to be bringing The Moth’s signature true stories told live without notes to Burlington’s Flynn Center on October 22!

The show will feature Moth regulars as well as local voices on the theme "Building A Bridge: Stories from Both Sides.” Proceeds will benefit VPR and PH International.

Tickets are going fast, so don’t miss your chance to see the first-ever Moth show in Vermont! You can get your tickets online here.

Introducing The VPR iPhone App

2011-09-26T10:28:00.001-04:00

We're pleased to announce that you can now download the VPR iPhone App from the iTunes Store. This is the easiest way to enjoy all your favorite VPR content on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch.

With just a couple taps of the screen, you can stream the live broadcasts of VPR and VPR Classical and hear the latest VPR Newscast and Eye On The Sky Forecast. You'll have on-demand access to the latest VPR News, Vermont Edition, VPR Commentaries and other Program archives along with the list of Station Frequencies and Program Schedules. There are even feeds of the latest VPR Blog posts, Twitter tweets, and even School Closings!

The VPR iPhone App is the most convenient way to enjoy your favorite VPR content and it's also the easiest way to engage with VPR and share stories from your neck of the woods. With the "Tell Us" feature, you can share text, capture images, and even record audio, then easily submit them to VPR for use in reporting, broadcasts, and online projects. Whether you're breaking news, sending feedback, or sharing a beautiful photo, we hope you'll use "Tell Us" and be part of the story.

Many listeners are wondering what about Android and Blackberry? We decided to start with an iPhone App because it's the most established, it's been the most requested by listeners, and because development is less complicated than apps for Android. However, we are looking into the possibility of developing an Android App and serving listeners on as many mobile platforms as possible. For now, the best solution for Android and Blackberry users is to use the NPR mobile apps here.

The VPR iPhone App was developed with our partners at PRX Public Radio Exchange. PRX is the group behind many of your favorite apps, such as the Public Radio Player, the This American Life Apps, and the new KCRW Music Mine App for the iPad. They're also the presenters of The Moth, one of the most popular new shows on VPR. The app was developed with support from VPR listeners and the VPR Journalism Fund.

There's more information about the VPR iPhone App here at VPR.net. We hope you'll download the app, give it a try, and let us know what you think.

Pictures From VPR's Listener Picnic

2011-09-19T13:03:00.002-04:00

What a gorgeous day for VPR's Listener Picnic! We had a great crowd of human and canine VPR fans come out to Dog Mountain in Saint Johnsbury on Saturday! We enjoyed hearing from NPR’s Linda Wertheimer, great music and food, while the dogs enjoyed Frisbee, swimming, and any cheese that dropped off the snack table.

Here are just a few photos of all the fun!

VPR Listeners Rally To Raise $628,000 For The Vermont Disaster Relief Fund

2011-09-14T12:04:00.001-04:00

All we can say is, “wow.”

Thanks to the tremendous generosity of our listeners, Vermont Public Radio raised more than $628,000 for the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund during our special one-day fundraiser.

I suppose we shouldn’t be surprised, after all, we know that our listeners are community-oriented folks – but still…wow. Your outpouring of support went beyond anything we imagined.

Thanks also to the more than 150 volunteers who helped take donations over the phones from very early in the morning to very late at night. (And, for bringing food for the biggest potluck VPR has ever seen!)

If you didn’t get a chance to donate yesterday and would still like to, you can do so here.

And, you can keep up with our coverage of Irene recovery online here.

It has been inspiring to see Vermonters from all walks of life reaching out to one another for support, and we were so pleased to carry that spirit of community at VPR through this special fundraising effort.

Thanks again to everyone who made a donation to this effort, and to everyone who is supporting other recovery organizations through their donations and volunteer work. We are so proud to be a part of this tremendous state of Vermont.

À Bientôt - See You Later, Not 'Goodbye'

2011-09-09T15:00:00.007-04:00

It seems like there should be a lot to say, now that I've come to the last bit of time on my final day at VPR.

But what I really want to say boils down to the simple words, "thank you".

In my seven years here I've seen the power of listener support transform VPR Classical from being one station to seven (along with many smaller-coverage translators). I've welcomed new staff members on board, helped to create a strong music library and database for the service, and enjoyed so many thoughtful conversations with listeners from around the world.

It has been my great pleasure to share the music with you, along with those special common experiences that can only happen in a place like Vermont. As I move on today and get ready to step into my new role as the Music Director at WGBH in Boston, I do so knowing I will take the many memories, friendships, and learning I've been fortunate enough to experience here along with me.

This is not a goodbye, but rather a "see you later". Because I know as public radio fans, no matter the geographical location we will forever continue to share the common radio experiences that bring us together as a human community.

VPR Fundraiser For Irene Recovery September 13th

2011-09-08T05:41:00.002-04:00

In response to the statewide devastation caused by Tropical Storm Irene, Vermont Public Radio will hold a special one-day fundraiser next Tuesday, September 13th, to help our communities and neighbors rebuild and recover from this natural disaster. Donations received from listeners will benefit the Vermont Disaster Relief Fund.

The outpouring of concern from listeners over the last week has been tremendous. – on the air, online, and through email and phone, we’ve heard from dozens of listeners wanting to do something to help with recovery efforts by volunteering or making donations, but weren’t sure of the best way to do it.

As a public radio station, VPR has vast experience with on-air fundraising efforts and the complicated logistics that go along with such an operation: processing donations, established phone lines, and hundreds of dedicated volunteers. In addition to our comprehensive news coverage of the aftermath and recovery from Irene, we felt giving listeners a trusted, secure place to make a donation would be another way to help our neighbors. We were granted a one-day waiver from the FCC to make this effort possible.

The Vermont Disaster Relief Fund was created by the United Ways of Vermont in cooperation with the executive board of the Vermont Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (Vermont VOAD) and Vermont Emergency Management (VEM) to be used specifically for long-term recovery. The fund will be used entirely for the unmet long- term needs of survivors from the Irene disaster, and decisions will be made by Long Term Recovery Committees recognized by VOAD and Vermont Emergency Management.

We know VPR listeners are passionate about Vermont and their communities, and hope you’ll make a donation today to help your neighbors. If you’re looking for other ways to get involved, please consider joining us on September 13 to take donations over the phone from listeners next Tuesday - you can sign up for a shift online here.
If you’re looking to volunteer directly with recovery efforts, please visit our resources page here.

And of course, you’ll find the latest news about recovery efforts at VPR.net.

Despite the enormity of this disaster, it is inspiring to see Vermonters from all walks of life rising up and reaching out to one another for support. Thank you so much for all you do for Vermont and your community!

VPR Classical Bids Adieu to Cheryl Willoughby

2011-09-07T22:20:00.001-04:00

Cheryl Willoughby, long-time VPRClassical host and director of music programming, will be leaving VPRto accept a new position of Music Director at WGBH in Boston. Cheryl will oversee all classical music programming forthe station.

During her time at VPR, Cherylcontributed greatly to the formation and growth of VPR Classical. Shebegan hosting her daily morning program just after WNCH 88.1 went onthe air in the Upper Valley in 2004.

It was under her leadership asmusic director that VPR Classical has grown andhas steadily increased its local programming and communitypartnerships, as seen most recently with the month-long 60thanniversary celebration of the Marlboro Music Festival this summer.

Cheryl’s last day at Vermont PublicRadio will be this Friday, September 9th. We will miss her but wishher well in her new adventure.

During a transition period, you willhear a new line-up of programming on VPR Classical beginning Monday,September 12. Walter Parker will host from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.time slot, followed by two hours of Performance Today with Fred Child.Joe Goetz will continue to host from 3-7 p.m.

Stay tuned for moredetails as we work to continue our mission to increase our localpresence and content on VPR Classical.

Remembering 9/11

2011-09-07T13:20:00.002-04:00

Like so many others, I’m reflecting this week about the 10th anniversary of 9/11.

I didn’t work at VPR back then, in fact, I had only recently moved to Vermont. Without cable or internet in the old Shoreham schoolhouse that was my new home, VPR was my only link to what happened that day. I didn’t even see video footage of the attacks until a week later. Ten years on, I am still grateful to VPR for being both my source of information and of comfort in the days that followed.

The 9/11 terrorist attacks and Tropical Storm Irene are very different events, of course, but as we have received comments and calls from listeners about our coverage of the storm and its aftermath, I can’t help but draw comparisons. It is a big responsibility to be your lifeline and a source of comfort in times of crisis, but it is one we take very seriously.

This week, VPR is remembering 9/11. Listen for interviews, stories, commentaries, and an audio “memory quilt” of your reflections, which was produced in partnership with the Vermont Folklife Center. On Friday, join a conversation about 9/11 on Vermont Edition at noon and 7 p.m. And on Sunday, listen beginning at 8 a.m. for special coverage from NPR.

You can explore our coverage and share your reflections online here.

VT Flood Relief Concerts

2011-09-07T10:10:00.008-04:00

[North Williston Road - I took this shot on Monday, 8/29. Hard to believe what a clear, beautiful day it was considering the storm just a day before.]

