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Central New York’s only classical music station, Classic FM brings its listeners Classic Choices, seven days a week. These are our signature classical music programs curated by our talented, expert team of live, local hosts. The station also offers local specialty programming including recorded concerts from a variety of regional performing groups, Italian-American music, newly-composed music, jazz, and bluegrass. We also offer great syndicated classical music programming, featuring concerts from around the world six nights a week, performances from the Metropolitan Opera and other companies on Saturdays, and specialty programming including the best of Broadway, compelling pipe organ music, classical guitar, and many other genres. Classic FM is available on WCNY-91.3 in Syracuse, WUNY-89.5 in Utica/Rome and WJNY-90.9 in Watertown, the North Country and the Kingston area. You can stream Classic FM here at wcny.org, on the TuneIn app, or by asking Alexa to “Play WCNY.” Click here to visit the Classic FM page, which includes our program guide and the Classic FM playlist. You can find the Classic FM Top 40 Listener Favorites here.
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Local People, Local Perspectives
Listen to community-oriented programming, produced for and by Central New Yorkers on Community FM, WCNY-HD3. Every day, Community FM brings you several hours of original local programming like Central Current Radio, Our New Neighbors, Built to Serve, Science Today, Innovate to Educate, CNY Heroes, Check It Out, Syracuse (On)Stage, Checkup From the Neck-up, and On the One LIVE! We also feature Syracuse University’s Thursday Morning Roundtable, and the Strathmore Speaker Series, plus WCNY-TV programs like On the Money, Ivory Tower, CONNECT-NY, Behind the Woman, and Cycle of Health. Monday through Saturday at 11am, catch up on state politics with The Capitol Pressroom, hosted by WCNY’s own David Lombardo. Community FM is also pleased to present quality, locally-produced podcasts like From Suarez’s Basement, Talk CNY, Zestful Aging, North Words, and CNY Latino Podcast. Stay tuned for new community-oriented programs as they are produced! Outside of our great local programming, Community FM features a variety of jazz music including Sounds of Jazz from the Classic FM archives, hosted by the legendary Leo Rayhill, Sunday through Friday at 10am. Community FM is available on an HD radio (WCNY 91.3-HD3, Syracuse / WUNY 89.5-HD3, Utica / WJNY 90.9-HD3, Watertown); or by streaming here at wcny.org, the TuneIn app, or by asking Alexa to “Play WCNY,” then following the instructions to “Play HD-3.” Click here to visit the Community FM page, which includes our updated program schedule, and all Community FM programs available for on-demand listening.
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WCNY-HD2 Oldies features the best in rock and pop oldies 24 hours a day. Enjoy your favorite oldies from the 1950s and 60s, along with selected music from the 70s and 80s. A wide variety of artists includes Elvis Presley, the Beatles, Perry Como, Joni Mitchell, the Supremes, and many more! HD2 Oldies is available on an HD radio (WCNY 91.3-HD2, Syracuse / WUNY 89.5-HD2, Utica / WJNY 90.9-HD2, Watertown); live stream here at wcny.org. Weekdays 6-10 a.m., WCNY’s Joel Stockton brings you AM in the AM, a nostalgic throwback to 1970s AM rock and roll radio. If you’re an Oldies fan, we want to hear from you. Offer your feedback on our Oldies station and/or tell Joel about some of your favorite “good old days of the Oldies” memories here!
Classic ChoicesEnjoy your favorite classical music every day on Classic Choices. These programs are curated by our live, local expert hosts Bruce Paulsen, Diane Jones, Marie Lamb, Adam Fine, Spencer Phillips and Jonathan Hwang. Listen, learn, and love this amazing music on WCNY-FM 91.3 Syracuse, WUNY-FM 89.5 Utica, and WJNY-FM 90.9 Watertown.
Feminine FusionFeminine Fusion is a weekly radio program that highlights the influence of women in classical music. These are the women throughout history and into the present day who create, perform, and inspire. WCNY’s Diane Jones produces this program, which is nationally-syndicated. It’s heard on Classic FM Sundays at 2 p.m. Learn more.
