Rhonda McBride

The nation’s eyes are on Alaskans, as they take up a new system of choosing candidates. On this Friday’ s Juneau Afternoon today, a preview of tonight’s Evening at Egan lecture, which explores how ranked choice voting is changing Alaska’s political landscape. Gail Fenumiai, head of the state elections divison, and Jason Grenn from Alaskans…

Part 1: Ranked choice voting update: How Alaskans are adapting to the new system.

Guests: Gail Fenumiai, Alaska Division of Elections Director. Jason Grenn, Alaskans for Better Elections
A look at how this new system of voting is changing the way Alaskans vote and, possibly, its political landscape.

Part 2: St. Vincent de Paul’s annual Friends of the Poor Walk and Run.

Guests: Dave Ringle, executive Director, St. Vincent de Paul.
  All it takes is a pair of tennis shoes and a commitment to walk or run, a simple way to help St. Vincent de Paul raise money for the those in need. In this conversation with Andy Kline, Dave Ringle gives an update on St. Vincent de Paul’s community services.

Part 3: Junior Nordic Ski Club recruiting new team members.

Guests: Tristan Knutson-Lombardo, JNSC Youth Programs Co-Coordinator. Riley Soboleff, Middle School Skier.
  Flying with your friends across Juneau’s snowy trails, something Juneau students look forward to every winter, thanks to the Junior Nordic Ski Club.

Part 4: Juneau Audubon Society’s field observations of the Cedar Waxwing.

Guests: Brenda Wright, Juneau Audubon Society program manager.
  If you can spot them, Cedar Waxwings are easy to identify. With a rakish black mask over their eyes, they look like little bird bandits. But it’s that bright spot of yellow, on the tips of their tails, that’s the giveaway. They’re one of the favorites of Juneau birders, especially in the fall when…

The string trio, Simply Three, is perhaps one of the best-known performers at the Juneau Jazz and Classics fall festival. They’re a crossover group that’s become a YouTube sensation, mixing classics, pop and rock and roll. On  this Thursday’s Juneau Afternoon, the trio will talk about their genre-hopping style. Also on this program, Cellist Zuill…

Part 1: Simply Three string trio transcends traditional music boundaries.

Guests: Zack Clark, cellist. Nick Villalobos, bassist. Glen McDaniel, violinist.
  Simply Three makes it all sound simple, but the string trio’s music is a sophisticated blend of genres. Zack Clark and Nick Villalobos, who co-founded the group,  say the secret sauce is to use the bass as both a solo and percussion instrument. In a conversation with Rhonda McBride, the group talks about how…

Part 2: Zuill Bailey: Fusion of Jazz and Classics growing exponentially.

Guests: Zuill Bailey, Juneau Jazz and Classics Artistic Director.
Zuill Bailey, the artistic director of the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival, says he excited by the performers at this year’s festival, because they’re pushing classical music in new directions. Bailey says groups like Simply Three are showing that the techniques for playing classical instruments like the bass, cello and violin “literally have no bounds.”…

Part 3: Juneau Police Officer Jim Quinto bids farewell after 25 years on the job.

Guests: Officer Jim Quinto and Chief Ed Mercer
  Officer Jim Quinto was not your typical police officer. He spent most of his 25 years on the Juneau Police Department on patrol duty. And although he had a chance to work in drug enforcement and other areas of the department, he says he liked patrolling the streets best of all — because it…

A New York Times critic called Shelly Watson a rambunctious, over-the-top soprano of considerable charm – charm that is sure to bubble over at the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival this week. Watson is likely to tell a few jokes on Juneau Afternoon, maybe even burst into song, as she explains how she seesaws back…

Part 1: Shelly Watson, a vocalist who defies labels.

Guests: Shelly Watson, entertainer who mixes opera, burlesque and comedy.
  Cartoons are what inspired Shelly Watson to learn opera, the first step in a musical journey that took her to Juilliard and then onto other artistic adventures that were unconventional for a vocalist with her training. In a conversation with Sheli DeLaney, Watson tells the story of how she branched out into comedy and…

Part 2: Searching and Knowing: Joyce Parry Moore’s one-woman show that reflects on the nature of cancer.

Guests: Joyce Parry Moore, performing artist, writer and community advocate.
In a benefit for Cancer Connection, Joyce Parry Moore draws on her experience as both a cancer survivor and as a performing artist.  Her one-woman opera is 26 minutes, exactly how long it takes for an MRI to scan the body for cancer. In a conversation with Sheli DeLaney,  Parry Moore explains how she uses…

Part 3: Capital Brewfest raises money for Rotary Club projects.

