Studio Virginia

Studio Virginia airs Thursdays at 7:30 pm

NOVEMBER

11.20.08 - A Roanoke County film maker talks about "Women in War Zones," which he shot in the Congo. A new children's book about fitting in and Veterans of war are saluted by school children. Also a new documentary from a Charlottesville resident.

11.13.08 - An award-winning journalist critiques the media's coverage of the presidential campaign and other races in Virginia. Also UVA Professor and poet Rita Dove, the Taubman Museum of Art cuts the ribbon, and an unusual collection of songs for children called "Einstein's Monkey." Listen.

11.06.08 - Taubman Museum of Art Executive Director Georganne Bingham talks about the weekend ribbon cutting, a Virginia Tech Professor and award-winning filmmaker appears at the Roanoke Arts Festival, and WVTF's own Ben Martin on his new book. Also essayist Dan Smith on southern stereotypes.

OCTOBER

10.30.08 - Preview of the Second Annual Roanoke Arts Festival; talks with festival headliner and recording star Crystal Gayle; and the play "Doubt" that is on stage at the Arts Festival. The Virginia Film Festival in Charlottesville and more emerging artists at the Roanoke Public Library.

10.23.08 - Winchester-based singer-songwriter Kimmon Waldruff talks about the healing power of music; the Virginia Discovery Museum brings the Smithsonian to Charlottesville; and a new business monthly is launched in Roanoke.

10.9.08 - 11-year-old fiddle player Adam Larkey talks with Cara Modisett; a man with a deep appreciation for old-time vinyl recordings; and a first-time Roanoke author relives the glory days when his high school baseball team won a state title.

10.2.08 - A season preview at Mill Mountain Theatre, essayist Dan Smith re-encountering an old friend and more music scheduled for Jefferson Center.

SEPTEMBER

9.25.08 - “40 Days Plus 40 Nights” gets patrons ready for the Taubman Museum opening and the Roanoke Arts Festival; the University of Virginia dedicates a new home for the arts, and Opera Roanoke lifts the curtain on its season.

Opera Roanoke begins new season - 9.29.08

The new season for Opera Roanoke gets underway in early October. Artistic Director Steven White spoke with Studio Virginia host Gene Marrano about the 2008-2009 season. Listen.

9.18.08 - A public art program sponsored by Roanoke City gets ready for its official debut; plus an international writers series at Sweet Briar College, film-making pioneer Oscar Micheaux, and “Lost Engines” at the Virginia Museum of Transportation.

Thackery headlines Roanoke's blues fest - 9.15.08

Blues guitarist Jimmy Thackery returns to Roanoke for the second annual Big Lick  Blues Festival on September 20. He spoke to WVTF's Gene Marrano recently on Studio Virginia. Listen.

9.11.08 - The Big Lick Blues Festival returns for its sophomore season and a conversation with blues rock guitarist Jimmy Thackery; two independent films look for actors locally; plus Dan Smith's essay on motorized scooters and the art of applying makeup.

9.5.08 - We preview the upcoming concert season at Sun Music Hall in Floyd, and at Roanoke's Jefferson Center; plus a special benefit concert in Charlottesville for the refugees of war in Darfur.

AUGUST

8.28.08 - A retired Roanoke City teacher wins an award for her bad pun; plus the Americana music of Rusty Truck; street musicians in Charlottesville; and the musical play "Children of Eden" returns, this time to Jefferson Center in Roanoke.

Musical comes to Jefferson Center - 8.28.08

Dan Keeley and Larry Van Deventer spoke with Gene Marrano on WVTF's Studio Virginia about the musical Children of Eden, which they will present at Roanoke's Jefferson Center. Listen.

8.21.08 - A special half-hour with Roanoke Symphony Orchestra music director and conductor David Wiley. He joins us in studio and on the piano to talk about the new RSO season.

8.14.08 - Patrick County Circuit Court judge and best-selling novelist Martin Clark is back with "The Legal Limit;" and Elvis lives again at Mill Mountain Theatre with "Idols of the King."

Best selling author and Patrick County judge Martin Clark

Patrick County judge, best-selling author pens book

Patrick County Circuit Court Judge Martin Clark is also a best selling author. He spoke with WVTF's Gene Marrano about "The Legal Limit," his new book, on Studio Virginia. Listen.