Now in its 49th year on Classic FM, listen to The Bluegrass Ramble with Bill Knowlton, every Sunday night from 9 p.m. to midnight on WCNY-FM 91.3 Syracuse, WUNY-FM 89.5 Utica, and WJNY-FM 90.9 Watertown.
This weekly program has combined new musical styles into an hour of innovative programming since May 1996 on Classic FM. Produced and hosted by Neva Pilgrim of the Society for New Music, Fresh Ink features music from the past 5-10 years by composers, performers and recording companies from around the world, including world premieres. It airs Sundays 4 – 5 p.m.
The Capitol Pressroom is a daily one-hour program broadcast from the Legislative Correspondents Association Pressroom on the third floor of the State Capitol in Albany and syndicated to public radio stations across the state. Hosted by WCNY’s own political expert, David Lombardo, Capitol Pressroom focuses on New York State government and politics. Learn more
Co-hosts Joey Nigro and Jim Battaglia showcase the charm of Italian-American traditions and the music of Italian-American and Italian songbooks. You’ll hear selections from Dean Martin, Tony Bennett and Connie Francis; rock-era artists like Frankie Avalon and Neil Sedaka, Italian classical melodies by Luciano Pavarotti and Andrea Bocelli and contemporary Italian singers like Gigi D’Alessio, Antonio Venditti and Laura Pausini. Learn more
Each week, the legendary Leo Rayhill highlights such greats as Louis Armstrong, Count Basie, Ella Fitzgerald and Duke Ellington. Rayhill hosted Sounds of Jazz on WCNY for five decades. His shows, from the Classic FM archives, can be heard on WCNY-FM 91.3 Syracuse, WUNY-FM 89.5 Utica, and WJNY-FM 90.9 Watertown Sunday afternoons at 1 p.m. Sounds of Jazz is also heard seven days a week at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on WCNY HD3, our Jazz and Community station.
Keep in touch with upcoming musical events as local, regional, national, and international musicians and artists visit the Classic FM studios. Interviews and live performances inform and entertain you! Follow WCNY Classic FM on Facebook and Twitter to learn of upcoming Live at WCNY Radio Events, with host Diane Jones. Learn more
Your Classic FM hosts bring you The Dinner Hour, Tuesdays through Fridays at 6 p.m. Enjoy this hour of music that will pair perfectly with your evening meal!
Classic FM’s Bruce Paulsen is your host every Saturday night at 8 p.m. for The Concert Hall. Relive the best concerts from all around the region, with local and internationally acclaimed artists – right in your own home.
BRUCE PAULSEN hosts Classic Choices live, 6-10 a.m. on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. He also hosts Concert Hall at 8 p.m. on Saturdays. With degrees in music and theatre, Bruce has performed with many of the great musicians of our time, including Luciano Pavarotti and Placido Domingo, and he brings more than thirty years’ performance experience to the microphone. Bruce sings with a number of local musical groups and has performed with the Syracuse Opera. WCNY is his second expedition into radio. Before Classic FM, he hosted opera programs and weekends for WGKA, Atlanta’s Voice of the Arts. Learn More About Bruce
DIANE JONES is Classic FM’s Program Manager and hosts mid-day Classic Choices live 10am-2 pm. She also produces and hosts the nationally-syndicated Feminine Fusion, which airs Sundays at 2 p.m. on Classic FM. An active composer, Diane has received commissions from nationally and internationally-recognized musicians and ensembles. She’s also completed five residencies in Syracuse area schools, introducing young musicians to composition. Diane is an accomplished flutist, performing regularly with Samba Laranja, the Central New York Flute Choir, and the 315 Ensemble. Her music has been featured on two SAMMY-award winning CDs. Follow Diane on Twitter (@ComposerJones) and Facebook (PetDragonMusic). Learn More About Diane
MARIE LAMB hosts afternoon Classic Choices live, 2-6 p.m. weekdays. She also hosts Opera Encore on Saturday afternoons. Marie is a Central New York native and a graduate of the Setnor School of Music at Syracuse University, where she studied vocal performance. She began in radio as the host of classical and opera programs at WIKE-AM, at the former Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls. She also hosted a daily jazz program for many years at WAER-FM in Syracuse. Marie has been a fixture at Classic FM since 2002, when she began work as a board operator. Learn More About Marie