While it has been a very difficult and trying week and a half since Irene flooded much of Vermont, there have been a few bright spots in the aftermath: neighbors helping neighbors, or better yet - helping strangers, selflessly. Stories of hope and strength have bolstered spirits statewide and confirmed what we already knew: Vermont's heart and core is its resilient, caring people.

A number of benefit events are being organized around the region to generate funds for various relief organizations. These are the ones we know about, as of this afternoon on Weds. 9/7.

If you know of others or have details to share on the ones listed below please leave a comment here and we'll get the word out.

It's what friends do.

----
9/9: Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund benefit concert
Location: Rusty Parker Memorial Park, Waterbury
Time: 6-7:30pm
Donations: Free will
Benefits: Waterbury Good Neighbor Fund (for relief in Waterbury, Duxbury & Moretown)
Online: (on facebook) https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=280452251968545
----
9/10: Voices for Vermont (various artists, organized by the Good Earth Singers)
Location: State House Lawn
Time: 1-3pm
Donations: Free will
Benefits: United Way of VT & American Red Cross of VT & NH
Online: http://goodearthsingers.org/
----
9/10: Burlington Ensemble
Location: Alumni Auditorium, Champlain College
Time(s): 6-7:30pm & 8:30-10pm
Donations: suggested $10.00 per set
Benefits: The Intervale Farmer's Recovery Fund
URL: http://burlingtonensemble.com/
----
9/11: Benefit Concert & Silent Auction (various performers)
Location: Nectar's
Time: 2pm-2am
Donations: $15.00 at the door
Benefits: VT Disaster Relief Fund
Online: http://www.vermont211.org/ , https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=127296787368081
----
9/14: Phish - A Benefit for Vermont Flood Recovery
Location: Champlain Valley Fairgrounds
Time: Doors 5:30pm, concert @ 7:00pm
Donations: $75.00
Benefits: The Water Wheel Foundation & The VT Community Foundation
Online: http://www.highergroundmusic.com/2011/09/phish/
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9/16: Irene Flood Relief Concert with Rubblebucket + Ritmo Masacote
Location: Higher Ground Ballroom & Showcase Lounge

Time: Doors 7pm, Show 8pm

Donations: $10

Benefits: Vermont Foodbank

Online: http://www.highergroundmusic.com/2011/09/irene-flood-relief-concert/

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9/18: Join Hands, Vermont (various performers being organized by Annemieke Spoelstra)
Location: McCarthy Arts Center, St. Michael's College
Time: 2-5:00pm
Donations: Free will
Benefits: TBD
Online: (on facebook) https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=234555203256683
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VPR News' Irene Blog

2011-09-01T14:23:00.008-04:00

VPR has been receiving a lot of information from VPR listeners, state agencies, and others in the aftermath of Irene. Much of it makes it on the air and VPR.net, but much of it doesn’t. So we've created a new news blog as an outlet for that information as a means to share it with anyone interested.

Freelancer Neel Tandan (at left) is helping us post content to the blog. If you have news to contribute please send it to news@vpr.net.

Thank you for being part of this important community effort.

Tropical Storm Irene Coverage

2011-08-31T10:44:00.004-04:00

"Vermonters need each other. You are our conduit."

That was what one listener wrote to us about our coverage of Tropical Storm Irene and its aftermath. As the damage is assessed and the recovery continues, VPR will continue to provide the information and resources people need during this difficult time as well as the opportunity to share their stories and connect with one another.

During Sunday's storm, VPR broadcast hourly news updates with reports from across Vermont from our news team as well as the Eye on the Sky at the Fairbanks Museum. Additionally, we had a dynamic map on VPR.net that allowed Vermonters to follow the track of the storm and links to key services, road closure information and shelter locations.

Our coverage this week has been comprehensive with significant updates, interviews, and news stories throughout the day. Vermont Edition has been airing live at noon and 7 p.m., focusing on recovery efforts around the region and first-hand reports from listeners and regional officials.

We've also created a special section of VPR.net with aggregated news, photos, and links to important resources like road closures and volunteer opportunities. Listeners are also connecting on our Facebook page and sharing their photos and videos of the storm.

Here is a look at our news coverage plan for the next several days:

Vermont Edition will continue to be live at noon and 7 p.m. through Friday, and will focus on the state's recovery from Irene. We'll also be on the air live at noon on Saturday, Sunday, and Monday. Let us know what's happening in your town, what efforts are underway and what questions you have about cleanup efforts. Email your questions or comments to vermontedition@vpr.net.

We'll continue broadcasting hourly local newscasts at :04 after the hour between 6 a.m. and 7 p.m. through Friday, in addition to longer reports during Morning Edition and All Things Considered. We have reporters, producers, and audio engineers spread out throughout the affected areas, including Bob Kinzel in central Vermont, Melody Bodette and Nina Keck in Rutland County, John Dillon in the Deerfield Valley, Nancy Cohen of WNPR along Route 9, Susan Keese in Newfane and Brattleboro, Patti Daniels in Manchester, Betty Smith in the Upper Valley, and Matt Laslo in Washington D.C.

You'll find all of our coverage plus resources and photos online at VPR.net.

The aftermath of Irene is a fast-moving developing story and the recovery will be a long process, and you can count on VPR will continue reporting on the clean-up and rebuilding efforts ahead.

Rollin' on the (Connecticut) River

2011-08-19T14:54:00.008-04:00

From serving as a source for food, a transportation pathway and the conduit for log drives to today's many recreational pursuits, residents of our area have long held the Connecticut River in high regard.

As do we at VPR.

So on Wednesday, August 24, the Connecticut River will take center stage on Vermont Edition. We'll broadcast live just a few hundred yards from the river at the Montshire Museum of Science in Norwich.

Our panel of experts will discuss the river's history, health, challenges and future.

We would love to have to join us on our journey by emailing details of the biggest fish you caught there, fond memories you have or observations you've made of the Connecticut River. Email them to Vermontedition@vpr.net.

A Memory Quilt of 9/11 Reflections

2011-08-18T09:00:00.003-04:00

Vermont Public Radio will be at four locations around the state this Saturday, August 20, collecting Vermonters’ thoughts and memories of September 11^th.

VPR reporters will be stationed in the following locations to record reflections for an audio "memory quilt" that will be broadcast the week of September 5^th in commemoration of the 10^th anniversary of 9/11:

Barton: Orleans County Fair, in the far corner of the parking lot, 1-4 p.m.
Brattleboro: Farmers Market, Rte. 9 near the Creamery Covered Bridge, 10 a.m. – noon
Burlington: City Hall Park near Church Street, 10 a.m. – noon.
Rutland: Farmers Market at the northwest corner of Depot Park, 10 a.m. – noon.

Reporters will ask participants about their experience of September 11, 2001, and how the events of that day changed their daily lives and the way they view the world.

VPR is also working with the Vermont Folklife Center, which is making arrangements to record people at its office in Middlebury.

Watch for details next week about more ways to participate in this project. All of the audio will be posted at VPR.net. And all the comments will be collected and preserved in the archive at the Vermont Folklife Center.

Photo credit: AP Photo/Shawn Baldwin

A Taste Of The Manchester Music Festival

2011-08-15T09:24:00.003-04:00

Last week, VPR audio engineer Sam Sanders and I were at the Arkell Pavillion at the Southern Vermont Arts Center in Manchester to record a concert with the Manchester Music Festival. But this was not just any concert...this was a celebration of music and history. It featured a large orchestra, largely comprised of young musicians from all around the country. It featured one of America's foremost concert pianists and host of NPR's From the Top, Christopher O'Riley. And the program featured 3 American works: Copland's "Hoe-Down" from the ballet "Rodeo," Gershwin's "Rhapsody in Blue," And Antonin Dvorak's "New World" Symphony No. 9, a work he wrote while living and teaching in New York City. All of this was part of the 250th anniversary celebration for the Town of Manchester, and it all happened on a cool, crisp, and moonlit night at the foot of Mount Equinox.

Sam and I were actually in Manchester for a day leading up to the performance, allowing ourselves plenty of time to get our sound equipment in place for the recording. It went very well, and by the time Thursday morning's dress rehearsal came around, I sat back and enjoyed the music from a seat in the empty hall. With about five minutes remaining in the Gershwin, I remembered my iPhone was in my pocket, so I decided to get a bit of video. The sound was actually quite good, so I thought I'd share it with you here as a sneak preview of the broadcast, which will be heard on VPR Classical in a month or so. And if it sounded THIS good coming from a cell phone video recording, just wait until you hear what our REAL microphones picked during the performance!

-Joe Goetz, VPR Classical

Save The Date For VPR's Listener Picnic!

2011-08-11T09:20:00.001-04:00

This year’s VPR Listener Picnic is going to be all about best friends! VPR is your best friend in the car, your dog is your best friend on a hike. Bring two of your best friends together on Saturday, September 17th starting at 11 a.m. at Stephen Huneck’s Dog Mountain in Saint Johnsbury.

We’ll enjoy music by Patti Casey and Bob Amos, The Bohemian Blues Quartet (featuring VPR's IT guru Asa Sourdiffe!), Brett Hughes and the Honky Tonk Tuesdays Band, AND one of NPR’s founding mothers, Linda Wertheimer, will be on hand to help us celebrate the 40th anniversary of NPR.

