Photo of Nikkita Oliver during the recording of Traverse Talks inside Washington Hall in Seattle on December 6, 2021. Nikkita Oliver is a Black, queer, Seattle-based creative, community organizer, abolitionist, educator and attorney. They are currently the executive director of Creative Justice, an arts-based program aimed to help youth and work against harmful systems. Read More
Music
According to the real-life paleontologists, dinosaurs disappeared from Earth 66 million years ago. To judge by the sixth entry in the Jurassic Park franchise, its fresh story ideas have been exhausted as well. The original wonder has waned. Continue Reading Read More
NWPB Classical is proud to present a special re-broadcast of the west coast premiere of Damien Geter’s An African American Requiem. The program airs Monday, June 20 at 8:00 pm. Continue Reading Juneteenth Special Program: Damien Read More
Photo of Tabitha Simmons (left) and Kathy Sprague (right) answering questions in two-part harmony at the Northwest Public Broadcasting studio on March 22, 2022. Wives Tabitha Simmons and Kathy Sprague of Moscow, Idaho were one of the first same-sex couples married in the state of Idaho. The two, who have been together for over 30… Read More
For the longest time, it just wouldn’t fly. A sequel to Top Gun {1986), one of the highest-grossing movies of its decade. The movie that made the charismatic Tom Cruise box office gold. Even when the sequel finally came to fruition, the pandemic delayed its release by two years. Read More
Photo of Kwabi Amoah-Forson recording Traverse Talks in the KTVI Tacoma studios on December 4, 2021. Peace campaigner and humanitarian, Kwabi Amoah-Forson, journeyed across America asking people what “peace” means to them. From Tacoma, Washington to Washington, D.C. Kwabi traveled in a baby blue Mitsubishi van known as The Peace Bus delivering humanitarian aid and… Read More
The MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) made its debut fourteen years ago this month, as a glib and charismatic Robert Downey, Jr. established his superhero credentials as Iron Man. That universe has expanded steadily ever since, although in ways that could easily elude the geometrically challenged. Read More
If you’re a devoted fan of Downton Abbey, the global television phenomenon now back on the big screen, that line certainly rings true. Creator and writer Julian Fellowes, director Simon Curtis (the real-life husband of Elizabeth McGovern/Cora Grantham), a superb ensemble cast and composer John Lunn have crafted another period piece drama brimming with intelligence, Read More
Sometimes a filmmaker tells a story so dense, so deliberately ambiguous, so deeply rooted in symbolic imagery that you realize you’re either intrigued by and invested in the narrative or you’re utterly defeated by the process. The memory of Men, a hallucinatory study in toxic masculinity, will linger long after the closing credits. Read More
Robert Eggers has only made three feature-length films so far. Even as a modest body of work, they reveal a wealth of obsession and talent. Continue Reading Reeder’s Movie Reviews: The NorthmanRead More
From our very first broadcasts, in December 1922, music has been an important, and popular, part of this station’s programming. Listeners were thrilled to hear music on the new medium of radio, so a partnership quickly developed between the station (then known as KWSC) and the Washington State College School of Music. 100 years on, the collaboration continues. Read More
Twenty-five years ago, Angèle Dubeau had a thriving career as a concert violinist, having studied with the legendary Dorothy DeLay at the Juilliard School in New York. She had become a popular broadcaster at home in Québec, where she hosted a weekly French-language program on CBC. She already had her Arthur (as she calls her prized Stradivarius violin), but she envisioned Read More
Read On Thursday March 10th, public radio stations around the world, including NWPB, will air Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 “Choral” in support of Ukraine’s public broadcasting system. The project is called “Public Radio Together – Ode To Peace”. Despite the attack on Ukraine by Russia, Ukraine’s UA:PBC continues to broadcast Read More
Claudio José Brindis de Salas y Garrido. A renowned violinist, born in Cuba in 1852. A contemporary journalist described his playing, and the effect it had on his listeners. “His eyes sparkled. His fingers multiplied…reaching into the deep nerves of the melody…leading a rapt audience to drunken emotion.” Read More
Russia reveres its high arts heritage of classical music and ballet. But Western European and American arts organizations are canceling appearances by performers who have financial or personal ties to Russian President Vladimir Putin, including some of Russia's biggest stars. At the same time, some Russian and Russian-born artists have been speaking out against the Read More
