WPR host Jason Heilman shares his favorite PBS Wisconsin classical music programs

Wisconsin Public Radio’s “Drivetime Classics” host Jason Heilman understands classical music’s far-reaching appeal. “Classical music is such a vast repertoire that there’s definitely something for everyone in it because it crosses continents and centuries. Whatever you’re looking for, you’ll be able to find it,” he said.

Heilman will host Wisconsin Public Radio’s third annual Classical Music Day in Milwaukee on Oct. 14. To gear up for the event, he put together a playlist of some of his favorite programs and performances to watch on PBS Wisconsin.

Great Performances

“I always tune in to ‘Great Performances’ whenever I can, and that goes back years,” Heilman said. “The older shows were foundational for me and I still tune in.”

“In the late 1980s when I just started out in music, I’d only really ever heard it on the radio. And all of the music that I heard in those days was old. But they were having a premiere on ‘Great Performances’ of Paul McCartney’s ‘Liverpool Oratorio’. It was basically the first brand new piece of concert music that I was ever aware of. That had a real effect on me. Up until then, all I knew was the music I played in my middle school band. After that, I realized that there are big new pieces of music that are still coming out. I would not have known about that if it wasn’t for ‘Great Performances’ bringing it to my house.”

“Two of my favorite episodes of ‘Great Performances’ every year are the Vienna New Year and the Schönbrunn Vienna Philharmonic Summer Night concerts,” Heilman said. “I spent a couple of years in Vienna, but I never went to any of these concerts because one, tickets are impossibly hard to get, and two, you can just watch it on television. I still watch because they have cutaways of dancers all over the city or to see Shönbrunn Gardens, where I’d spent quite a bit of time.”

Heilman also enjoys seeing what musical traditions are shared across cultures. “You get the sense of a community and being part of a larger audience of viewers when you watch concerts on PBS.”

“Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte”

Closer to home, Heilman enjoys seeing Wisconsin’s next generation of musicians take the stage in “Wisconsin Young Artists Compete: The Final Forte.”

“On my own show, I try to bring the world to Wisconsin and bring Wisconsin to the world,” he said. “And ‘The Final Forte’ is a great example of that. It’s not just about our professional musicians here in Wisconsin. They’re great. But it’s also about our student musicians. Every year, this is a fantastic performance by great student contest winners from all over the state.”

“Now Hear This”

Heilman appreciates how “Now Hear This” explores the stories, places and influences behind the music.

“I’m sort of jealous of ‘Now Hear This,’” he said. “I wish I had come up with this idea first. I would love to be able to take a camera crew off into the world and talk about composers in the places where they’re actually from. It’s a fantastic program.

It’s different from ‘Great Performances at The Met’ or a concert. You’re not watching a complete performance, but you are getting some of the background. You’re seeing where the composers might’ve walked and lived. You’re hearing experts talk about how where they’re from shaped their music and the other kinds of music they encountered there might’ve shaped their music, like where Spanish composers were heavily influenced by Arabic music from North Africa.”

“La Crosse Symphony’s Midnight in Paris”

Watching PBS Wisconsin’s “La Crosse Symphony’s Midnight in Paris” gave Heilman new insight into the orchestra.

“One thing I learned is that the La Crosse Symphony [Orchestra] is extremely historic. Executive director Eva Marie Restel said on the program that it traces its roots back to 1889 before becoming a professional orchestra,” he said. “There were a lot of German immigrants and European immigrants that were recreating the world that they knew from Europe. It’s not surprising that they did, but I didn’t know that specifically about La Crosse. It’s great to know that these organizations have a real history, one that connects La Crosse with the wider world.”

What would you add to Heilman’s playlist? Leave a comment below with your favorite classical music programs, performances or episodes from PBS and PBS Wisconsin.

For more music programs, visit the PBS Wisconsin Music & Arts page.

Learn more about Classical Music Day in Milwaukee at wpr.org/presents.