The picnic goes on rain or shine - we’ll have food for sale or you can bring your own, and the Stephen Huneck Gallery will be open with special offers for VPR listeners.

All well-behaved dogs are cordially invited (don’t forget your pooper scooper!). In honor of the event, we’ve shared some pictures of our own canine best friends. Check out the slideshow below for the dogs of VPR!

Finally, a note about Dog Mountain: Stephen Huneck was a great friend to VPR and in the wake of his passing in 2010, the future of Dog Mountain is uncertain. Help preserve this very special part of Vermont’s artistic culture by spreading the word about the picnic so we can have the best turnout ever! We hope to see you there!

Introducing The Public Post

2011-08-10T13:26:00.012-04:00

Welcome to VPR's Public Post, a new digital local news source where you'll find town and city minutes, a public conversation about the news in your town, and insight into local government through stories reported about common issues.

Public Post is an ambitious public service concept. It's a new source for minutes from select boards and city councils, not only for your town, but for other towns - 31 so far - that represent our state’s geographic and political diversity in the 14 counties. We’ll add more soon.

The new service presents an opportunity to learn about important issues coming before your community and an opportunity to discuss them online with your neighbors and with people in other communities. We hope you will be inspired to post a headline from your town and start a discussion.

You can browse municipal minutes and make the connections between issues that are sprouting up in our communities. VPR will report on trends that surface around these issues and you will find these stories at the Public Post. One of the first themes we discovered, for example, is that many towns are struggling to overhaul their aging water systems.

Public Post is part of VPR's continuing commitment to provide essential, trusted and relevant news and information to you in many different categories, whether it’s national news from NPR, in-depth state news reports over the air or online at VPR.net, the legislative streams from the Statehouse, a conversation on Vermont Edition, or social media connections with VPR and VPR hosts and reporters.

We hope this new local news service will provide even more meaning and context to the news that matters to you.

Kirk Carapezza is the editor and reporter at Public Post. Also on the team that has been working behind the scenes to create the Public Post are Ross Sneyd, our news editor, and Jonathan Butler, who leads VPR's digital services.

We are enthusiastic about this new concept and hope you will be too. Let us hear from you through your participation on the site and also through your feedback at publicpost@vpr.net.

John Van Hoesen

VP for News & Programming

A Few Signal Changes In Middlebury

2011-08-08T15:59:00.003-04:00

Vermont Public Radio is switching around a few of our signals in the Middlebury area this week. For several years, listeners in parts of Middlebury have been able to receive VPR's news and information service on a small, low-power translator at 95.3 FM. As of this week, that signal changes to 99.5 FM, which provides better coverage in the pockets of Middlebury that aren't able to receive our WVPS 107.9 Burlington nor our WRVT 88.7 Rutland signals.

99.5 once aired VPR Classical, but with the addition of VPR Classical in Addison County at WOXM 90.1 FM, it is no longer needed.

We've updated the station list at VPR.net and will have updated printable cards and maps very soon. Thanks for listening!

VPR Wins Its 4th Daysie Award

2011-08-04T09:47:00.003-04:00

VPR has been honored with a Seven Daysie award for Best Radio Station for the fourth consecutive year! The Daysies are voted on each year by readers of the Burlington-based weekly paper Seven Days and cover restaurants, artists, stores, festivals, journalists, media and more around Vermont.

We're honored to be the top pick again this year. It is an honor be your essential and trusted independent voice for news, information, music and cultural exploration. Your support and desire for quality programming makes it all possible.

Congratulations to all the winners! You can see a full list of Daysies winners here.

Opera Quiz For July

2011-07-30T13:01:00.001-04:00

July's opera quiz is upon us! Each month, A Passion for Opera with Peter Fox Smith offeres a different "mystery voice" (with a clue or two) and invites you to guess what great operatic voice it is.

This month's singer was born in Spain to Andalusian parents. Her early education took place at a convent, and then as a young lady she entered the Conservatory in her native Barcelona to study singing. She made her American debut in 1915 as Charlotte in Massenet's Werther at the Chicago Opera, where she also sang the fiery title role in Bizet's Carmen. (In fact, one of the recordings Peter and Sam played last Saturday was this singer's recording of "les tringles des sistres" from Carmen.)

Our singer was noted especially for her powerful chest register, and an extremely flexible upper voice that could easily scale the florid passages of Romantic opera. Above all, she was individual and creative in her style.

She made more than 200 recordings in her career, both operatic and in a vast song repertory in Catalan, Spanish, French, Italian and English, as well as pieces from zarzuela and even operetta.

Those are the clues.

Are you ready for the answer? This month's opera quiz 'mystery voice' is...Conchita Supervía!

Thanks to everyone who sent in guesses, the winner of this month's opera quiz is Vesna Danilovic of Buffalo, New York. Congratulations! She will be receiving an inscribed copy of Peter Fox Smith's book A Passion for Opera.

Listen in next month for a chance to guess the August 'mystery voice' on the opera quiz.

Party With The Stars!

2011-07-28T13:52:00.002-04:00

This Friday night, VPR and the Fairbanks Museum in St. Johnsbury are planning to hold our annual Star-Gazing Party. Take your radio outside at 9 o'clock and gaze into the night sky. Meteorologist and Eye on the Sky forecaster Mark Breen will be our guide on this journey through the cosmos. Here's what he has to say about the evening:

"This is your opportunity to gather friends and family outside, take your radio and cell phone, and enjoy an evening of astronomy, with host Jane Lindholm, and Eye on the Skies Mark Breen. Listen in, or call with your questions, as we discuss the August meteor showers, constellations like the Scorpion, finding the planets Saturn and Jupiter, and much more."

You can also send your questions through VPR.net.

Let's hope the skies are clear Friday night (since we are not planning to reschedule it if the skies are cloudy).

Sox Or Yankees?

2011-07-21T04:26:00.000-04:00

When you make a pledge to VPR this morning, it doesn't matter what team you root for! That's because we're giving away a trip for two to see the Boston Red Sox vs. the Oakland Athletics on August 8th at Fenway, or the New York Yankees vs. the Red Sox at Yankee Stadium on September 24th, courtesy of Vermont Baseball Tours.

The prize includes round-trip transportation, game tickets, a t-shirt, snacks, and on-board trivia with prizes and giveaways.

There will be two drawings - the first winner gets their choice of trips, with the remaining prizes going to the runner up!

And don't forget to listen to Morning Edition this morning for some baseball rivalry, VPR-style between Sox fan Mitch Wertlieb and Yankees fan Peter Biello (pictured above)

The drawing is at 9 a.m., so make your pledge now, and thanks!

VPR Classical's Special Summer

2011-07-20T10:45:00.001-04:00

VPR Classical turns seven years old today! And thanks to strong listener support, in that time we've grown from being one station (WNCH, 88.1FM in Norwich) to SIX full-power stations, and many translators to help the signal reach even more listeners in the region.

Along with the expansion of our radio signal, we've also become deeper as a broadcasting service with the inclusion of more live performances, special events, and musical conversations with area artists. Just a week ago we shared the recording we made at the Hopkins Center in May, with pianist Sally Pinkas in her spring recital.

On Monday this week we launched "Marlboro Month", a month-long celebration of the 60th anniversary of the legendary music festival. Each weekday our live programs are featuring exclusive recordings from the Festival's rich archives: from Mozart and Bach to Argento, Couperin, Copland and many others. You may also revisit many of these unique performances at our new Marlboro Music page - and find out what violinist Soovin Kim has been working on with friends during his time at the Festival!

I'm also very happy to tell you that this evening we will be broadcasting Counterpoint's final performance with Robert DeCormier, their founder and longtime director who has now moved into an emeritus role with the ensemble. Over the first weekend of April this year Counterpoint performed three "Legacy" concerts with DeCormier, and VPR Classical recorded the final one on the afternoon of April 3rd. Springtime weather made it warm outside St. Paul's Cathedral in Burlington, and the emotional current running through the concert gave the space a special warmth on the inside as well.

This is the latest in our "VPR Classical Presents" series of live concert recordings, and you can look forward to a couple of others from Chandler in Randolph and from the Manchester Music Festival in coming weeks. The Counterpoint Legacy performance can be heard from 8-10pm tonight on VPR Classical, and then later it will also be available for online listening.

Here's a video I took on April 3rd during the final moments of the concert. I hope you enjoy it. And thank you for your continuing support of classical music in Vermont!

Appreciating The "Little Moments" This Summer

2011-07-11T13:56:00.007-04:00

I’ll admit that I take summertime for granted, even though in just a few short weeks I know I’ll proclaim, “Where did the summer go?”

Chatting with friends and family at our local creemee stand, it’s easy to forget that not so long ago, we were scraping ice off our windshields and navigating snowstorms. But this summer, I’m determined to spend more time appreciating the little moments that might otherwise pass me by.

As I listen to VPR in the car or to VPR Classical on the back porch after dinner, I will relish all of the great little moments that I hear: the hum of Garrison Keillor on A Prairie Home Companion, the way that one of the Car Talk brothers (is it Click or Clack?) snorts as they diagnose an ailing car, and the delicate vibration of a cello during a live studio performance.

