When you’re stuck in traffic on the way home from the office; when a deadline’s approaching and you have to focus; when you can’t sleep in the middle of the night—these are the times you need the radio most. Music can soothe so many daily frustrations, and thanks to Radio Arts Foundation-Saint Louis, classical music is back on the air, providing a 24/7 soundtrack for our lives. The nonprofit invites all St. Louisans to share in the joy of music at its inaugural gala, A Celebration of the Sound of Art, March 19 at The Sheldon Concert Hall.
The sale of classical music station KFUO in 2010 silenced St. Louis’ only outlet for the genre, and many locals felt the loss keenly. “When KFUO went off the air, there was a big void for me personally,” says William Rusnack, president of the board of Radio Arts Foundation. A group of volunteers, backed by Centene Corporation and Michael and Noemi Neidorff, rallied to open a new station in Clayton, complete with two broadcast studios, a performance stage, the latest sound equipment and the former station’s audio library. The analog signal, 107.3 FM, is available within a 20-mile radius of Brentwood and the HD signal, KIHT 96.3 HD2, can be picked up within 50 miles of Shrewsbury. “Being able to organize the station, get high-quality broadcast staff, deal with the licensing process with the FCC … in a period of three years is really unbelievable,” Rusnack says. “Having this quality of music back on the air and broadening the station’s scope was wonderful.”
Expanding what a radio station can do is a key part of the foundation’s mission. “We’re trying to reach out and be supportive of all arts in the community, including opera, blues, jazz and chamber music, get some programming for children, and get some programming to educate our listeners to new forms of music,” Rusnack says. The nonprofit plans to broadcast live concerts featuring St. Louis Symphony members, local jazz musicians and Opera Theatre performers, as well as on-air interviews with young artists.
These efforts require funding, and Rusnack says the station operations already are “ultra lean.” He invites fans of Radio Arts Foundation to support it at the March gala, which, fittingly, will be all about music. After a cocktail reception and dinner, three masterful musicians will take the stage: violinist Gil Shaham, an Avery Fisher Prize winner; his sister, pianist Orli Shaham; and her husband, David Robertson, St. Louis Symphony music director and chief conductor and artistic director of the Sydney Symphony in Australia. “You don’t often get to see artists like this in an intimate setting like The Sheldon,” Rusnack says. “It is just phenomenal. They volunteered to do this, help us out, raise money to support the station. It’s one of the more memorable performances I will ever see.”
Pictured: William Rusnack
[The Radio Arts Foundation gala, A Celebration of the Sound of Art, takes place March 19 at The Sheldon Concert Hall. The cocktail reception starts at 5:30 p.m., dinner is at 6:30 p.m. and the concert is at 8 p.m. Radio Arts Foundation is located at 7711 Carondelet Ave., Ste. 302. For more information, call 314.881.3523 or visit rafstl.org.]