LaFarge’s Chopin journey began with an email to the creator of the video game “Frederic: The Resurrection of Music” during the 200th anniversary year of Chopin’s birth. An amateur pianist, she wanted to explore the game’s use of Chopin’s iconic “funeral march.” Of course, like all explorers, she couldn’t stop there. Read More
Can singing in harmony fix our broken world? If you’ve sung in a chorus, perhaps you’ve felt it can. You’re not alone. Watch this presentation by the award-winning ensemble The King’s Singers, making the case for the choral community’s duty to help heal our fractured societies. It’s from the Chorus America Virtual Conference in 2020. Read More
The holiday season has always been popular for introducing new works, including many perennial favorites. In Italy, the day after Christmas became especially meaningful to composers and impresarios. Continue Reading ‘Tis The Season Of Read More
The holiday season inspires all kinds of thoughts, often having to do with reflection, celebration and renewal. For musicians and concert presenters, this time of year has long served as a period for introducing new works, whether specifically related to the season or not. Classical music offers a wealth of examples. Read More
If you find yourself asking, “Who is Florence Price?” you’re not alone. Which is why that’s the title of a lively new book for and by young readers. Continue Reading BOOK REVIEW: Who Is Florence Price? Young Musicians Read More
Let’s start with the paradoxes. The latest film from Oscar- and Emmy-winning writer-director Aaron Sorkin boasts several. Its two protagonists don’t look all that much like the historical characters they portray (although Nicole Kidman with red hair comes pretty close). The female lead, a comedy legend, has very few funny lines in the story. And, although the movie has the Read More
Steven Spielberg’s latest picture arrives in theatres with not only the weight of history and expectation, but also the bittersweet memories of his father and the work’s lyricist. Arnold Spielberg, the film’s dedicatee, died in August, 2020, and Stephen Sondheim passed away last month. Read More
For decades, it was almost impossible to hear a piece of music written by Florence Price. Price was a Black, female composer who died in 1953. But a group of New York City middle school students had the opportunity to quite literally write Florence Price's history. Their book, titled Who Is Florence Price?, is now out and available in stores. Read More
Twenty years ago, Will Smith accepted the challenge of portraying a living legend, and arguably reached the zenith of his acting career, in Ali. In his latest film, he plays the obsessive, controlling father of sibling tennis phenoms in King Richard. It marks another high point for him. Read More
The writer, director and graphic artist Mike Mills loves to explore family. His own family, to be precise. In Beginners (2010), for which the late Christopher Plummer won an Academy Award, Mills dramatizes his elderly father’s gay relationship with a much younger man. In 20th Century Women (2016), for which Mills himself earned an Oscar nomination for Original Screenplay, Read More
“The Irish are built to leave,” as one character ruefully observes in Sir Kenneth Branagh’s new film, his twenty-second behind the camera. Indeed, many have departed the home soil, but their abiding attachment to it has prompted a wealth of insight and inspiration. You can add Belfast to the mix. Read More
The risk of the project was destined to match the scale of journalist-turned-author Frank Herbert's Dune. Denis Villeneuve's conception has arrived in theatres (and HBO Max), and its sequel has already been greenlighted by Warner Bros. After two viewings, his intentions have become more clear and convincing. Read More
“I’ve got this kind of gift. I can see people, places. Things others can’t.” Eloise (a wide-eyed Thomasin McKenzie) can, indeed, have experiences denied to others, especially when it comes to swinging London of the 1960s, her obsession. In Edgar Wright’s psychological thriller, her gift becomes a nightmare. Read More
A movie review of The French Dispatch. Continue Reading Reeder’s Movie Reviews: The French DispatchRead More
There’s a recipe for just this baroque-era staple included in The Little Bach Book by the Oregon-based tenor, Bach specialist and book designer David Gordon (Lucky Valley Press, 2017). Only 160 pages, including maps, glossary, timeline, recommendations for further reading and, yes, recipes, Gordon’s little book reveals the magnificent Johann Sebastian Bach as a man of his Read More
Every beer tent at Oktoberfest in Munich has its own take on traditional food. So here are a few (non-taditional) offerings from the NWPB tent, submitted by NWPB staff. Continue Reading Guinness Stew, Sauerkraut Roast, And Read More