I also appreciate the fact that VPR’s summer membership drive is going to be short, taking just three days in late July. But even though it’s short, it’s incredibly important: VPR needs to raise $150,000 to stay on track with its fiscal-year budget.

We’ve put together some great reasons for you to listen during this drive, including chances to win some prizes that would be a perfect complement to summertime in Vermont:

A family bike package from Earl’s Cyclery & Fitness
Tickets to a live performance of The Moth including hotel accommodations
A paddleboard package from Canoe Imports
Four airline tickets to anywhere in the continental U.S. thanks to Milne Travel
A trip for two to Scotland in September with All the Traditions host Robert Resnik and other VPR listeners
And a few other surprises along the way...

I hope you find time to savor your little moments this summer. Please show your support for the little moments you enjoy on VPR and VPR Classical by making a pledge today by calling 1-800-639-6391 or online by clicking here. Not only will you be entered to win some fantastic prizes, but you’ll be helping VPR meet its budget goal for this fiscal year!

If you are a sustaining member, you are automatically entered in all of our membership drive drawings. And if you are not a sustaining member, it’s a great reason to become one!

Thank you so much in advance for your support.

VPR Cooks: Chocolate Hummus (No, Really!)

2011-07-08T10:45:00.007-04:00

As if a sunny, beautiful Friday morning wasn't awesome enough, this is the first email I opened when I arrived at work today. Win!

Producer/Announcer Peter Biello is our resident vegetarian and is known for sharing his creative, healthy recipes with the Vermont Public Radio staff. (We're also pretty sure he's responsible for occasionally leaving quantities of decidedly less healthy candy in the VPR kitchen, but that rumor has yet to be confirmed...)

Anyway, back to chocolate hummus, which combines two of my favorite foods. It was delicious spread on graham crackers with a cup of coffee - and it's a nice way to enjoy chocolate in a somewhat nutritious form! If you need more detail, you'll find the original recipe here.

And don't miss Vermont Edition today at noon and 7 p.m. when we'll celebrate chocolate and hear from local chocolatiers!

Josh Ritter: Musician & Best-Selling Author at VPR

2011-07-05T13:07:00.008-04:00

NPR affiliated stations will often get in touch with VPR when they need to do an interview with someone in our region that just can't make it for an interview. That situation popped up today with WBUR in Boston.

While On Point host Tom Ashbrook sat in a broadcast booth in Boston, he spoke to Idaho musician/author Josh Ritter, who was here at VPR headquarters in Colchester, Vermont.

Josh Ritter is in Burlington for the day. Hopefully getting an opportunity to enjoy this gorgeous sunshine before his concert at South Burlington's Higher Ground this evening.

Best known for his narrative lyrics and beautiful melodies, Josh Ritter has written a best-selling novel, recently reviewed by Stephen King for The New York Times. Today's On Point from WBUR is a conversation with Tom and Josh about his novel Bright's Passage and the relationship between his career as a musician and the development of his novel. You can listen to the interview or download the MP3 at the On Point website.

Opera Quiz For June

2011-07-02T13:00:00.002-04:00

It's time for the latest installment of VPR Classical's opera quiz! Each month, A Passion for Opera with Peter Fox Smith invites you to listen in and identify a different mystery voice.

The subject of this month's quiz was born in Spain to parents who were theater performers, and the family moved to Mexico when he was 8. He attended the Mexico City Conservatory originally as a student of piano and conducting, but it didn't take long for his vocal talents to be discovered. It was a quick ascent from there to international recognition.

Our singer has been a major figure on opera stages since 1959, singing in every major opera house in the world. He's also a favorite performer at the Metropolitan Opera, having appeared there in more than 600 performances of 42 different roles since his Met debut in 1968.

Recent years have also seen him step into leading directorship roles at opera houses in Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.

Peter Fox Smith and Sam Sanders selected an unusual aria for the hint on this month's quiz: on last week's show our mystery voice was heard singing the "prize song" from Richard Wagner's Die Meistersinger von Nuernberg.

It's a little unusual because, for the most part, the mystery voice is better known for his work in Italian Romantic operas.

By now you probably realize that the answer to this month's opera quiz is...Plácido Domingo!

Thanks to everyone who sent in guesses, the winner of this month's opera quiz is Kathryn Tolbert of Westminster West, VT. Congratulations! She will be receiving an inscribed copy of Peter Fox Smith's book A Passion for Opera.

Listen in next month for another chance to guess the mystery voice on the opera quiz.

Studs On The Radio

2011-06-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

"Working With Studs" will air at 7 p.m. July4th on VPR.

In all honesty, when I saw the name of this program, I thought it might be some ironic piece about beautiful radio hosts whose faces are never seen.

It didn't take me long to find out that Studs is a singular proper noun. "Studs" is the name everyone called Louis Terkel. Studs Terkel, I learned, is THE original iconic radio voice of Chicago.

I couldn't believe I hadn't heard of him before! Talk about long running shows, The Studs Terkel Program aired on 98.7 WFMT Chicago five days a week from 1952 - 1997. He's known for preserving the oral history of the American working class, in their own words.

Studs' energetic voice is nothing short of inspirational. His charisma and curiosity brought out the truth people didn't even know they had in them until they were interviewed by Studs.

Our own Walter Parker interviewed Studs Terkel in 2005 to promote his book, And They All Sang: Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey. And after his passing in 2008, Commentator Bill Mares recalled his experience with Studs Terkel.

Tune in Monday night at 7 for "Working With Studs," a remembrance told in a seamless blend of documentary and reminiscence by a crew of Stud's co-workers paired with previously unheard tapes of Studs himself.

Young Radio Players Take Over VPR Studios

2011-06-29T18:00:00.005-04:00

This week, VPR is teaming with enthusiasm from young writers and performers.

The Flynn Center's summer camp program has taken over VPR's Performance Studio. Camp is all week and creativity is in the air. Walking down the hall, you can hear experimental noises creeping out of an open door.

Evidence of their creativity is apparent in the elaborate brainstorm maps posted along the walls. Other evidence of burgeoning brilliance includes: toys, instruments, mysteriously bulging bags and a variety of props.

This crew is here for the week to write, rehearse, and perform a dramatic classic radio play. They are learning how to construct sounds and use their voices in clever ways to tell a story and create a picture with audio. These talented kids are learning from one another and from their instructor; singer, songwriter and performing artist, Jon Gailmor.

Camp culminates with a live performance of their original radio program recorded by VPR's audio engineer Sam Sanders. At the end of the week each child will go home with a CD of their performance.

VPR News Wins Three PRNDI Awards

2011-06-29T09:13:00.005-04:00

I had the honor over the weekend to accept three from our peers in public radio at the annual conference of Public Radio News Directors Inc.

VPR competes in the large station category for PRNDI and won two first-place awards and one second.

Jane Lindholm won first in the Use Of Sound category for one of the Summer School pieces on Vermont Edition. Jane taught us how to milk a cow. There's nothing like hearing the milk hit the bottom of the pail or the cows bellowing to sonically take you to the barn.

Commentator Madeleine Kunin took a first for her commentary "Requiem." She told of hearing a performance of Verdi's Requiem in Burlington on the anniversary of a similar performance at the Theresienstadt Nazi concentration camp outside Prague. I won't give away the ending, except to say it's worth listening to this poignant piece.

And, finally, VPR News took a second place for spot news coverage of the 2010 election when Brian Dubie conceded in the governor's race.

These awards may have been won by individuals, but they represent the hard work of the entire team of reporters, producers and hosts who bring you VPR News every day. And we hope they also demonstrate how valuable our listeners' support is in producing meaningful reporting.

The Performance Studio Is Heating Up For Summertime

2011-06-23T18:10:00.004-04:00

From VPR Classical Host Joe Goetz:

As the summer music festival season begins, the VPR Performance Studio is heating up. Today marked the first summer music festival appearance on VPR Classical, as Walter Parker welcomed musicians from the Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival to share a preview of their upcoming season. Pianist Paul Orgel shined in two performances: Francis Poulenc’s Violin Sonata, where he was joined by Kevin Lawrence, and the first two movements of Beethoven’s C Major Cello Sonata, Op. 102, No. 1, in collaboration with cellist John Dunlop.

If you missed it, you can listen to the performance again here.

There’s more live music on VPR Classical tomorrow morning, when Walter welcomes the new 802 Quartet to the Performance Studio at 11 a.m.

(Photo from this morning's performance. From left to right: Kevin Lawrence, Paul Orgel, Walter Parker, John Dunlop)

Book It: Time for the Vermont Edition Summer Reading Show

2011-06-23T09:07:00.000-04:00

I am the luckiest substitute host ever! Seems every time Jane Lindholm goes on vacation, I get to fill in for one of the Vermont Edition reading shows, and I admit to having a special fondness for them because, well, I love to read...and to hear what others are reading so I can get a lead on that next great book!

This Friday we're celebrating the summer reading season with a terrific panel of guests including Linda Ramsdell, owner of The Galaxy Bookshop in Hardwick, and Bennington College Librarian Oceana Wilson, who won the 2009 national "I Love My Librarian" award, sponsored by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and the New York Times.

