Crossover

Jill's guest will be the internationally renowned soprano Sylvia McNair. For over twenty years, McNair has been gracing the stages of opera houses the world over. But recently she's been exploring music from the Great American Songbook, performing to intimate audiences across the country.

Celebrate a belated St. Patrick's Day with the female Irish quintet that's taken the world by storm--"Celtic Woman." Jill Pasternak speaks with Orla Fallon, vocalist and harpist with the group, and we'll hear music from their CD, "Celtic Woman," as well as that from some of the girls solo CD's.

The rafters ring with the sound of jazz as Jill speaks with Adam Unsworth. Unsworth is a French hornist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, but outside of the Kimmel Center he performs his own jazz compositions. We'll hear music from his recently released CD, Excerpt This!, as well as music he performed in the WRTI Performance Studio the day of the interview.

Hear an exploration of the sounds of Portugal with the music of the Lisbon-based group "Madredeus." Jill speaks with Pedro Ayres Magalhaes, the composer responsible for most of the music they perform, as well as being the ensemble's guitarist.

CROSSOVER with Jill Pasternak

This week, a conversation with distinguished artist James Galway. Knighted by Queen Elizabeth for his spectacular contribution to the world of music, he has embarked on yet another aspect of his career, conductor as well as soloist. He'll appear with his wife Jeannie Galway on a 22-city tour conducting the Polish Chamber Orchestra in a program of works celebrating the 250th birthday of Mozart.

We go "south of the border" with a visit from pianist Thomas Tirino. Tirino has worked tirelessly recording and promoting the music of Cuban composer Ernesto Lecuona, and released multiple volumes of Lecouna's music on CD. Now, Tirino has turned to another composer, the Brazilian-born Ernesto Nazareth, and has just released a CD of his music. WRTI is giving away 15 copies of the new Nazareth/Tirino CD, in a random drawing from e-mails and post cards received by January 21. Be sure to include your mailing address and telephone number. If you'd like to enter, click here!

This week, a visit with author Margaret Bartley, whose book Grisha examines the life of cellist Gregor Piatigorsky. Cellist Jeffrey Solow, on the music staff at the Esther Boyer College of Music at Temple University, and a former Piatgorsky student, also makes an appearance.

This week pianist/composer Leanne Rees joins Jill on Crossover to discuss her dual career and most recent album. A trailblazer in the development of works by women composers, she has lectured and performed throughout the United States and was a featured guest on Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz on NPR.

Jill's guests this week are husband and wife duo pianists Mischa and Cipa Dichter. Both students of the distinguished pedagogue Rhosinna Levine, the two met at the Juilliard School after Mischa had won the Tchaikovsky competition in 1965. Although acclaimed as solo pianists, the two have been performing together to sold out audiences for years, and have, in this 250th anniversary year of Mozart's birth, released a double CD of the composer's complete piano works for four hands.