ADAM FINE hosts Classic Choices weekend mornings from 7-11 a.m. He is also heard on Classic Choices Monday afternoons and Tuesday mid-days, and he hosts our All-Request Hour on Mondays at 6 p.m. Adam brings an extensive performance background as an actor, singer, and conductor in both opera and musical theater to the microphone. A former music teacher, he has studied music education, composition, and conducting at both Northwestern and Syracuse Universities. Adam performs regularly with Syracuse Opera and has also sung with Oswego Opera Theater and Syracuse Vocal Ensemble. Learn More About Adam
SPENCER PHILLIPS hosts morning Classic Choices on Mondays. Spencer is a professional musician, currently the Principal Double Bassist for Symphoria, the orchestra of Central New York. Spencer graduated from Interlochen Arts Academy and went on to obtain degrees in Music Performance from Michigan State University, the Manhattan School of Music, and a Doctorate from the Eastman School of Music, where he also minored in music theory. Spencer also teaches at Syracuse University, and is a huge hockey fan and supporter of the Syracuse Crunch. Learn More About Spencer
LEO RAYHILL Local radio legend Leo Rayhill has been the host of The Sounds of Jazz since 1961 and the program has been broadcast on WCNY-FM since the station signed on the air in 1971. Sounds of Jazz shows from the Classic FM archives air every Sunday at 1 p.m. They are also available daily at 10 a.m. and 1 p.m. on WCNY-HD 3, our Jazz and Community station. A Central New York native, Leo is a graduate of Hamilton College.
NEVA PILGRIM A graduate of Hamline and Yale, Pilgrim is a professional singer and recording artist. She is also a founding member of the Society for New Music, which sponsors educational programs, concerts and operas. Having concertized throughout the U.S. and abroad with such conductors as Boulez and Keene, Neva has been artist-in-residence at Colgate University for many years. Pilgrim garnered numerous awards, most recently CMM’s Lifetime Achievement for outstanding contribution by a musician to the community. Neva hosts Fresh Ink on Classic FM, every Sunday at 4 p.m.
BILL KNOWLTON Dubbed “Mr. Bluegrass of Central New York,” Bill hosted the first all-bluegrass radio show in New York City in 1960. Coming to Syracuse as a U.S. Air Force Public Affairs Officer, Bill started Bluegrass Ramble on WCNY-FM in January 1973, and his three-hour show airs every Sunday night at 9. In 1997, Bill was named “Broadcast Personality of the Year” by the International Bluegrass Music Association. He emcees bluegrass festivals every year, including his own “Bluegrass Ramble Picnic” every August. The Liverpool resident also writes liner notes for bluegrass and old-time country music artists.
JOEY NIGRO Joey has been entertaining audiences as a singer most of her life in musicals, clubs, concerts and cabaret performances. Her recordings and original songs have been featured on numerous radio and CD compilations. After graduating from Syracuse University’s Newhouse School with a degree in journalism, Joey worked in New York City before returning to Central New York. She was raised on Syracuse’s old North Side Italian-American Community where she began interviewing immigrant forbears and second-generation Italian Americans in her family and writing about growing up Italian-American. She co-hosts Ciao! of Classic FM, Sundays at noon.
JIM BATTAGLIA The other co-host of Ciao!, Jim was born in the Southern province of Calabria and raised in an Italian-American enclave on Syracuse’s Near Westside, where his parents established their home when he was two and a half years old. He is fluent in his first language, the Italian Calebrese dialect, and has toured Italy many times. He and his wife, Francine, have vacationed worldwide and are frequent visitors to his birthplace, the coastal village in Calabria. Jim graduated from CCBI with a degree in business and was the longtime manager of Nojaim’s Supermarket in Syracuse. He is a board member and past-president of the Greater Syracuse Sports Hall of Fame.
WCNY is proud to carry these fine classical music programs from around the country. Listen to 91.3 WCNY-FM Syracuse, 89.5 WUNY-FM Utica, 90.9 WJNY-FM Watertown. We are also streamed here at wcny.org, or through your favorite streaming app. You can also ask Alexa to “Play WCNY.”
