Dawes performed at the very first BSO Pulse, a collaboration between the BSO and WTMD. Photo by Jordan August.
WTMD will be rebroadcasting the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s very successful BSO Pulse concert series, officials announced Thursday.
Launching at 7 pm on Wednesday, May 27, WTMD will air weekly performances from the series, which frequently sold out the 2,400-capacity Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore. The performances can be heard on 89.7 FM or streamed live through WTMD’s website, the WTMD app and smart speakers.
Created in collaboration with WTMD and made possible by The Wallace Foundation, BSO Pulse pairs prominent indie and alternative artists with the Orchestra, exploring musical connections across genres. Collaborations included a variety of artists including Lake Street Dive, Valerie June, Moon Taxi, Dr. Dog and more.
Introducing a new audience to classical music, BSO Pulse concerts have opened with a classical set by the Orchestra, followed by a set by the featured artist. The performance then culminates in a collaboration between the two groups, conducted by BSO Associate Conductor Nicholas Hersh.
“We are thrilled that WTMD will be sharing our Pulse concert experiences with the station’s on-air audiences again,” said BSO Vice President and General Manager Tonya McBride Robles. “The BSO was excited to partner with these outstanding indie artists in a completely unique concert format, which also showcased our musicians and introduced a younger audience to classical music. When we are able to present concerts again at the Meyerhoff, we look forward to launching a brand-new performance concept to continue engaging younger audiences.”
“We are proud to present these encore broadcasts of the Pulse concert performances with our beloved BSO and the critically acclaimed indie artists that are the core of WTMD’s format,” said Scott Mullins, WTMD’s General Manager and Program Director. “Our listeners reveled in these magical performances, either in-person at the Meyerhoff or listening to the original live broadcasts. There was so much work, creative energy and effort put into creating the Pulse concerts and broadcasts and we are very proud of the results. WTMD listeners have asked repeatedly to hear them again, and these one-of-a-kind performances deserve to be heard. We are most appreciative of the Local 40-543 and their support in making these re-broadcasts possible.”
Made possible by a grant from The Wallace Foundation, BSO Pulse debuted in the fall of 2015 with a performance by the folk-rock band Dawes. The project was part of the nationwide Building Audiences for Sustainability initiative of The Wallace Foundation. This four-year project helped performing arts organizations – including orchestras, theater, dance and opera – strengthen their audience-building efforts and develop insights from this work to share with the field.
Broadcast Schedule
Every Wednesday at 7 pm
On air or at WTMD.org/radio
June 3 – Moon Taxi
June 10 – Valerie June
June 17 – The Lone Bellow
June 24 – Brett Dennen
July 1 – Dr. Dog
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About the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra
For over a century, the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra (BSO) has been recognized as one of America’s leading orchestras and one of Maryland’s most significant cultural institutions. Under the direction of Music Director Marin Alsop, the orchestra is internationally renowned and locally admired for its innovation, performances, recordings and educational outreach initiatives including OrchKids.
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra performs annually for more than 275,000 people throughout the State of Maryland. Since 1982, the BSO has performed at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall in Baltimore, and since 2005, with the opening of The Music Center at Strathmore in North Bethesda, MD, the BSO became the nation’s first orchestra performing its full season of classical and pops concerts in two metropolitan areas.
During this time of social distancing, the BSO has launched BSO OffStage, an online platform of new and archived digital content from the BSO through BSOmusic.org/OffStage and the social media platforms of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra.
More information about the BSO can be found at BSOmusic.org.
About WTMD
89.7 WTMD is part of the fabric of the Baltimore arts and music scene. As a listener supported public radio station from Towson University, WTMD has introduced Maryland to innovative and exciting new music from our backyards and beyond. WTMD has also presented award-winning live shows such as our BSO Pulse collaboration with the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, the family-friendly Saturday Morning Tunes concert series and First Thursdays, the city’s largest free festival series, in Canton Waterfront Park. WTMD hosts art exhibits, movie screenings and pioneering live broadcasts with audiences of all backgrounds and ages in its performance studio in Towson. For more information, visit wtmd.org