The steins of beer. The plates of roast pork and chicken, sausages and dumplings. The brass bands. The throngs of people, many of them in traditional Bavarian dress. Dirndls or lederhosen, anyone? That’s how you probably identify Oktoberfest today. However, in the beginning, it had a very different feel. Read More
Adam Driver, left, and Matt Damon in Ridley Scott’s “The Last Duel.” (Patrick Redmond/20th Century Studios) “If we don’t trust each other, this earth might as well be hell.” The words of the Priest in Akira Kurosawa’s landmark of world cinema, Rashômon, still ring true today. His kaleidoscopic tale of a rape and murder in… Read More
Nettie Asberry opened many doors in her lifetime, including her own. Her teaching and her activism left an indelible mark on the Northwest. Continue Reading Women’s History Music Moment: Nettie AsberryRead More
You could say that the gifted actor-writer-director Justin Chon’s new film, Blue Bayou, began in Vancouver, Washington. Five years ago, Adam Crapser, a native of South Korea given up for adoption in the United States at the age of three, was deported to his country of birth, because none of his legal guardians had ever… Read More
A movie review of The Many Saints of Newark. Continue Reading Reeder’s Movie Reviews: The Many Saints of NewarkRead More
A movie review of The Card Counter. Continue Reading Reeder’s Movie Reviews: The Card CounterRead More
Past as Prologue essay about gendered epithets in Pacific Northwest politics and beyond. Continue Reading Past As Prologue: Gendered Epithets In Pacific Northwest Politics And BeyondRead More
What is it about some music that feels just right for these challenging times? In Victoria, BC, the theme of the 13th Annual Pacific Baroque Festival is “From the Ground, Up,” featuring just that kind of music: the kind that builds on repetition. Marc Destrubé, the internationally-acclaimed violinist and teacher, and the Pacific Baroque Festival’s Artistic Director, says Read More
Freshly sharpened pencils. New spiral notebooks. Markings of a new school year and a new opportunity to fill your brain with math and English and music. Many composers led double lives as teachers, and some of the music we remember best originated in the classroom. Read More
When a student becomes an award-winner, you congratulate the teacher, right? A teacher like Dr. Chris Dickey, assistant professor of tuba at WSU. His student earned this year’s first prize in European Music at the Charleston International Music Competition. The student is WSU sophomore Tim Schrader. Read More
With the height of the Perseids on August 11 & 12, it’s a great time to reflect on the inspired music of composers entranced by the celestial objects that surround us. The sky has had a long history of captivating its audience. Continue Reading Composers And The Night SkyRead More
Steve reviews The Suicide Squad movie. Continue Reading Reeder’s Movie Reviews: The Suicide SquadRead More
Theaters of the 1920’s were nothing short of magical. Elaborate architecture and stunning decor housed vaudevillian acts and traveling shows for an evening or two, while making way for a rapidly growing hunger in America - a desire for movies. The Lincoln Theater in Mount Vernon was born during this enchanting time of art and growth and today serves as a home to Read More
Midsummer Update! As of the beginning of August, the 2021 season of Northwest summer music festivals finds some fests concluded, some continuing, and some just getting underway. Some continue to stream past performances. Read More
If you're prepared to immerse yourself in a story rich with character, emotion, symbolism and poetry (both verbal and visual), then you'll savor this journey. This is a story well worth telling, and watching.
Continue Reading Reeder’s Movie Read More
NWPB's Steve Reeder review's Disney's latest, long awaited movie, Jungle Cruise. Continue Reading Reeder’s Movie Review: Jungle CruiseRead More
Music and technology - two things you probably can't live without! But can you tell the difference when given just a name? Is Frescobaldi a composer or music software. Or both! Take a couple moments to see if you can guess composer from music software. Continue Reading Quiz: Read More
Who needs a concert hall when there’s a barn nearby? Or a brewery? Or an old electric power plant? The Northwest is home to some classical music venues with decidedly non-classical histories. This is the story of Trillium Woods Farm, home of Concerts in the Barn. Read More
The orchestra tuning up. A quieting audience. Applause as the conductor enters the stage.
Familiar sounds marking the start of a live performance. After a year and a half pause, symphony season has been a notably missing companion in our community. Continue Read More