Rachel Katz
WWFM Production Manager and Host of A TempoRachel Katz is the host of A Tempo which airs Saturdays at 7 pm.
From an early age, Rachel Katz earned a reputation in her family for both sharing stories (a “town-crier” of sorts) and also sitting back while older family members shared theirs, taking it all in as a quiet observer. Rachel pursued degrees in history at The University of Connecticut and Russian/Soviet studies and journalism at the University of Michigan, which soon set her on the path as a foreign correspondent in the early and mid-1990s. She worked in St. Petersburg, Russia, for three years, writing for UPI, The St. Petersburg Press, AP and The Moscow Times, as well as a variety of other US national and regional publications. Back in the US, she worked at The Connecticut Post and as business editor of The (Norwalk) Hour before moving to Bloomberg News, where she covered retail and other business news.
Interested in exploring radio, she took broadcast classes and landed a job at The Classical Network as a production assistant and the opportunity to produce her own public affairs program, Views and Voices. As host and producer now of A Tempo, she brings her storytelling and reporter experience – and her love of music - to the world of arts and culture, exploring the challenges and opportunities facing the music world today.
In addition to playing violin with the Westminster Community Orchestra, Rachel enjoys fencing, birdwatching and salsa/swing/ballroom dancing.
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A Tempo features a conversation with pianist Orli Shaham about what helps Mozart's music endure - and what made it cutting edge at the time he wrote it.
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A Tempo Saturday (1/13) looks at the latest annual Classical Music Statistic report by Bachtrack, showing trends in types of music performed, as well as top composers, concertos and busiest conductors.
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A Tempo Saturday (1/6 at 7 pm) looks at some of the works that will be presented as part of this year’s Prototype Festival in New York.
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A Tempo this Saturday (12/23 at 7 pm) features conversations with musicians from some of the ensembles that performed as part of the newly released movie about Leonard Bernstein.
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A Tempo this Saturday (12/16 at 7 pm) features a conversation with composer and pianist Courtney Bryan, one of this year's MacArthur Fellows.
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A Tempo this Saturday (12/2 at 7 pm) looks ahead to an upcoming program of contemporary piano music based on traditional Byzantine and Jewish chants.
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A Tempo this week (11/25) features a conversation with New Jersey Symphony President and CEO Gabriel van Aalst about the continued impact of the pandemic on the orchestra and the resulting cuts made to this season.
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A Tempo this Saturday (11/18 at 7 pm) looks at Carnegie Hall’s new Well-being Concert Series, and also includes an interview with Mercer County Community College President Deborah Preston about her upcoming stage debut at Kelsey Theatre.
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A Tempo this week features a conversation with Tallchief’s daughter about the ballerina’s legacy, and the significance of the coins’ release to the Osage Nation, of which Tallchief was a member.
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A Tempo this week (11/4) checks out a new podcast from Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute showcasing music educators and how they encourage and inspire students.