And of course we'd love to hear your suggestions. Whether it's novels, non-fiction, memoir, poetry, science, even the back of a cereal box you found especially compelling, add your favorites here. I've already listed my recommendations, so hop to it...summer may have only just started, but it's short!

We'll also take your phone calls during the program this Friday at noon. You can catch a rebroadcast that evening at 7.

So forget all that nonsense you hear about "no one reads" anymore...prove that books are alive and well and being devoured by readers like you, by contributing to the annual Summer Reading Show on VPR!

Improved VPR Classical Signal in Central Vermont

2011-06-22T13:33:00.006-04:00

Update for Tuesday, June 28: WVXR 102.1 FM is up to full power as of 3 this afternoon! Thank you for your patience as we finished this big project. I hope you'll try it out and let us know how it sounds!

We have great news for classical music fans in Central Vermont! Engineers are getting ready to replace the antenna for WVXR 102.1 FM in Randolph, which will allow us to broadcast the station consistently at full power. This upgrade will result in a stronger, higher-quality signal for more of the WVXR coverage area.

VPR Classical went on the air in Central Vermont last fall, but due to significant problems with the antenna, we have not been able to broadcast consistently at full power.

As long as the weather holds out, work will begin Monday, June 27 and will take 1-2 days to complete. For the safety of the tower crew we’ll need to take the station off the air during that time, but when it returns it will be a more robust signal than before.

WVXR reaches about 92,000 Vermonters across a large swath of central Vermont including the communities of Randolph, Bethel, Brookfield, Tunbridge, Sharon, Barnard, Woodstock, Royalton, Chelsea, Barre, and more.

We look forward to improving our service to you with this critical upgrade!

Visit the new VPR Classical Homepage

2011-06-22T11:43:00.009-04:00

Today we launched a new VPR Classical Homepage at VPR.net with new content, features, and design.

At the top of the page, you'll find the controls to Listen Online, view Today's Playlist, and contact the VPR Classical hosts. You'll also find the program On Now and On Next, and the current piece playing on-air (when it's available). We've also made it easier than ever to find the featured content, such as upcoming Live Performances, Musical Conversations, local Classical Events, and, of course, your favorite VPR Classical Hosts.

In the lower half of the page we've added a lot more content from the world of classical music, including the latest from the NPR Classical Blog "Deceptive Cadence", Classics In Concert from NPR Music, the most recent classical posts from the VPR Blog, and the latest classical posts on the VPR Facebook Page.

Finally, we placed the link to "Share Requests & Comments" right at the top of the page. We hope you'll continue to use that link to share your feedback with hosts about the programming and the music, to send them your musical requests, and to tell us what you think of the new VPR Classical Homepage.

Thanks for listening to VPR Classical!

The VPR Saturday Special goes to "The Promised Land"

2011-06-22T09:20:00.011-04:00

Majora Carter hosts a new series from American Public Media; The same public radio organization that brings you the hits such as A Prairie Home Companion, Marketplace, and The Splendid Table.

The Promised Land delivers the stories of passionate men, women, and young people who are changing their communities with innovative thinking and tireless effort after hurricane Katrina and the BP oil spill.

The first episode features Dr. Kyshun Webster, founder and executive director of Operation Reach, an extensive family of programs for kids throughout the Gulf South.

Kyshun grew up in the St. Bernard Projects in New Orleans where, at the age of six, he saw his uncle murdered. He started struggling in school and was held back in the first grade. Thus began a lifelong makeover for Kyshun, who now holds a Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota. At the age of 12, he started a lending library out of his parents' garage, which grew into a "home for homework" after-school tutoring program.

He fought back to transform his own life and now inspires the lives of other disadvantaged youth. And because of the endless need among neighborhood kids and Kyshun’s sheer determination, he now oversees what he calls a “cradle to career” program for youth that extends to three states in the Gulf South.

Kyshun's Operation Reach runs (to name a few) a full-time child development center; the Gulfsouth Youth Biodiesel Project, where kids recycle cooking oil for use as environmentally friendly fuel; and the Gulfsouth Youth Action Corps, with camps that teach young people philanthropic skills. The kids annually award $50,000 in grants to other youth-lead projects.

Future episodes spotlight community gardens, coastal oil clean-up, rebounding fishing communities, and empowered women.

Listen Saturdays at 4pm for The Promised Land.

Pick Us! Pick Us! Pick Us!

2011-06-20T12:43:00.003-04:00

It's time to pick the Daysies again! The Seven Daysies, that is. Each year, readers of the Burlington-based Seven Days weekly paper pick their favorite "best" restaurants, artists, stores, festivals, journalists, politicians in the area where Seven Days is delivered.

Vermont Public Radio has won Best Radio Station every year since 2008, and we hope you'll help us get there again! Visit the Seven Days website to cast your vote.

And if we can get in one more shameless plug here - last year meteorologist Tom Messner of WPTZ won his EIGHTH Daysie Award. We're not saying we don't love that smile, but how about showing some love for perennial runners-up Eye On The Sky?

Thank you!

VPR Wins Three National Edward R. Murrow Awards

2011-06-14T13:22:00.003-04:00

We were thrilled to learn today that Steve Zind and VPR's news and programming team has been honored with three 2011 national Edward R. Murrow Awards for excellence in electronic journalism.

VPR was recognized for the documentary “Afghanistan’s Other War,” use of sound in a report on night patrol with the Vermont National Guard and the Afghan National Police, and for the writing in An Appreciation of the Cluster Fly.

The Murrow Awards are presented by the Radio-Television News Directors Association (RTNDA). VPR won three of 13 national awards in the small market radio category. Earlier this year, VPR was recognized with six regional Murrow Awards for outstanding news coverage. The award will be presented to VPR during a ceremony in New York City in October. A full listing of national Murrow Award winners is available here.

Afghanistan’s Other War was produced by John Van Hoesen. Lynne McCrea produced the night patrol story. Zind’s reporting from Afghanistan was made possible by the VPR Journalism Fund, which covered the expenses associated with the coverage.

Congratulations to Steve and the VPR News team! And thank you for making VPR your source for essential, trusted, and in-depth news and information.

Live Q & A with Charlie Nardozzi June 21st on Facebook

2011-06-14T12:38:00.007-04:00

The Garden Party has returned!

Join the Vermont Garden Journal on Facebook for a live question and answer session with horticulturist Charlie Nardozzi. That’s coming up on the first day of summer, June 21st from 4-5pm.

Our first Facebook Q&A with Charlie was such a hit in May, we are bringing him back to answer more of your questions.

The warm weather has got us out digging in the dirt, but it appears we’ve got some company in the garden as well. We’ve heard about bunnies in Rutland, voles in Jericho, and beetles across the region. Have you had unwelcome guests in your garden that just won’t go away?

Here at Vermont Garden Journal headquarters we’ve been hearing from gardeners. Both expert and amateur horticulturists are sharing their garden’s disposition, whether it is bliss or burden. We’ve heard from determined, defiant, blighted, and just plain sad tomatoes in our area. If you or your garden need a pep talk or professional advice, get your questions ready for the Facebook Live Q&A with Charlie.

Log onto Facebook, Tuesday, June 21st at 4pm for our one-hour live question and answer session with Charlie Nardozzi and The Vermont Garden Journal.

From The Jazz Fest: Cancellation Tonight

2011-06-10T17:37:00.001-04:00

A last-minute note from the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival this afternoon:

————–

Posted on June 10, 2011

We regret to inform you that tonight’s performance has been cancelled. Poncho Sanchez and His Latin Jazz Band featuring Terence Blanchard are unable to arrive here in Burlington due to travel complications.

The Meet-the-Artist session with Bob Blumenthal scheduled for 6:30 is also cancelled.

All tickets will be refunded to the original method of purchase. Please allow one week for refunds to be processed. If you have any questions or concerns please contact the Flynn Tix box office at 802-86-FLYNN.

We apologize for the cancellation and we sincerely hope you’ll join us at future Burlington Discover Jazz Festival events.

Please note: The Vermont All State Jazz Ensemble will play on the Church Street Marketplace stage in front of City Hall from 8-9 pm.

————–

VPR Cooks: Our Winning Potluck Recipes

2011-06-10T13:40:00.006-04:00

We recently had a potluck barbecue at VPR to welcome summer. Many of us prepared our favorite side dishes to share with the staff. We're a bunch of over-achievers around here, so naturally we decided to make it a contest. While everything was delicious, we voted on our favorites and sharing the winning recipes with you. What's your favorite summer side dish?

Best Side Dish: Gail England's Miniature Stuffed Peppers

20 Peppadew peppers from South Africa - sweet & spicy

1 small can tuna - finely flaked

1 tsp lemon juice

1/4 tsp finely grated lemon zest

1 Tbsp mayonnaise to moisten

Finely chop:

1 tsp parsley

1 Tbsp lovage, celery, or celeriac

3 wild violet leaves

1 Tbsp wild clover leaves

dash of salt & freshly ground pepper

Mix all together and stuff in the peppers. Adding wild edibles adds subtle flavor and lots of nutritional value. Naturally, only use plants that you know well and are unmistakable!

