Peter Whorf

Radio Station Manager
  • Peter Whorf
    Peter Whorf

Peter Whorf is station manager for WKAR Radio. He also oversees the news division of WKAR Radio, and is host of What's New on WKAR.

Peter Whorf joined WKAR in August 2012.

Peter arrived at WKAR from Chicago, where he was program director and vice president of content at WFMT, the only commercial classical radio station in the country. He was previously with public stations WNYC/New York, KBIA/Mid-Missouri Public Media and WBEZ/Chicago. Peter Whorf graduated from Eastman School of Music, studying the violin.

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What's New on WKAR, May 3

By • May 3, 2013

Hope you enjoy program 21 - dominated by local recordings from Lansing and Jackson.

Mozart/Fantasy in d minor/Sergei Kvitko/Blue Griffin

Mussorgsky/Trepak/Kvitko/Blue Griffin

Chopin/Piano Concerto #2/Auer, Shanghai Qt/Culture/Demain

Barber/First Essay for Orchestra/Lansing, Muffitt/MSU recording

Dvorak/Sym #7/Jackson, Osmond/Jackson Sym recording

What's New on WKAR, April 26

By • Apr 23, 2013

The Lansing Symphony and Timothy Muffitt headline our latest What's New with Antonin Dvorak's beloved Symphony #9 "From the New World"...and two selections from Russian pianist Pavel Kolesnikov feature piano music of Robert Schumann and another crowd-pleaser...Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto #1.

Schumann/Kinderszenen excerpts/Kolesnikov/Honens

Dvorak/Sym #9/Lansing, Muffitt/MSU recording

Tchaikovsky/Piano Concerto #1/Calgary Philharmonic, Kolesnikov, Minczuk/Honens

Dvorak/Cypresses excerpts/Cypress String Qt/Avie

What's New on WKAR, April 12

By • Apr 13, 2013

Local, live recordings once again highlight this week's edition of What's New, from the MSU Symphony, to the Jackson Symphony...plus 20th and 21st century music from both ensembles.

Beethoven/Symphony #1/MSU Symphony, Noe/MSU recording

Adams/The Chairman Dances/MSU Symphony, Noe/MSU recording

Schumann/Overture, Scherzo and Finale/Atlantic Classical Orchestra/Artek

Dvorak/String Quartet #13/Cypress String Quartet/Avie

Mozart/Quintet for Piano and Winds K452/JSO members/Jackson Symphony Recording

What's New on WKAR, April 5

By • Apr 5, 2013

Three MSU performances highlight today's What's New.  First, Richard Sherman and A Ram Lee bring you a February performance from the Jackson Symphony's Classical Cabaret series of Richard Strauss' Flute and Piano Sonata.  Then, Kevin Noe leads the MSU Symphony in a brilliant reading of Aaron Copland's Billy the Kid Suite.  And the MSU Wind Symphony plays Percy Grainger's Colonial Song.

Gray Graffman joins the Lark Quartet in a 1999 work of Jennifer Higdon just released by Bridge Records...and Alessio Bax plays Mozart's 27th Piano Concerto.

What's New on WKAR, March 29

By • Mar 29, 2013

Musicians from two of Mid-Michigan's most prominent ensembles highlight this week's program.  First, David Rayl's Lansing Symphony performance of excerpts from Johannes Brahms German Requiem comes to you for Good Friday.  Then, Kevin Noe and the MSU Symphony Orchestra bring you a performance of Beethoven's Symphony #1 from their February 2013 concert.  The King's Singersperform more sacred music for the season and Zuill Bailey plays Dvorak's beloved Cello Concerto in b minor.

What's New on WKAR, March 22

By • Mar 22, 2013

This week we have two new releases from eastern Europe and two from the eastern U.S.  The Moscow Quartet plays one of Beethoven's most popular chamber works, the string quartet #10 called the "Harp" quartet.  Then, Bulgarian pianist Hristo Kazakov plays selections from Claude Debussy's Images.  The rarely heard Robert Schumann Violin Concerto comes to you in a new live performance by Elmar Olivera and Boca Raton's Atlantic Classical Orchestra, and the renowned Eastman Wind Ensemble celebrates 60 years with a new Stravinsky disc.

