Classic 107.3 Announces New Program For Children Called MUSICAL ANCESTRIES

Classic 107.3, "The Voice for the Arts in St. Louis", today announced the premiere of a new program for school-aged children called "Musical Ancestries", made possible through a grant from the PNC Foundation through PNC Arts Alive, a multi-year initiative dedicated to supporting visual and performing arts.

The program debuts at 10 a.m., Sept. 21, 2019, following "Classics 4 Kids", the station's weekly show that introduces children to great works of classical music. "Musical Ancestries" is designed to teach school-aged children about world music, with the first program devoted to the music, culture, instruments and storytelling traditions of West Africa, highlighting the countries of Guinea, Mali, Benin and Ghana.

"We are grateful to the PNC Foundation for its support of this new program," said interim station manager Jim Doyle. "We originally designed 'Musical Ancestries' to expose St. Louis Public School students to the music, traditions and cultures of other countries. By airing this program and making the supporting materials available on our website, we're sharing the information with all of our school-aged listeners as well as their siblings and parents."

In addition to the inaugural radio broadcast Sept. 21, students and families will be able to access program information on Classic 107.3's website through a Prezi presentation that incorporates visual images, maps, audio clips, text and craft activities in a user-friendly and engaging way. Students can follow along with the broadcast as they use the online materials, or access the "Musical Ancestries" information whenever it is most convenient for them. Four "Musical Ancestries" programs are planned for the 2019-2020 school year, with the next broadcast focused on the Caribbean.

The PNC Foundation, which receives its principal funding from The PNC Financial Services Group (www.pnc.com), actively supports organizations that provide services for the benefit of communities in which it has a significant presence. The foundation focuses its philanthropic mission on early childhood education and community and economic development, which includes the arts and culture. Through Grow Up Great, its signature cause that began in 2004, PNC has created a bilingual $500 million, multi-year initiative to help prepare children from birth to age 5 for success in school and life.

The station operates on analog radio at 107.3 FM and on hybrid digital radio at KNOU 96.3 HD2. In addition to classical compositions, Classic 107.3 plays chamber, choral, symphonic, jazz and blues music; opera; and Broadway show tunes. The station features local programming including the "Slatkin Shuffle", hosted by conductor Leonard Slatkin, and "Re-Choired Listening" with Phillip Barnes; interviews with area arts and cultural organizations; and renowned performances from the San Francisco Opera, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and the Chicago Symphony, among others. Nationally syndicated programs such as "Concierto" and "Exploring Music with Bill McGlaughlin" also air on the station. Popular on-air hosts include Jim Doyle, Kathy Lawton-Brown, Tom Sudholt and Julie Schuster. More information, as well as live streaming, archived interviews, and podcasts can be found at www.classic1073.org.