You can also try stuffing the peppers with fresh breadcrumbs or cooked millet, parmesan cheese, freshly chopped basil and oregano, a sprinkle of garlic powder, salt & pepper, or any other combination that suits your fancy.

Best Dessert: Jonathan Butler's Chocolate Peanut Butter Squares

Jonathan says: This is the easiest recipe ever. I'd like to tell you it was Grandma's ol' family recipe handed down through the years, but I got it from a Google search and a few clicks. Check out the comments. I followed some of their tips (like mix the sugar and graham together before blending, maybe use more chocolate and less butter in the topping, etc.). Enjoy!

Missing From the Jazz Fest

2011-06-09T11:47:00.004-04:00

I just got off the phone with VPR's Jazz Host, George Thomas. He asked me to let you all know how bummed he is to be missing the Jazz Fest - both on the town and on the air. He has been under the weather and will be staying under cover for at least one more day. George had great plans to play music from artists at the Jazz Fest and offer his own commentary. He'll likely cook up a Jazz Fest in review next week. In the meantime, Bob Parlocha - a veteran DJ and professional sax player - is filling in.

Catherine Russell Comes To Burlington!

2011-06-08T23:11:00.009-04:00

During her set this evening at the Burlington Discover Jazz Festival, singer Catherine Russell quoted her mother, who said: "There are only two kinds of music: good and bad."

Of these two categories, I'd have to say Catherine Russell falls into the "good" category. Though "good" seems to me like an understatement!

I became a fan of Catherine Russell by listening to her on Jazz with George Thomas on VPR. One night, George played her rendition of the Harold Arlen song, "As Long As I Live." I hunted down the album, Inside This Heart of Mine, and it's filled with standards that Russell made new again with her powerful, sultry voice.

Her performance tonight included songs from that album, but perhaps the highlight for me were the songs I hadn't heard before. Those included Jackie Wilson's "I'll Be Satisfied," Bessie Smith's "Kitchen Man," Dinah Washington's "My Man's An Undertaker," and a version of The Grateful Dead's "New Speedway Boogie" that would've made Mitch Wertlieb proud. Overall, it was a nice mix of jazzy and bluesy tunes, accompanied by piano, bass, guitar and banjo.

Well done, Catherine Russell, and thanks for visiting Vermont!

Jazz Comes To Town

2011-06-03T10:32:00.012-04:00

The 28th annual Burlington Discover Jazz Festival officially kicks off tonight at The Flynn with "Bitches Brew Revisited", and once again VPR staff will be on the scene.

VPR Classical Director Cheryl Willoughby and VPR jazz host George Thomas dropped by Vermont Edition to share their thoughts on the festival, including the acts they're most looking forward to seeing and hearing. George is particularly looking forward to hearing Italian vocalist Roberta Gambarini, while Cheryl is excited about the appearance of Myra Melford and the Be Bread Sextet (just to name a couple). Interviewer Steve Zind shared that he's a fan of Catherine Russell, who he discovered listening NPR.

It's not all about the headliners and national acts, though. There are tons of local musicians performing 'Round Town, from accomplished local musicians to high school jazz bands. As Cheryl said, "some of the best stuff that happens at the festival is the stuff that's not on the calendar... memorable moments happen after hours when somebody wanders in with a saxophone, and someone else has a guitar, and the next thing you know there's an impromptu jazz session happening with a bunch of local folks."

As we have the past few years, we'll share the occasional blog posts and photos from the festival: check back here at the VPR Blog as well as on Facebook and Twitter.

And of course, for the best jazz throughout the festival and year-round, listen to George Thomas weeknights on VPR.

(pictured: Jennifer Hartswick, Anthony Santor, and Nic Cassarino perform at the opening reception at Halvorson's in Burlington, VT)

Opera Quiz For May

2011-05-19T13:15:00.006-04:00

This spring VPR Classical has been featuring a series of listener-interactive quizzes on Saturdays during our opera program.

You may have noticed things have changed a little now, as of last weekend with our two new programs: A Passion for Opera with Peter Fox Smith, and Saturday Matinee.

One thing that has not changed is the fact that we're still having fun sharing a monthly opera quiz, opening the phone and internet lines, and inviting you to take your best guess as to who the "mystery voice" is.

Our May quiz features a singer whose personality and legend are nearly as towering as the treasury of music she's left as her legacy. You may have been thrown off by the fact that one of our musical clues was Wagner - she's not known for her Wagnerian roles, but rather for her Verdi and Puccini and Donizetti. This month's mystery voice is....."La Divina" - soprano Maria Callas!

Keep listening this summer for more quizzes and other fun stuff during our new program, A Passion for Opera!

Opera - And Then Some!

2011-05-17T16:00:00.005-04:00

(April 2010 - The view inside the Metropiolitan Opera, as I anxiously waited for Rossini's "Armida" to begin)

They must have known how much I wanted it, because (thanks Mom and Dad!) I got my first FM radio for Christmas when I was 12 years old. I still vividly recall the first cold Saturday afternoon later that winter when, scanning the dial, I stumbled upon a broadcast of classical music with voices unlike anything I'd heard before. They were serene and lyrical and joyous, and sometimes even ferocious. Most of all, regardless of the emotion being expressed, these beautiful voices were passionate.

I was completely captivated and immediately wanted to know more. But I had to wait, as the glorious music went on. And on and on. Later that afternoon I learned I'd been listening to a live broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera on my local commercial classical radio station. That was in 1979. I've been a devoted fan ever since.

That seems like a long time, until I consider that Peter Fox Smith has been sharing opera with listeners each Saturday on Vermont Public Radio for more than 30 years. He was among the very first voices heard on the then-nascent VPR. Since 1977 he's continued to be the beloved voice of Saturday Afternoon at the Opera, conveying his knowledge and love of the art form with a depth of expression that is matched only by the music and voices themselves.

This weekend VPR Classical takes a bold step forward in continuing its commitment to airing opera with two new programs. Peter will be hosting A Passion for Opera beginning at Noon on Saturdays, followed by the Saturday Matinee at 1pm featuring a wide array of operas recorded live in concert from our colleagues at the WFMT Radio Network.

Peter has said that throughout his career he's seen it happen time and again: people who were certain that opera was not for them become hooked once exposed to its dramatic power and beauty. That is the approach of A Passion for Opera; to make opera a welcoming and accessible experience for aficionados, casual fans, and newcomers alike.

We’ll explore opera together each week with a hand-selected program of operatic arias and scenes. We’ll explore themes, genres, styles, and artists in-depth, and celebrate holidays, special events, and landmarks in musical history. A Passion for Opera will offer much more than only information, it will be fun and a pleasure to listen to. We’ll also feature longstanding favorite features such as the annual American Musical Sampler and tribute to the great Swedish tenor, Jussi Björling, as well as regular opera quizzes.

A Passion for Opera will be followed by Saturday Matinee at 1pm, featuring operas recorded live in concert from various productions.

Highlights include:

the opening opera (this Saturday, May 21st), from the Salzburg Festival: Christoph Willibald Gluck’s Orfeo ed Eurydice
American baritone Thomas Hampson in the tormented title role of Verdi’s Macbeth from the Lyric Opera Chicago
Plácido Domingo as Pablo Neruda in the LA Opera’s new production of Daniel Catán’s Il Postino (The Postman)
Porgy and Bess from the San Francisco Opera
The Houston Grand Opera’s productions of Madame Butterfly and Jake Heggie's Dead Man Walking

I hope you'll join me and other opera lovers around the region in celebrating Peter Fox Smith's ongoing contribution to the long legacy of opera on Vermont Public Radio, with A Passion for Opera and Saturday Matinee starting this weekend on VPR Classical.

Many things have changed in the last 30 years, but some things remain constant: I'll still be enjoying the opera on Saturday afternoons via good old FM radio.

Sugar + Funny Glasses + Chanting = Pledges

2011-05-17T11:45:00.011-04:00

We're almost halfway to the goal for VPR's May membership drive. To keep everyone's energy up and spirits high, we turned to the magical trinity of pledge drive mood enhancement: sugar, funny glasses, and chanting.

Oh, and kazoos. I guess that makes it a magical quartet.

After a breakfast of doughnuts and cupcakes marked "Mandatory for Staff," we got together for a short pep rally. Aside from all the fun and silliness, we also read aloud some comments we've heard from listeners during this drive - which motivates us more than the very largest cupcake or loudest chant ever could. Your passion for public radio and VPR reminds all of us why we do what we do - from producing the news and music that feeds your desire to learn and connect with your community, to keeping our signal on the air and online, to raising the money it takes to provide this independent, community-supported service.

So, thanks. Thank you for listening, for your passion, and for your support! We truly couldn't do what we do without you. If you haven't had a chance to make a pledge yet, I hope you will now.

For more photos of what VPR staffers look like after mass quantities of sugar, check out this slideshow!

A Facebook Garden Party

2011-05-09T06:00:00.001-04:00

Garden Guru Charlie Nardozzi will address your garden dilemmas this week - on Vermont Edition and Facebook. As host of The Vermont Garden Journal on VPR, Charlie brings us insight on successful organic gardening every week. When he's the guest on Vermont Edition, the questions pour in - and the topics range from apple trees to red lily leaf beetles to zinnias.