Guests: Cori and Andy Mills, Captial City Brewfest organizers.
  Capital Brewfest features 18 booths this year, with lots of local beers to sample. Two different groups have teamed up for Capital Brewfest — the Rotary Club of Juneau and the Rotary Club of Juneau 58º Innovators. The proceeds from the sales help t0 fund community service projects. Captial Brewfest takes place at Tracey’s…

One of the headliners at this week’s Juneau Jazz and Classics festival says it all started when he was only two years old, begging his mom to play Van Cliburn records, over and over. On Tuesday’s Juneau Afternoon, pianist Matt Herskowitz explains how he mixes his classical training with his passion for jazz – a…

Part 1: Matt Herskowitz: Taking the best of both piano worlds.

Guests: Matt Herskowitz, pianist.
  Like father, like son. So it seems with Matt Herskowitz and his two-year-old son, Raphaël. When Matt was a toddler, he embraced the piano. And likewise, Raphaël seems to have already chosen his instrument — the violin. In this conversation with Rhonda McBride, Herskowitz talks about fatherhood, the two musical languages of jazz and…

Part 2: Con Brio Chamber Series: A cornucopia of local composers.

Guests: Sally Schlichting, Juneau flutist and founder of Con Brio. Jim Noel, composer.
Juneau may have more musicians per capita than many communities. And the same might be said for composers. This weekend, the Con Brio Chamber Series will showcase the new work of seven local composers during two performances of its Small Wonders Concert.    

Part 3: David Keith, CEO of Bartlett Regional Hospital settles into his new job.

Guests: David Keith, CEO of Bartlett Regional Hospital.
David Keith may be new to Juneau, but not to Alaska. The new CEO of Bartlett Regional Hospital has worked at two Anchorage Hospitals — Providence Alaska Medical Center and the Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium. In this conversation with Rhonda McBride, Keith talks about how his Alaska experience will help him in his new…

  There’s a growing number of music festivals that mix up jazz and classics. But at the Juneau Jazz and Classics Festival, the silos were broken down long ago. On this Friday’s Juneau Afternoon, a sampling of some of the musical adventures in store for this year’s fall festival. Also on this program: The Juneau…

Part 1: Juneau Jazz and Classics Fall Festival overview.

Guests: Juneau Jazz and Classics — Sandy Fortier, executive director. Rachel Disney, operations assistant.
The Juneau Jazz and Classics festival not only draws artists from different musical disciplines but often has them performing in the same concert or playing together. The headliners are for this year’s fall festival are: Matt Herskowitz, a classically trained pianist with a passion for jazz. Shelly Watson, an opera and cabaret singer, who works…

Part 2: Juneau Public Library’s bookmark design contest now accepting entries.

Guests: John Thill, Juneau Public Library Director.
    Every fall, kids in Juneau design bookmarks in hopes that theirs will be among the winning entries, printed up and distributed at the public library. There’s even a gallery of winners that goes back more than 40 years on the library’s website. Entries will be accepted from September 15-October 15.

Part 3: Juneau Audubon Society: Why Pelagic Cormorants stay through the winter.

Guests: Brenda Wright, Juneau Audubon Society programs manager.
      You’ll see Pelagic Cormorants perched on rocks along the shoreline. Sleek, with black, iridescent plumage during mating season. And to the delight of Juneau birdwatchers, they stick around through the winter. Brenda Wright shares her observations from the field.

  Next month, Perseverance Theatre will bring the world premiere of Where the Summit Meets the Stars to the stage — a play written by Frank Katasse  — that pulses with Lingít music, dance and culture. Katasse  also directs the play, and on this Thursday’s Juneau Afternoon, he’ll talk about how he came up with…

Part 1: Where the Summit Meets the Stars breaks new ground for Alaska Native theatre.

Guests: Frank Henry Katasse, Writer and director. Actors: Jake Waid and Erin Tripp
Frank Katasse, who wrote Where the Summit Meets the Stars, explains all the moving parts in his play — how it showcases the talents of Lingít actors. musicians and dancers. In all his years of theatre, Katasse says bringing this play to the stage is probably one of the most important things he’s done. One…

Part 2: Sharing Our Knowledge Conference: How to watch the presentations online.

Guests: Conference organizers: Joaqlin Estus, Jim LaBelle and Peter Metcalfe.
  The name for this biennial gathering of Lingít, Haida and Tsimshian tribes and clans is simply, “Sharing Our Knowledge.” Since 1993, it’s lived up to its name by sharing videos and other materials from the presentations. During the conference in Wrangell this September, more than 40 videos were produced and are available online at…