Radio Fest is a showcase of local classical music here in Nashville. For a full day in November we broadcast a live performance every hour, on the hour, from 9am to 6pm. Leading up to each Radio Fest, the 91Classical team asks listeners to call in and tell them about particular pieces that are special and why. What piece made them fall in love with classical music? By engaging audiences before Radio Fest, there’s already an investment by the listener to tune in to find out if their comments made it to broadcast. Listeners also feel ownership over the day by directing the playlist between live performances.
The first Radio Fest was in November of 2017, coinciding with the launch of new branding for the station, emphasizing a new, deeper commitment to being a hub between area artists and local audience. 2018’s Radio Fest celebrated 20 years of Live in Studio C, our weekly live performance broadcast. This year’s will be even more exciting as we broadcast these live performances on-location for the first time, deepening our connection with Nashville Opera by setting up shop in their performance facility. This also allows us to invite larger groups and, for the first time, open the performances throughout the day to a live audience.
As we understand the importance of supporting local arts, all artists are paid for their performance.