"People are worried about approaching classical music, and I think we try our very best to remove that," says Alex McDonald, Artistic Director of the Basically Beethoven Festival, presented every summer by the Fine Arts Chamber Players. McDonald spoke with WRR's Amy Bishop about this year's lineup, which includes some of DFW's most celebrated classical musicians.

WRR 101 Focus on the Arts: Basically Beethoven Fest continues to spotlight amazing local musicians

"It's incredibly danceable music," says Katie Puder, Avant Chamber Ballet's Artistic Director, describing Philip Glass' music to "Dracula." The ballet company will bring the story to life on stage at Moody Performance Hall in October, just in time for Halloween. Puder gives more details on her vision for the production in this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop.

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Dracula comes to life through dance with Avant Chamber Ballet

“It’s very whimsical, it’s very engaging, and it’s a blend of poems of motivational messages, and music – all of that put together," says Eugene Migliaro Corporon, Music Director and Conductor of the Lone Star Wind Orchestra, describing "Wild Symphony" by NY Times bestselling author Dan Brown. The group will present the work in a kid-friendly concert on April 7, 2024, narrated by WRR's Amy Bishop. Hear more in Amy’s interview with Maestro Corporon.

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Did you know 'The Da Vinci Code' author is also a composer?

“The concerts I’ve been to since I’ve been an Executive Director there have been phenomenal and it's such a pleasure to be able to offer something so wonderful at no cost to people who might otherwise not be able to see a concert in a whole year," says Morgan Vaughan, Executive Director of Basically Beethoven. The organization formerly known as the Fine Arts Chamber Players for the past 43 years decided it was time to update their name to reflect their signature summer series. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Morgan gives an overview of this year's highlights.

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Basically Beethoven is back, but with a slight change

“The music begs for dance... it's visceral in sound,” says Joy Bollinger, Artistic Director of Bruce Wood Dance Dallas. The company is teaming up with the Verdigris Ensemble for a production of SHAMS, described as a transformative true story of Rumi and his spiritual mentor Shams Tabrizi, set to music by Iranian-American composer Sahba Aminikia. In this feature with Amy Bishop, Bollinger and Verdigris founding Artistic Director Sam Brukhman give insight into the groundbreaking new work, and what audiences can expect.

WRR101 Focus on the Arts: Verdigris and Bruce Wood Dance join forces to bring an ancient story to life

“When we’re talking about local musicians, we’re talking about high level local musicians,” says Morgan Vaughan, Executive Director of Basically Beethoven, which is opening its annual summer festival of free chamber music performances in Dallas on Sunday, July 13, 2025. In this feature with WRR's Amy Bishop, Vaughan joins the organization's Production & Education Manager Jeff Tullis for an overview of the festival and the impact they're having on local music education.


New tracks tagged #moody performance hall