WQSV Profile:
Foster Beyers
How did you come to be involved with WQSV? And how long have you been involved?
My wife Yi-Ping is the artistic director of a musical group in Staunton called Caravanserai. WQSV station manager Ben Leonard serves on the board of that organization. When he mentioned to her that he wanted to start a classical program on WQSV, my wife volunteered me as a host since my collection of classical CDs has grown well beyond a reasonable size!
When did you start DJing? Are there any DJs who influenced you? Or something/someone else who influenced you?
This is my first DJ gig! I have been speaking to audiences and teaching for many years but this is my first time on the radio. I am definitely trying to avoid some of the cliches of classical radio in my own show. I am trying to speak to all listeners, not just those that already know a lot about classical music. I keep in mind the listener who may leave WQSV on all day. They may not be a regular listener of classical music but they are open to learning more about it.
Talk about your connection to music/the role music plays in your life.
I have been a musician and educator for 25 years and I am passionate about sharing my love for music with others. I started with a strong interest in jazz but in college I gravitated to classical music, especially orchestral music. I went on to study orchestral conducting and I have led groups of all ages from elementary school kids to professionals. Since I have been an orchestral conductor for much of my career, I tend to play a lot of orchestral music on my show but I love all kinds of music. I listen to WQSV throughout the day and love the variety I am able to hear as well as the enthusiasm and knowledge of the DJs.
Describe your show.
Theme and Variations attempts to draw connections among various works from the classical repertoire. For instance we have had a program featuring various music about or involving birds. Another week I played music composed while traveling. In this way I can involve various periods and styles of music while drawing a real world connection that everyone can relate to.
Who are some of your favorite musicians and why?
I really love any musician who is expressively honest and sincere. That includes Miles Davis, Simon and Garfunkel, Radiohead, and many more. In the classical realm I am dazzled by virtuosic playing as much as anyone but I really want to hear a performer who is trying to send a feelingful message through their music-making. This usually involves some balance of the intellectual and emotional aspects of the piece. Balancing these two sides of a work is always a challenge but there are some like conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein or pianist Alfred Brendel who are able to do that masterfully.
What is your first memory involving music?
Even though my parents are not musicians, there was constantly music playing around the house. Honestly my earliest memory is probably of hearing my dad play Neil Diamond 8 tracks in the car! The first classical piece to make a big impression on me was Tchaikovsky’s March Slav. I played the tape of that over and over, even as a child.
What was the first concert you attended?
Again I have been attending concerts large and small for as long as I can remember. The first professional orchestral concert I heard was the Milwaukee Symphony playing Carmina Burana with the great Czech conductor Zdnek Macal. I remember wanting front row seats because from my experience at rock shows, I thought those were the best! I subsequently have learned that classical concerts are as much about hearing as seeing so I sit further back now. Since that first concert in about 1991, I have easily been to more than a thousand orchestral concerts. In college I would attend sometimes 2 or 3 times a week!
How do you go about building your show?
Sometimes I think of a theme and then choose music to fit the theme. Other times there is a particular piece I want to play and I choose a theme that will connect it to other works. I play familiar classical “hits” but I also try to challenge listeners and expand their knowledge and experiences. Of course I also have to think about timing and the two hour time slot. I always end up leaving out something I wanted to play. There is always so many possibilities. In classical music, the repertoire is a deep well and I have never seen the bottom.
Do you have any particular criteria when selecting music for your show?
Duke Ellington said it best when he said “there are only two kinds of music, good and bad” I only play the good kind.