On Composers Datebook, Host John Birge presents a daily snapshot of composers past and present, with timely information, intriguing musical events, and music related to each. Monday through Sunday at 9 a.m. Repeated at 3 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin is a creative exploration of classical music and other genres. Each week’s programs are unified by compositions that share a central theme – a composer, a period of history, or a musical form. Monday through Friday at 7 p.m.
Performance Today features the best live performance recordings from concert halls around the world, as well as in-studio performances and interviews with an eclectic mix of guests. Fred Child is your host. Monday through Friday at 10 p.m.
The WFMT Orchestra Series is a year-round series that combines exceptional orchestras from across the country and around the world. Each quarter, listeners will hear fantastic concerts, including the LA Phil (Summer), Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (Fall), San Francisco Symphony (Spring), and a scintillating variety in the Winter Quarter, including orchestras from Europe, the UK, California, and China.
Travel to Santa Fe, New Mexico through the sounds of thirteen new one-hour radio concerts from the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Now in its ninth season, the program has been broadcast across the United States and around the world.
The Gateways Music Festival Orchestra is a 125+ member ensemble of musicians of African descent under the leadership of conductor Anthony Parnther. The Orchestra made its stunning Carnegie Hall debut on April 24, 2022 as the first all-Black orchestra to be presented by the famed venue. Gateways Radio features exceptional compositions and exquisite performances, celebrating the Gateways Music Festival’s mission of connecting and supporting classical musicians of African descent and serving as a source of inspiration, enlightenment, and engagement for communities—especially communities underrepresented in classical music.
SymphonyCast features full-length concerts recently performed by the best orchestras from around the world, including Europe’s premier symphony orchestras and festivals, along with US orchestras. Wednesdays at 8 p.m.
Alec Baldwin is your host every week for selected concerts presented by the New York Philharmonic. The New York Philharmonic is one of the world’s longest-running and most celebrated orchestras! Thursdays at 8 p.m.
Hailed as the number one U.S. Orchestra by British publication Gramophone, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra brings you concerts from Symphony Center, home of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Fridays at 8 p.m.
Concierto host Frank Dominguez presents classical music in English and in Spanish. Music by Spanish and Latin American composers such as Enrique Granados and Astor Piazzolla ie alternated with classical favorites performed by Hispanic artists. Saturdays at 11 a.m.
Classic FM is proud to present broadcasts of the famed Metropolitan Opera, live from New York, every Saturday through June 11, 2022, from the Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network. The Metropolitan Opera season is sponsored by Toll Brothers, America’s luxury home builder, with generous long-term support from The Annenberg Foundation and GRoW at Annenberg, the Neubauer Family Foundation, and the Vincent A. Stabile Endowment for Broadcast Media. Saturdays at 1 p.m. And stay tuned after the Met for Opera Encore, with Classic FM Host Marie Lamb.
Host Matt Rogers shares some of cinema’s best music and celebrates renowned film score composers.
Footlight Parade: Sounds of the American Music gives you the best seat in the house for a celebration of Broadway and Hollywood musicals from the early 20th century to current hits. Bill Rudman has been your host since 1998. Saturdays at 5 p.m.
Henry Fogel brings a wide range of recordings every week that are true classics of the industry, on Collectors Corner. Many are out-of-print or hard to locate in the US. Saturdays at 10 p.m.
Classical Guitar Alive features great music and fascinating interviews with many of the world’s leading guitar performers and composers. Tony Morris is your host. Sundays at 11 a.m.
Early Music Now with Sara Schneider showcases music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and Early Baroque; from sonorous medieval chant and polyphony to delightful renaissance madrigals, dances, and consort music, to magnificent baroque cantatas and keyboard music. Sundays at 3 p.m.
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents an annual series of concerts and educational events for listeners ranging from connoisseurs to chamber music newcomers of all ages. Sundays at 5 p.m.
Played in Oregon shines the spotlight on fantastic live music from around Oregon and the Pacific Northwest. Sundays at 6 p.m.
Experience the variety and wonder of the pipe organ with host Michael Barone. Pipedreams has been a classical music staple on public radio for more than 30 years. Sundays at 7 p.m.
Peter van de Graaff is your overnight host for classical music seven days a week from the Beethoven Network. Monday through Friday from midnight to 6 a.m. Saturday and Sunday from midnight through 7 a.m.
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