What's New on WKAR, March 15

By • Mar 21, 2013

This week on What's New:

Mozart/Piano Concerto #24/Alessio Bax, Southbank Sinfonia/Signum Classics

Dvorak/Trio #4/Trio Solisti/Bridge

Beethoven/Eroica Variations/Ax/Sony

What's New on WKAR, March 8

By • Mar 8, 2013

MSU assistant professor and pianist Minsoo Sohn is not only one of our state's most-talented musicians, he's also a rising star on the global classical music stage with recent acclaimed recordings and a Carnegie Hall debut.  What's New features one of our newest "in-house" recordings  - from Minsoo's January recital at Cook Hall.  Also, Daniel Barenboim conducts Bruckner's epic 7th Symphony, plus Beethoven and Handel...

Brahms/Variations on a Theme by Handel/Minsoo Sohn/MSU archive recording

What's New on WKAR, March 1

By • Mar 1, 2013

This week on What's New, Peter brings you more from the Vienna Philharmonic's 2013 opener.  The Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra crosses over to Brahms, the San Francisco Ballet performs Delibes and pianist Rosa Antonelli plays Granados from her new release, Remembranza.

Wagner/Prelude to Act 3 from Lohengrin

Verdi/Prestissimo from Don Carlo/Vienna Phil, Most/Sony Classics

Brahms/Serenade #1 in D op. 11/Philharmonia Baroque, McGegan/PBP

Granados/Allegro de Concierto/Antonelli/Albany

Detroit Boat Show series: Pontoons

By • Feb 22, 2013
Wikimedia commons

The 55th annual Detroit Boat Show wraps up this Sunday at Cobo Center.  Dozens of dealers are on-hand with the latest and greatest for cruising the Great Lakes.

WKAR’s Peter Whorf spent some time at the expo earlier this week and brings us his last in a series of reports from Cobo. This time, Peter speaks with Bill Rose of Rose Marine Service about a boat that’s close to home.

Detroit Boat Show series: The Quadski

By • Feb 21, 2013
Gibbs Sports

The 55th annual Detroit Boat Show continues at Cobo Center through this weekend.

WKAR’sPeter Whorf continues our series from the expo with a first look at a Michigan-made product.  Gibbs Sports and Amphibians’ Graham Jenkins describes the new Quadski, a specialized craft that travels on land and water.

 

Hill Auditorium hosts the New York Philharmonic

By • Feb 21, 2013
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This weekend the New York Philharmonic comes to Ann Arbor’s Hill Auditorium.

Sunday’s program features an all-Russian lineup, with Saturday’s bill devoted to Mozart and Brahms.

This year marks the centennial of Hill Auditorium and WKAR continues to celebrate with the occasional series, “Hill at 100.”

Current State at Detroit Boat Show

By • Feb 20, 2013
Peter Whorf

This week on Current State, WKAR's Peter Whorf takes us to Cobo Center for the Detroit Boat show.  The expo runs through Sunday.  Tune in for Current State with Mark Bashore  weekdays at 9a and 6p on 90.5FM and noon on 870AM.  Emanuele Berry brings you Current State Weekend Saturdays at 11a and Sundays at noon on 90.5.  You can also hear our show Saturday and Sunday on 870AM.  Here are a few of the many things you might find at Cobo...

What's New on WKAR this Friday

By • Feb 20, 2013

The next edition of Peter Whorf's What's New on WKAR features one of the great pianists of our age - Emanuel Ax.  He plays music on his new Sony Classical disc by Haydn and Beethoven - and this week's What's New feature, Robert Schumann's Symphonic Etudes. Also, the Banff Competition award-winning Cecelia String Quartet and more...

What's New on WKAR/Friday, February 22 at 2pm:

Schumann/Symphonic Etudes/Emanuel Ax/Sony Classical

Bach/Brandenburg Concerto #1/Oregon Bach Festival Chamber Orchestra/Hanssler Classics

Detroit Boat Show also features Great Lakes naval history

By • Feb 20, 2013

The 55th annual Detroit Boat Show runs now through Sunday at Cobo Center. The expo showcases everything from power boats to pontoons, and even a little Great Lakes history. This year is the bicentennial of the epic Battle of Lake Erie, which occurred during the War of 1812.
 

Tall ships of the British and United States navies clashed in September of 1813.  The Americans won this crucial battle, which may be best-remembered for the famous message delivered by Commodore Oliver Perry:  “We have met the enemy, and he is ours…”
 

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