New England Public Radio Brings Gunther Schuller and Kevin Rhodes to the Stage as Part of a New Series, "Words & Music: Conversations on a Theme."

[Thursday, October 20, 2011, AMHERST, MA.]  As part of its 50th Anniversary celebration, New England Public Radio is proud to present a new series of public events this fall. "Words & Music: Conversations on a Theme," will feature live conversations between New England Public Radio music hosts, and well-known experts in their fields.

On Wednesday, October 26, New England Public Radio's Music Director, John Montanari will sit down with Kevin Rhodes, Music Director of the Springfield Symphony Orchestra; and on Wednesday, November 2, Jazz a la Mode host, Tom Reney, will be joined onstage by the legendary musician and jazz historian, Gunther Schuller. Both events will be held at Robyn Newhouse Hall at the Community Music School of Springfield in Springfield, MA from 6p.m. - 8 p.m..Tickets ($15) are available at http://www.nepr.net/events  and at the door. A reception from 6 p.m. - 7 p.m., catered by Portabella Fine Foods & Catering will proceed the talk. Ticket price includes reception.

"Though they usually let their notes do the talking, thoughtful musicians have just as much to say off the stage as on," says Montanari.  "Anyone who's ever heard Kevin Rhodes speak knows how energetic, voluble, funny and opinionated he is about music and other divers matters. As for Gunther Schuller, who's done everything, known everyone, and is not shy about telling you what he thinks about all of it -- the man's a living, breathing musical treasure. Here's your chance to get to know them up close, and even to ask your own question.  Please don't miss it!"

October 26 - A Conversation with Kevin Rhodes: John Montanari will join American conductor Kevin Rhodes on stage for a conversation about classical music, and the Springfield Symphony Orchestra. Rhodes'  work extends from the major opera houses of Europe to the orchestral world of the U.S. He has collaborated with such diverse artists as Andre Watts, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Peter Serkin and Lorin Hollander in the classical arena while working with pops favorites such as Art Garfunkel and The Kingston Trio.

Since becoming Music Director of the Springfield Symphony in 2001, he has led the orchestra to a new level of artistic excellence, with high audience acclaim, rave reviews, and sellout houses. The Springfield Symphony, long the acknowledged cultural gem of the region, has succeeded in igniting a new found enthusiasm for and love of classical music in the Pioneer Valley under Maestro Rhodes' leadership.

November 2 - A Conversation with Gunther Schuller: Tom Reney, host of Jazz a la Mode, sits down with American composer, author, historian, and jazz musician, Gunther Schuller, for a conversation about his extensive career in jazz, from his appearances on landmark recordings by Miles Davis and Charles Mingus, to his authorship of two major volumes of jazz history, "Early Jazz" and "The Swing Era."

Schuller, a composer of both classical and jazz works, was formerly president of the New England Conservatory of Music, where he established the school's Third Stream Music department. He is the author of two major works of jazz scholarship, "Early Jazz" and "The Swing Era," and the founder of the Smithsonian Jazz Masterworks Orchestra. He will discuss his jazz-oriented work with Reney, including his appearances on the Miles Davis recordings "Birth of the Cool" and "Miles Ahead;" his discovery of Charles Mingus's magnum opus, "Epitaph," his work as conductor of the Mingus Orchestra, and his life-long fascination with the music of Duke Ellington. 

Free parking is available both evenings in the Community Music School of Springfield's private lot on Stockbridge Street.

For more information, please visit http://www.nepr.net/events or contact Vanessa Cerillo, Director of Marketing and Communications at 413.545.9717 or vcerillo@nepr.net.