On September 25, 2024, the Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society visited the studios of WMMR 93.3 FM, Philly’s legendary rock station and the nation’s longest-continuous playing FM radio station. Of course, WMMR is a rock music radio station, so what is PCGS doing in their studios? Well, our artistic director Jordan Peterson’s brainchild was to introduce WMMR and its listeners to the classical guitar and the mission and programming of PCGS.
Hosts Preston Elliot and Steve Morrison (i.e., The Preston and Steve Morning Show) have been waking up Philadelphians since 1998 and have become the #1 regional morning show and earned a place in the Radio Hall of Fame. In addition to radio, WMMR produces a live YouTube stream of the program.
Of course, the guitar is the most popular instrument globally. It is simply a cool instrument, and one could argue that the electric and classical guitars are very similar. For example, the Edge, U2’s guitarist, took classical guitar lessons, as did Alex Lifeson, the lead guitarist of Rush. To demonstrate the beauty of the classical guitar, we asked Ana Vidović, who lives in Philadelphia between tour dates, to accompany us.
When we arrived at the studio, all the WMMR staff were amazingly friendly and professional. Seeing how much effort WMMR puts into its production and programming in technology and human resources was fascinating. Their sound tech already had everything set up for Jordan, Ana, and her Redgate guitar. True to rock radio, that is, with little preparation, at 8:30 a.m., the prime morning drive spot, we “jumped” into the interview.
Preston told us that yesterday’s guest was Sting, who played a Bach piece. [Fun fact: Andy Summer, the great Police guitarist, attended one of Ana’s past concerts.] Ana talked about her father, who inspired her to become a guitarist and who was an accomplished electrical guitar and bass player who had a traveling rock band. So, it was easy to segway into the culture of the guitar, both classical and rock.
Jordan informed the listeners about PCGS’s mission, including our community engagement efforts. Of course, the best way to talk about the classical guitar is to play it, and Ana blew everyone away with her performance of Asturias. It was noted that a “truncated” version is recognizable in the Doors’ Spanish Caravan.
The hosts were incredibly good at their craft, fun yet informative and on point. They were interested in Ana’s career, playing technique, nails, and music. Of course, it was also fun, and Ana was asked if she ever felt like burning her guitar, à la Jimi Hendrix. It was an entertaining and engaging interview. Then, Ana performed a 2nd piece on the classical guitar: The Prelude from J. S. Bach’s 1st Cello Suite since Sting had played an incipit of that piece the previous day. Everyone in the studio was mesmerized, to say the least.
Overall, the PCGS segment lasted over 30 minutes and was informative, creative, and energizing. Kudos to Preston, Steve, Nick, Casey, and Kathy, who asked fun questions and knew how to make 30 minutes feel like 1 minute. And, of course, thanks to Ana Vidović, a great ambassador for the classical guitar and music culture in general. A big thank you to Jordan for having the vision to integrate our passion for the classical guitar into the public framework of Philadelphia radio!
After visiting, I agree that WMMR is the best rock station in the nation—except for the 30 minutes this morning when it was the best classical guitar station in the world!
Click here to see and hear the PCGS and Ana Vidović interview. The photos also showcase the professional and high-tech aspects of WMMR’s studio. Finally, a big THANK YOU to WMMR—they are a real class act!
In gratitude, Eric Zillmer
President, Philadelphia Classical Guitar Society
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