Classical Music Forever!

Before television took over as the main source of entertainment, radios were the center of attention. Now, television has mostly replaced the radio in our culture. Many radio options are often tailored to our specific desired genre, with technology like Pandora or Spotify. Stations like "country", "oldies", or "modern" are still doing well.

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But sadly, St. Louis (my city) lost the one radio station that meant the most to me and a lot of my friends: the classical music station. I knew several of the radio hosts there and have performed more than once on air. I would have the station on constantly, in the car and in my home, so when the station went off the air a few years ago, it was devastating. Chris and I listened to the final broadcast, which was Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, with tears in our eyes.

Our lives, ever since we were both very young, have been involved with classical music in some degree. Chris began playing piano and I began playing classical guitar when we were eight years old. We both went to college for classical music degrees. We have been performing classical music for almost two decades. As dramatic as it sounds, we've seen the decline of classical music appreciation over the years in our general society so that it sometimes feels like we are participating in a dying art. Orchestras are being disbanded across the country. Music programs are being dropped in public and private schools everywhere due to lack of funding (yet the sports programs seem to be thriving). One in a hundred high school students might admit to listening to classical music for enjoyment occasionally, but their numbers are dwindling fast as teenagers become addicted to whatever is newest and loudest. Chris and I have sought to support other musicians like us as much as possible at concerts, trying to ignore the empty seats and lack of young people in the audience. So, as classical musicians, the loss of St. Louis's only classical station meant the disappearance of one more pillar of support for our passion.

The station then became a modern Christian music station... don't even get me started with how many reasons that infuriated me.

But today there is a victory.

The classical music radio station is coming back!

Today, at 10:00 a.m. St. Louis will hear the sounds of classical music again coming over their radios at 107.3 FM, HD 96.3 FM, and streaming online.

My friends and I are rejoicing.

Feeling very blessed today.

If you want to listen along online, visit http://rafstl.org/listen/