This year, VPR has invited gardeners to share their secrets of success on the Vermont Garden Journal Facebook page. We created this venue for you to ask each other questions, post photos and find out about gardening events, stories and articles.

On Thursday, when Charlie is finished on Vermont Edition, he'll fire up his laptop and continue answering questions on the Vermont Garden Journal Facebook wall until 2 o'clock.

We're expecting an avalanche of questions, and Charlie may not be able to get to them all. But we'll do our best - and encourage you to chime in with your own answers and experience. "Like" the VPR Garden Journal Facebook page and join our dirty fingernails brigade.

By the way, you don't have to have a Facebook account to follow the conversation - you can read it without signing in.

Busman's Holiday - Jazz Goes World

2011-05-08T18:43:00.006-04:00

What does the Jazz guy do when it's vacation time? Why fly down to Lafayette, Louisiana for the 25th annual Festival International de Louisiane - world music from every part of the globe along with cajun and zydeco, local favorite dance musics.

The Fest is set in the middle of downtown Lafayette with six big stages, food booths, kid's areas, art and artifacts. Amazingly enough the whole Fest is free and one is continually reminded to buy little $10 metal pins made to celebrate support for the Fest. Sound familiar? It's a lot like radio, we give it away and then ask you to support it on a voluntary basis.

So who did I hear? My favorite was Red Baraat, a New York City based band with with tuba & drums playing Indian flavored dance music. They had a bit of the wild sass of brass that the Soul Rebels Brass Band (black brass marching band from New Orleans) brought when the two bands joined for one song.
The Master Drummers of Burundi followed the opening ceremonies with a grand entrance carrying their large wooden drums on their heads while drumming on the sides and head. Their set included many leaps into the air, virtuoso drumming and each drummer taking a solo supported by the others.

The Marchforth Marching Band were 24 strong, dressed in sort of punk circus garb and included in their ranks, two men and one woman on stilts dancing in front of the band and all through the audience, ten brass players, eight drummers - a wild crew with demonic beats - sort of a cross between the Bread And Puppet Circus Band, Sun Ra and his Inter-Galaictic Arkestra and a regular High School Marching Band in Halloween costumes. You'd never be bored with Marchforth in the house.

Lafayette, like most of South Louisiana, is friendly with smiles coming at you from all directions. I was given a ride back to my hotel by two total strangers who turned out to be school teachers trying to make art in their spare time. Maria de Barros from Cape Verde fit the relaxed mode of the town as did the cajun dance at Antlers (Club) with Joel Savoy, Jesse Lege & The Cajun Country Revival.

And then there's the food: Crayfish Etouffe, Blackened Tuna Wrap, Shrimp Po Boys and a Cream, Spinach & crayfish mix in a hollowed-out loaf of bread. Yeah, you right!

The Moth Radio Hour Returns!

2011-05-03T10:00:00.000-04:00

Tune in for 5 weeks of brand new episodes of the Peabody Award-winning program The Moth Radio Hour. These are real stories told live on stage without a net.

This new season begins this Saturday, May 7^th at 4 on the VPR Saturday Special. The first episode is called OMG: Stories of the Sacred. We’ll hear from comedian Judy Gold, New York Times journalist Andrew Solomon, and the Reverend Al Sharpton who share intimate and personal stories.

Later in this series, we’ll hear from supermodel, actress, athlete, and double amputee Aimee Mullins, survive a story of illegal deportation, and go on a blind date with Steve Burns, host of the hit kid’s TV show Blues Clues.

We hope you'll tune in beginning this Saturday. You can also visit The Moth's website to learn more and to subscribe to their weekly podcast for a Moth fix all year long.

Poetic Pairings - 4/29/2011

2011-04-29T00:01:00.001-04:00

One of Prospero's famous lines from Shakespeare's The Tempest is, "We are such stuff as dreams are made of...". His daughter is about to be married to the Prince of Naples, and as a magician he has provided some entertainment that serves to remind the young couple about the fleeting nature of mortality, and their time together.

We've been featuring 'poetic pairings' for April, the month of Shakespeare's birthday and also National Poetry Month. Today's final pairing features a reading of Prospero's passage from The Tempest, along with a selection of lively pieces performed by the modern-day Musicians of the Globe.

Today's 'poetic pairing' is the last in the series, you can hear it just after 8am this morning on VPR Classical.

Poetic Pairings - 4/28/2011

2011-04-28T00:01:00.000-04:00

It's the second-to-last day we'll be celebrating National Poetry Month on VPR Classical, as April closes out and we welcome May this weekend. Each weekday morning this month has been opening with a 'poetic pairing': a poetry reading and a piece of music that responds to the poem in some way.

For today's selection we'll make the transition from winter to spring, starting with Robert Hayden's vivid "Those Winter Sundays", a recollection of his father and growing up in Detroit. After that it's "Winter and Spring", two selections from the "Seasons" ballet by Alexander Glazunov.

Listen tomorrow for the last poetic pairing this month, just after 8am on VPR Classical.

May Membership Drive to Promote Children's Literacy

2011-04-27T14:26:00.003-04:00

At VPR, we pride ourselves on connecting the community with our news, music, and conversation. But occasionally, we have the opportunity to connect our community in another way - through a membership drive!

In the past, our listeners have come together during membership drives to help the Vermont Foodbank as well as the CVPS Shareheat and Warmth programs. For our upcoming May membership drive, VPR has partnered with two other Vermont-based organizations to promote children's literacy.

Here's how it works: For every pledge that VPR receives during the drive, the Children's Literacy Foundation (CLiF) will give a new book to a low-income or at-risk child in our region, thanks to Casella Waste.

CLiF is based in Waterbury and, since their founding in 1998, they have given away over 100,000 new books to children and libraries across Vermont and New Hampshire. After spending just an hour with CLiF Executive Director Duncan McDougall and his staff earlier this year, we had moved way beyond the exploratory stage and were discussing deadlines and trading email addresses.

We knew that we needed a third partner organization to agree to donate to CLiF based on the number of pledges we received during the drive. We typically receive between 5,000 and 6,000 pledges, so it would take a significant commitment. We turned to one of our underwriters, Casella Waste, who was just finishing up their holiday sponsorship of the Toys for Kids program. After talking it over with Stephen McDonnell, their director of sales and marketing, Casella decided they had to be involved. We were ready to go.

We know that our listeners don't look forward to membership drives (okay, we actually have heard from a few of you who DO look forward to them), but we hope this partnership encourages you to support your public radio station, knowing that your pledge will also help foster a child's love of reading.

But why wait for the drive to begin? Make your pledge right now, your gift will give us a head start on the drive, as well as provide a new book for a child in our region.

Please click here to make your pledge to support VPR and this important effort - and thanks!

Opera Quiz For April

2011-04-27T11:30:00.001-04:00

This spring we've been having fun with opera quizzes on Saturday Afternoon at the Opera with Peter Fox Smith. April's quiz is one of the last two we'll have this Met opera season, and like the others it's just a matter of listening to a great operatic voice (past or present), picking up a clue or two, and taking your best guess as to who the voice is.

Our April mystery voice is someone who was seemingly destined for a life in music. His mother was an accomplished violinist and his father was a choir director. As a young man he worked at a busy bakery in his hometown in Germany and entertained the shop's patrons with his beautiful voice. At their urging he finally applied for enrollment in the Freiburg Music Academy in Breisgau, and the town fathers awarded the promising young talent a scholarship to attend. He studied both voice and French Horn at the school.

The natural lyric tenor went on to make his successful professional debut locally in the mid-1950s, and enjoyed singing roles (particularly Mozart roles) in major European opera houses including those in Bavaria, Vienna, and England.

He very much looked forward to the day he could sing on the Metropolitan Opera stage as well. That date should have been October 8, 1966, singing the role of Don Ottavio in a new production of Mozart's Don Giovanni. But, it was not to be. He died unexpectedly on September 17, 1966 (a week before his 36^th birthday) when he took an accidental fall down a stone stairway at a friend's country estate in Heidelberg.

Though his career was cut short he is still considered one of the finest lyric tenors the world has ever known. Ready to guess? ...... OK, here goes: the subject of April's opera quiz is......Fritz Wunderlich!

No one correctly guessed the mystery voice this time around, but please listen in again for the next one. Our season finale Saturday Afternoon at the Opera quiz is coming up on May 21st.

Here's Herr Wunderlich singing Tamino's aria from Mozart's The Magic Flute:

Poetic Pairings - 4/27/2011

2011-04-27T00:01:00.002-04:00

We're coming to the end of National Poetry Month, a month-long celebration of the art form. VPR Classical's starting each weekday morning with a 'poetry pairing': a poetry reading and a piece of music selected to answer to the poem in some way.

Galway Kinnell was born in Rhode Island, and his travels (including time in Paris as a Fulbright scholar) include Europe and the Middle East. These days he makes his home right here in Vermont and is a frequent participant in local readings and poetry projects.

Today's poem seemed to fit the feel of springtime, it's Kinnell's very sensual "Last Gods". After that we'll hear trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger and pianist Roland Pöntinen performing William Weide's variations on "My Love is like a Red, Red, Rose".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Where's George Thomas?

