Programs

When you think about an elementary school music class, a choir might come to mind. The students sing choral standards with their teacher standing in front, or backing them up on piano. But these days, some of those classes are different. In Juneau, one music teacher has hundreds of kids playing guitars, mandolins, ukuleles and banjos – together, as a band. Listen Now

This week we're hearing from Ives Viray from Anchorage. Viray is a professional break-dancer and is looking to open Express Dance Studio early next year. Listen Now

Here’s the Sunday, December 11th, 2016 edition of Algo Nuevo con Dave Luera — Something New with Dave Luera. If you have questions, comments or music requests for host Dave, send email to algonuevo@alaskapublic.org or post your comment at the bottom of this post.

KSKA: Friday, December 16 at 2:45pm UAA Department of Music and Anchorage Opera have teamed up again under the leadership of Associate Professor Mari Hahn to present two one-act operas, Savitri by Gustav Holst and Dr. Miracle by Georges Bizet, both performing Friday, 12/16 through Sunday 12/18 in the UAA Fine Arts Building Recital Hall. Hahn, who rewrote both librettos and who directed both productions brings two of the performers, Linda Porter and Zaide Manzano to Stage Talk today. LISTEN NOW

This week we're hearing from Sophie Leshan in Anchorage. Leshan is originally from Ann Arbor, Michigan and moved to Anchorage in 2013. She will be the University of Alaska Anchorage's Fall commencement speaker on Sunday. Listen Now

Aztec dancers whirled, while drums beat and a guitar-backed chorus sang Spanish hymns in praise of La Senora de Guadalupe. The pre-dawn celebration honors Mexico's patron saint, and even in frozen Alaska, the tradition warms up a December morning. Listen Now

If you’ve ever flown home for the holidays you know it’s no easy feat-- with everything from weather delays to wailing infants. But what’s it like to travel with a companion that’s more than 100 years old and could explode at any moment? KCAW’s Emily Russell flew home for the holidays with a living, breathing, centuries-old jar of sourdough starter and has the story. Listen Now

This week we're hearing from Santa Claus [Dan Bale]. On occasion he can be seen at Anchorage's Bass Pro Shop listening to children's wish lists during the holiday season. Listen Now

This week on AK... Our favorite segments from 2016! Listen Now

Arctic Entries this month brings you Change of Pace: Stories of Setting Out, Expanding Horizons, and Breaking Barriers. In the spirit of This American Life, The Moth, and other storytelling events, Arctic Entries brings Alaskans to the stage to share their personal stories: funny, sad and sweet.  LISTEN NOW

KSKA: Friday, January 6 at 2:45pm Perseverance Theatre starts off the new year with Hold These Truths, a one-man show about Gordon Hirabayashi, the son of Japanese immigrants who was ordered to report to an interment camp outside of Seattle at the start of World War II and how he resisted. Director Leslie Ishii and Actor Greg Watanabe engage in a captivating conversation this week on Stage Talk. The play runs January 6-15 in the Sydney Laurence Theatre and on Sunday, January 7th, the playwright Jeanne Sakata will join the company and audience in a public talk-back. LISTEN NOW

This week we're hearing from Jack Bennett from Homer. Bennett is an industrial hemp advocate looking to establish more hemp homes throughout rural Alaska. Listen now

With a new year often comes the resolution to be well. Do good work. Keep in touch. Sound familiar? That’s the famous outro to the daily “Writer’s Almanac,” hosted by legendary writer and radio host Garrison Keillor. He visited Alaska last year on a cruise and made a pit stop in Sitka to visit a pen pal. Because it turns out, when it comes to resolutions, Keillor is good on his word. Listen now

Here’s the Sunday, January 8, 2017 edition of Algo Nuevo con Dave Luera — Something New with Dave Luera. If you have questions, comments or music requests for host Dave Luera, send email to algonuevo@alaskapublic.org or post your comment at the bottom of this post.

KSKA: Friday, January 13 at 2:45pm The Anchorage Symphony Orchestra, under the direction of Conductor/Maestro Randy Fleischer, brings back its annual collaboration between music and film as it performs the original soundtracks to two of Charlie Chaplin's more popular films, The Kid and The Idle Class while the films are shown. Fleischer and Education Coordinator Susan Windgrove-Reed come by Stage Talk today to give some background on Chaplin and how Fleischer works to combine the music with the films during the showings. Both films, along with the Anchorage Symphony Orchestra perform Saturday at 8pm in the Atwood Concert Hall. LISTEN NOW

A new Juneau-based comedy troupe called Club Baby Seal is gaining momentum in the capital city. Listen now