Weekend self-care open thread: I love me some Lara Downes. AND, a fundraiser!
You probably haven't heard the name "Lara Downes", but you should. And I'm going to introduce you to her.
Downes is a classical pianist, educator, activist, and classical radio host. As a radio host, she's a rare breed: a Black woman. She hosts a show on NPR, Amplify. She is also the host of LA's KUSC-FM's nightly program from 8pm to 12am. She replaced longtime stalwart Jim Svejda, and thank God she did. Svejda was also a rare breed: a right-wing public radio host. He once gave an interview for a magazine profile where he declared his fandom of Rush Limbaugh. I contributed to KUSC in spite of him, but was quite relieved when he retired.
As a host, Downes champions neglected women and Black composers. Her programming is quite different from Svejda's, and for the better. I don't always get to catch her program, but when I do I often learn something new. It was by listening to her that I discovered the music of Germaine Tailleferre, one of Les Six, an informal group in 1920s Paris of modernist composers. She was, of course, the only woman.
For this weekend's self-care, I want to share Lara Downe's work as a pianist. She is quite good. Also, Saturday at 3pm PST, she will host a program on KUSC celebrating Black History Month featuring Black composers, from Florence Price to Wynton Marsalis. The webpage is here. I think it will be worth a listen. I plan to tune in.
You can search on YouTube for "Amplify Lara Downes" to watch episodes of that series. I've watched a few and they're remarkable. And, of course, for you non-West Coasters, if you're up at 11pm EST, do tune in to KUSC and give her nightly program a listen.
And this weekend is one of our occasional fundraisers! As always, Trevor and I do this for love. But we're not above accepting filthy lucre. So click on the little button below if you are able to spare the cash.