New Music Director for Morning Classics - December 28, 2009
After more than 35 years shaping classical music for Montana Public Radio listeners, Terry Conrad, music director for “Morning Classics,” will retire from that post on January 1, 2010. “Morning Classics” host, Susan Israel, will assume the music director duties.
Conrad retired as the station’s program director in 2000 but continued on post-retirement as “Morning Classics” music director and host of the “Jazz Sessions” program. He will continue hosting the popular “Jazz Sessions” show on Thursday afternoons.
Hired as KUFM program director in 1973, Conrad began such programs as “Music at Dawn,” “Bach and Before” and “Keyboard Masterworks” – programming all of them from KUFM’s small library of LPs. Years later, with the addition of nationally syndicated programs such as “Performance Today,” Conrad confined his local classical programming to “Morning Classics,” now heard each weekday between 9 and 11 a.m.
Susan Israel has a bachelor’s degree in music from Queens College, City University of New York, where she studied violin. She said following in Conrad’s footsteps is a challenging opportunity.
“I’m excited,” she said. “I hope to follow the tradition of Terry’s programs, creating a wide range of programming that many people can enjoy.”
“Some classical music stations can be highfalutin,” said William Marcus, MTPR general manager. “But Terry was our Renaissance man, crafting music programs that were accessible and musically cohesive at the same time. It’s good to know that his jazz show will continue, while at the same time I look forward to hearing what Susan Israel will bring us every morning.”
Michael Marsolek, MTPR program director, said he’s pleased Israel accepted the music director duties.
“It’s nice to have one of our longtime staffers, with a background in classical music, step into this position,” Marsolek said.
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