Gov. Jim Justice has declared May 2024 Older Americans Month in West Virginia, aiming to honor older adults' contributions to society and raise awareness of senior services.
“I’m home again.” That was a declaration by world-renowned Euphonium player, Steven Mead, following his 5-week journey across the world. Mead found himself performing in several different countries this summer including the Netherlands, Italy, Lithuania, South Korea, and China.
Mead does all his own booking, and joked, “As my wife says, ‘if someone else was organizing it, they wouldn’t make a schedule like that.'”
During the tour, he teamed up with all sorts of musicians including his wife Misa Mead and the brass ensemble, Palencia, from Spain. He also participated in many festivals including adjudicating the World Music Competition (sort of like the Olympic Games of music) in the Netherlands and directing the Jeju International Wind Ensemble Festival; and, he performed in a broadcast for all of Qingdao, China.
Along the way, Mead also experienced many cultures, met a plethora of new people, ate a variety of delicious foods, performed in a cave and even on a moving cable car. He even tricked his airlines into thinking he was bringing a cello along in the largest box available.
After all that, Mead tells us that when he finally got home he, “fell inside [his] front door…literally,” because he was so exhausted. He reflects, though, “It’s a small price to pay, really, for those experiences,” and that he “loved every minute of it.” Now, Mead is relaxing and practicing Euphonium at home before he goes on the road once again.
Check out or extensive interview with Euphonium extraordinaire, Steven Mead…
If you like Steven Mead’s playing, you can find more at his website euphonium.net.
On this West Virginia Morning, an experimental apple orchard in the state is helping to fight pollution, improve food scarcity and some hope even heal veterans. Briana Heaney has the story.
WVPB's Matt Jackfert speaks with harper, composer and producer Maeve Gilchrist. They discuss her compositions, the Silkroad Ensemble and the group's upcoming performance.
On this West Virginia Morning, Sue and Stan Jennings for 30 years have run Allegheny Treenware, a company that makes wooden kitchen utensils. But they started off as a couple of coal miners. Folkways Reporter Capri Cafaro has more.
On this West Virginia Morning, violets bloom across Appalachia throughout spring, but the flowers are more than just some extra color in the yard. They’ve long been a key ingredient in herbal remedies.