2011-04-26T12:52:00.004-04:00

Bob Parlocha is filling in for George Thomas for a few days.

Bob Parlocha is a nationally recognized jazz expert and the former program director at KJAZ of San Fransisco. He started his jazz radio career as host of Dinner Jazz on KJAZ.

Bob is program director and music host for the Jazz Satellite Network at WFMT in Chicago. His favorite artists are John Coltrane, Stan Getz, Cannonball Aderly and Roland Kirk. There will be no playlist this week while Bob fills in.

Send us an email and let us know what you think of the program. George will be back soon!

Poetic Pairings - 4/26/2011

2011-04-26T00:01:00.000-04:00

"April showers bring May flowers", and National Poetry Month brings a daily selection of poetry readings and related music to VPR Classical's mornings. Cheryl's starting each weekday morning with a poetry reading and a piece of music selected to complement the theme of the poem.

Today's 'poetic pairing' comes from a project that was created in 1994. The movie "Il Postino" had just been released to great international success. It told the fictional story of poet Pablo Neruda's exile in Italy, his friendship with a young postman in his village, and the sublime magic that poetry worked in the postman's previously unsuccessful efforts in love.

The film was produced by Miramax, and shortly after the film came out the chairmen of the company (Harvey and Bob Weinstein) began to hear from people around the world - especially the actors with whom they worked so closely - how much Neruda's poetry meant to them. So they created a recording of Neruda's poetry being read by people such as Julia Roberts, Willem Defoe, Sting, Madonna, and around 10 others. The one thing every narrator had in common was their love of Neruda's writings.

This morning we'll hear Miranda Richardson's reading of Neruda's "Poetry" paired with the deeply touching song "Amor mio, si muero y tu no mueres..." ("My love, if I die and you do not..."), one of the five "Neruda Songs" by Peter Lieberson. We learned with sadness on Saturday that Lieberson had passed away after a five-year battle with Lymphoma. He was 64, and he wrote the Neruda Songs to be sung by his wife, the late Lorraine Hunt-Lieberson.

Here's Alex Ross' remembrance of Lieberson.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here and take a moment to enjoy Lieberson's "Amor, mio" from the Neruda Songs here.

Intelligence Squared

2011-04-25T09:00:00.002-04:00

This week, VPR offers you the opportunity to listen to Intelligence Squared at VPR.net. These provocative debates are held monthly at New York University from June through May. Opposing panels of world re-known experts challenge your convictions on critical issues in an Oxford-style debate.

For this program, the motion on the table is "It's Time to Clip America's Global Wings". Arguing for the motion are Vermont State Senator and former foreign diplomat Peter Galbraith; and Lawrence Korb, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress. Arguing against it are Elliott Abrams, foreign policy adviser to Presidents Bush and Reagan; and Eliot Cohen, Professor of Strategic Studies at Johns Hopkins University. The moderator is ABC News correspondent John Donovan.

Just two decades ago there seemed to be no limits to American power. 9/11, the financial crisis, the rise of China, are all reminders of what a different world we live in today. What should America’s role be in the new world order? Are we guilty of overreach, or have we not been ambitious enough? This debate may challenge you to rethink your point of view.

Click here for VPR Presents: Intelligence Squared.

And here's the link to learn more about Intelligence Squared and listen to past debates. We'd love to know what you think of the program.

Poetic Pairings - 4/25/2011

2011-04-25T00:01:00.002-04:00

National Poetry Month means 'poetic pairings', on VPR Classical. Each weekday morning begins with a poetry reading and a piece of music chosen to fit the theme of the selected poem.

Nikki Giovanni is an activist, a teacher, and a cancer survivor. Every one of those attributes has served to deeply inform her poetry. Her first volume of verse ("Black Feeling, Black Talk") was published in 1967 in direct response to the civil rights movement. Since then she's published another 25, including a selection of books for children.

In 2008 National Public Radio commissioned her to write a poem for President Obama's inauguration ceremony, and, she was one of the select poets asked to read at the Lincoln Memorial ceremony commemorating the bicentennial of Lincoln's birth in 2009.

This morning we'll hear Giovanni's spirited poem, "Stardate 18628.190#", a rhythmic pastiche of familiar home images, iconic civil rights moments, and music references. After that Leontyne Price (one of the singers mentioned in the poem) sings the triumphant "Alleliua" from Mozart's bouyant concert aria "Exsultate jubilate".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

(photo by Brett Weinstein)

Poetic Pairings - 4/22/2011

2011-04-22T00:01:00.001-04:00

VPR Classical's 'poetic pairings' for National Poetry Month continue today. We're starting each weekday morning with a poetry reading and a piece of music that somehow responds to the theme of the selected poem.

Today's selection was made with Earth Day in mind. Dublin poet and Nobel Laureate Seamus Heaney reads his "Death of a Naturalist", the story of an experience on a hot summer day at frog pond. Then we'll hear Georg Philip Telemann's own homage to amphibians in his Concerto, "Die Relinge" - "The Frogs".

As a special treat, later in the 8am hour this morning Vermont poet Major Jackson will stop by for a conversation about his latest book "Holding Company", National Poetry Month, and other topics.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Murrow Awards

2011-04-21T14:17:00.002-04:00

Every spring, when awards season rolls around, we get a chance to see how we stack up against other radio news operations of our size around New England.

This year, we were humbled to learn that VPR News was honored with six regional Edward R. Murrow awards from the Radio, Television, Digital News Association.

The most gratifying was for “overall excellence,” a category that considers a wide variety of VPR’s best work from the course of the past year. Later this spring, all of the winning work in regional contests will compete for national recognition.

There’s no denying that it’s nice to win an award. It’s an ego boost. But we’ve found that these competitions are important for much more than the nice plaques that we get to put in a display case in the front lobby.

These awards make us better, because they’re an opportunity to test ourselves against the best in the field. We don’t set out to win an award when we write a story. But when we do win, it shows that we’re practicing good, solid journalism. And that’s the value for our listeners.

But I’d be lying if I didn’t say that I’m awfully proud of the work that we produce around here, the stuff that wins awards and the day-to-day journalism that informs and entertains. If you’d like to take a look at this year’s winning work, you can visit VPR.net. (By the way, it was recognized with a Murrow award, too)

Poetic Pairings - 4/19/2011

2011-04-21T00:01:00.003-04:00

VPR Classical's 'poetic pairings' continue this morning in our ongoing celebration of National Poetry Month. Each weekday morning starts with a poetry reading followed by a piece of music that somehow relates to the theme of the selected poem.

Tomorrow is Earth Day, and with that in mind we turn to the inspiring writings of contemporary Greek poet Odysseas Elytis, from "The Garden with the Self-Deceptions". He won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 1979 and he's considered to be one of the most important voices in Greek modernism. His verse is read by fellow Greek poet Olga Broumas.

After that we'll hear the colorful "Helios" Overture by Carl Nielsen, named after the Greek god of the sun and inspired by a real visit to Greece. The overture is a musical realization of a full day on the Aegean sea; from the gentle awakening of dawn (heard in the stirrings of the horns and strings) to the brassy fanfare of the full noontime sun, and finally the day's end with the quieting of the entire orchestra.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

Poetic Pairings - 4/20/2011

2011-04-20T00:01:00.001-04:00

We're celebrating National Poetry Month on VPR Classical with 'poetic pairings'. Each weekday morning starts with a poetry reading followed by a piece of music that somehow fits the theme of the featured poem.

Today we hit the open road with a rambling reading by Jack Kerouac from his era-defining work, "The Beat Generation".

I had to really think about what music might work with the picture those words paint. Would it be Harry Partch (a favorite composer of mine) and his "Barstow", a song cycle with text taken from hitchhiker inscriptions found on California overpasses? Something jazzy? Or would it be something "cool" and "hip", the very musical embodiment of all that Kerouac represented?

In the end I chose a piece that swings AND speaks to the open road with which Kerouac is so closely associated. It's John Adams' "40% Swing", from his suite "Road Movies". I hope you enjoy it.

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here. This is also a nice montage of Kerouac's "American Haiku" at YouTube.

(photo by Tom Palumbo, circa 1956)

Poetic Pairings - 4/19/2011

2011-04-19T00:01:00.004-04:00

Passover began yesterday evening at sundown.

This month VPR Classical is celebrating National Poetry Month by starting each weekday morning with a "poetic pairing" - a poetry reading paired with a piece of music that somehow responds to the theme of the featured poem.

Today's pairing features self-described "jazz poet" Dan Jaffe in a reading of his reflective work, "Learning About Passover and Easter". As the poem begins, the narrator recalls, "For one week and a day we eat no bread. Stop fumbling, son, and listen. I was 8."

Dan Jaffe is in his 70s now, with more than 15 books and a long history of involvement with civil rights, jazz, and friendships with fellow poets Langston Hughes and Gwendolyn Brooks.

Jaffe's reading will be followed by selections from Handel's great Passover oratorio, "Israel in Egypt".

Listen for more poetic pairings this month, just after 8am weekdays on VPR Classical. You can also find out more about Vermont's month-long celebration of poetry, "Poetry Alive!" here.

[Dan Jaffe's photo is from www.allaboutjazz.com]