Blog Archives

Newport Festivals Foundation™ Presents Inaugural Family Concert, August 1

6/27/2013

Newport Festivals Foundation™
Presents Inaugural Family Concert
Thursday, August 1, 5:30 pm,
at Fort Adams State Park
FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Amy Cervini (Photo credit: Melanie Einzig)

NEWPORT, RI – The Newport Jazz Festival® and Newport Folk Festival® have seen generations of fans grow up over the past six decades. This summer, in celebration of the music of the iconic events, Newport Festivals Foundation™ presents its inaugural Family Concert on Thursday, August 1, at 5:30 pm at Fort Adams State Park. Held during Newport’s annual BridgeFest, the free concert features jazz vocalist Amy Cervini and The Sleepy Man Banjo Boys in a special concert for young people.

“If you ask people where they acquired their taste for the sounds they love, many will say it’s in their blood – they grew up listening to their parents’ music like I did,” said George Wein, Chairman of Newport Festivals Foundation and producer of the Newport Folk and Jazz festivals. “When you see folks sharing music with their little ones as you walk around the festivals, you know that special memories are being made. We look forward to providing more family events as we continue the tradition and build on the legacy of the festivals.”

Newark Today Goes Green: Beautification of Newark Parks Thursday, June 20, 8pm

6/19/2013

Newark Today Goes Green

Andrew Meyer and Guests
Discuss Beautification of Newark Parks
**on Newark Today, Thursday, June 20, 8:00 pm**

NEWARK, NJ, June 18, 2013 – Newark Today, WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM's monthly call-in show, hosted by Andrew Meyer, with guests from the local, county and state level talking about issues affecting Newark, airs Thursday, June 20, at 8:00 pm. This month’s program focuses on green space in Newark and will include discussions with representatives from the Greater Newark Conservancy and the private companies working on Military Park, Branch Brook Park and Weequahic Park.

The show will be divided into three segments. In the first segment, Meyer will be joined by a representative from the group that is redeveloping Military Park, the same group that re-habbed Bryant Park in New York City, to talk about the work in Newark and what people can expect once it’s done. The second segment will take a look at Newark’s two big county parks, Branch Brook and Weequahic, both designed by the firm of legendary park designer Frederick Law Olmsted. In the final segment, the head of the Greater Newark Conservancy will join Meyer to take questions on how they are greening some of the smaller spaces all over the city.

Guests include George Roberts, Project Analyst, Biederman Redevelopment Ventures; Wilbur McNeil, Founder and President, Weequahic Park Association; Trish Jarecke, Chief Development Officer; and Robin Dougherty, Executive Director, Greater Newark Conservancy. Listeners can submit questions for guests in advance to NewarkToday@wbgo.org.

Newport and the Jazz Festival: A Symbiotic Relationship

6/13/2013

Newport and the Jazz Festival:
A Symbiotic Relationship

2013 Festival Set for August 2 – 4
at International Tennis Hall of Fame and
Fort Adams State Park

1954 Newport Jazz Festival

NEWPORT, RI – For one weekend every August, the idyllic setting of Newport combusts with the passion of jazz to produce the Newport Jazz Festival. It’s a symbiotic relationship. Since its beginning in 1954, the festival has delivered line-ups that both have showcased jazz history and predicted it, while the city of Newport has lent the festival an unparalleled home steeped in history and culture. Throw in fans that really are more of a community than an audience, and you have what George Wein, festival producer and Chairman of the Newport Festivals Foundation, says is much more than just a series of concerts.

“By bringing together the music, the people and the place,” Wein explains, “you create a festival, a real happening, an experience that is remembered long after the music ends.”

The 2013 festival will kick off at the International Tennis Hall of Fame at the Newport Casino, 194 Bellevue Avenue, on Friday, August 2, at 8:00 pm with a concert under the stars. Built in 1880 as the Newport Casino, the grounds of the Tennis Hall of Fame are a portal to an era of Newport elegance and Gilded Age charm. Whether sipping cocktails under the gazebo, or sitting in the stands beneath a cool Atlantic breeze, it’s hard to imagine a better place to see this year’s headliner, Natalie Cole, croon than on the same center court where the likes of Big Bill Tilden once made tennis balls sing.

Amy Niles Named Acting President & CEO During Cephas Bowles' Leave

6/12/2013

Amy Niles Named Acting President and CEO of WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM

NEWARK, NJ, June 12, 2013 – Effective immediately, Cephas Bowles, President and CEO of WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM, will take a leave of absence for health reasons, it was announced today by Stephen N. Ifshin, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Newark Public Radio/WBGO. It also was announced that Amy Niles, Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer, will serve as Acting President and CEO in the interim.

“Cephas has been an outstanding leader of WBGO since 1993 and a tireless advocate for Public Radio for more than three decades,” said Ifshin. “Our thoughts are with him as he takes this time to tend to his health without exerting the day-to-day energy needed to run the country’s premier jazz station. Amy, who has worked alongside Cephas for the past seven years and has the same dedication and passion for WBGO’s continued growth and success, is a natural choice to serve as Acting President & CEO during Cephas’ absence.”

WBGO Travel Series Makes Stops in Montreal, Newport, Orvieto, Mohonk

6/4/2013

WBGO Jazz 88.3 FM Launches
WBGO Travel: A Musical Journey Around the World
with Stops in Montreal, Newport,
Mohonk and Orvieto

Wayne Shorter (photo credit: Robert Ascroft)

Newark, NJ, June 4, 2013 – WBGO Jazz 88.3 loves its home base in Newark, NJ, but when it comes to enjoying jazz at some of the world’s most beautiful destinations, the station’s travel team has its bags packed and is ready to roll. WBGO Travel designs first-class packages for visits to amazing domestic and international locations for world-famous jazz festivals and deluxe tours offering exclusive opportunities for tour guests.

The series kicks off with four incredible jazz experiences including:

Montreal Jazz Festival, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, June 30 – July 3, 2013: One of the world’s leading music destinations, this festival takes over the heart of downtown Montreal for 10 days of non-stop entertainment from noon to midnight. The package includes accommodations for three nights at the Hyatt Regency Montreal, the official hotel of the Festival. Guests will enjoy great concerts including tickets to see Gregory Porter, a walking food tour of The Jean-Talon Market, breakfast with the Festival’s Artistic Director and Co-Founder, Andre Menard, hosted by WBGO's Michael Bourne plus lunch at Michael’s favorite spot, Pizzedelic, a behind-the-scenes tour of the Montreal Jazz Festival and more. The package ranges from $665 ca (children) to $4,565 ca (Quad Occupancy). For more information and reservations, call (855) 288-7344 or visit Montreal Jazz Festival Package.

Newport Festivals Foundation™ Presents Inaugural Family Concert, August 1

Newport Festivals Foundation™ Presents Inaugural Family Concert Thursday, August 1, 5:30 pm, at Fort Adams State Park FREE TO THE PUBLIC

Newark Today Goes Green: Beautification of Newark Parks Thursday, June 20, 8pm

Newark Today Goes Green Andrew Meyer and Guests Discuss Beautification of Newark Parks on Newark Today, Thursday, June 20, 8:00 pm

Newport and the Jazz Festival: A Symbiotic Relationship

Newport and the Jazz Festival: A Symbiotic Relationship 2013 Festival Set for August 2 – 4 at International Tennis Hall of Fame and Fort Adams State Park