
Darel Snodgrass
Classical Music HostI began piano lessons at age 6, trumpet at age 9, and began teaching myself the guitar at 10. My electronics knowledge comes from my father, who had the RCA television and stereo shop in my hometown of Pocahontas, Arkansas for nearly 20 years. My dad is still fixing televisions at age 79.
I attended the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville as a music major, and worked weekend shifts at the U of A radio station (my first experience playing classical music on the radio). I spent a summer playing piano, guitar and bass at the defunct “L'il Abner”- based theme park Dogpatch USA, near Harrison, Arkansas. After a few years playing music professionally, I finished a BS degree in Radio/TV production at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro.
After another few years playing music in the Ozarks, I moved to Memphis with my wife. I’ve served as Operations Manager of WKNO-FM since 1988, and morning Classical Music host since 1994 – conducting more than 4,500 Checking on the Arts interviews along the way.
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Memphis music royalty Jerry Phillips (son of Sun Records icon Sam Phillips) has just released his first full-length solo recording, "For the Universe."
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Willy Bearden is well-known in Memphis and the Mid-South for his films, books, music, event production, and documentaries, including the very popular "Memphis Memoirs" series on WKNO TV. He's just published his own memoir, "Mississippi Hippie: A Life in 49 Pieces."
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Memphis Symphony Orchestra's new season begins on Saturday, September 14, with Rachmaninoff and Copland. The season also features a guest appearance by the iconic cellist Yo-Yo Ma and a collaboration with Opera Memphis for "Amadeus: The Music and the Myth."
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Opera Memphis just announced its 2024-25 season, which includes Stravinsky's rarely produced "The Rake's Progress," a collaboration with the Memphis Symphony Orchestra featuring Mozart's "Requiem," the Opera America National Conference, and Bizet's iconic "Carmen" at the Scheidt Family Performing Arts Center.
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Concerts International chamber music season begins on Thursday, September 26, at the Harris Concert Hall with the award-winning Imani Wind Quintet and continues with a piano trio and two string quartets.
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The Halloran Centre in downtown Memphis is now the exclusive home of Princeton James Productions' Soulful Murder Mystery, which will hold two events in the fall.
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In conjunction with the "On Paper" exhibition, in the Interactive Gallery, the Dixon Gallery & Gardens will host a Community Night on Saturday, August 17, from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., free for all ages.
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The new Broadway season at Orpheum Theatre in downtown Memphis begins in September.
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The Second Annual Skol-astic Adult Book Fair is Saturday, August 10, from 1 to 7 p.m., at Soul and Spirits, 845 North Main, in downtown Memphis.
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Darel Snodgrass talks with Germantown Performing Arts Center (GPAC) Executive Director Paul Chandler about the upcoming 30th anniversary season and upcoming shows in September and October.