8.7.08 - Roanoke-based documentary filmmaker Ashley Maynor has just received a grant for her latest project, on her grandmother, a self-taught photographer; plus a sound portrait from the Summer Music Games of Southwest Virginia, from Connie Stevens. Cara Modisett hosts.

JULY

7.31.08 - "Blackout Entertainment" brings hip-hop, rap and break dancing to the Roanoke Public Library's "Emerging Artist Series;" plus music from FloydFest and a new book called "Stuck in the Middle" about those caring for the elderly.

Lake resident talks about caring for parents

Smith Mountain Lake resident Barbara McVicker was "Stuck in the Middle" for years, caring for elderly parents while raising children. That's also the title of her recent book. She spoke with Studio Virginia's Gene Marrano recently.

- Listen to Part 1

- Listen to Part 2

7.24.08 - A former spokesperson for three Virginia governors - now a personal coach - talks about her new book "Excuse Me, Your God is Waiting;" plus the Pulaski Theatre coms back to life and a Charlottesville garage band keeps on rockin'.

7.17.08 - Charlottesville’s Derek Perkins describes his hip-hop dreams in poetry and song; and another sneak peak at Floyd Fest from a singer-songwriter and new management at The Paramount Theatre in Charlottesville. Listen to the show.

Roanoke woman studies to be a cantor - 7.14.08

Amanda Winter is 23, studied vocal performance at the University of Tennessee andhas been singing at Temple Emmanuel in Roanoke. Now she’s off to begin her studies as a cantor. In the Jewish faith cantors work side by side at the temple with rabbis, and sing, in Hebrew,many of the prayers used in services. Rabbi Kathy Cohen has been very supportive of Winter at Temple Emmanuel. Amanda Winter will spend a year in Israel, then four in New York City, learning to become a cantor. Listen.

7.10.08 - A young Roanoke County woman heads off to Israel and New York, studying to become a cantor; the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond appeals to our darker side; nearby museums to visit during your summer "stay-cation;" and weaving as art.

7.3.08 - A theater company based in Amherst stages Romeo & Juliet and a play about the aftermath of Hurricane Camille in Nelson County; plus an alternative actor's troupe in Roanoke; a Blacksburg artist who likes to paint imaginary birds and an original member of the Grateful Dead brings his new band to Charlottesville.

JUNE

6.26.08 - The Wintergreen Summer Music Festival features everything from classical and jazz to live theater and cooking classes; efforts to restore a 100-year-old theater in Lynchburg include a groundbreaking this week; and former Gov. Linwood Holton talks about his new memoir, Opportunity Time.

6.19.08 - A preview of Floyd Fest and other related events from Across-The-Way Productions; a former UVa. professor who grew up in South Africa writes a book from the viewpoint of an elephant herd; and an exclusive interview with Emmylou Harris before her Live Arts benefit concert in Charlottesville.

UVa professor pens book on Africa

UVA professor Michael Garstang has written a book, Ntombazana, told from the viewpoint on an African elephant herd. He was  recently a guest on WVTF's Studio Virginia, with host Gene Marrano. Listen.

6.12.08 - Roanoke City Libraries celebrates the first anniversary of its Emerging Artists Series with a major event his weekend; the Art Museum of Western Virginia gets ready for the move to its new and somewhat-controversial home; and a Radford University English professor waxes poetic about Father's Day.

6.5.08 - West Virginia native Kathy Mattea goes back to her musical - and personal roots - with her new CD, "Coal;" plus a preview of Look-3, Charlottesville's second annual festival of photography.

MAY

5.29.08 - It's not quite Indiana Jones, but a Ferrum College professor travels to Morocco in search of long-lost gold -- you can follow his adventure on the Discovery Channel; plus the founders of Floyd Fest branch out with wine festivals and African musical journeys.

5.22.08 - A retired intelligence analyst writes a "what if" novel involving the Middle East, Al-Qaeda and another attack on American soil; a former editor for UVA's Cavalier Daily gets ready to bike and blog her way across the country and the Blue Ridge chronicles describes life in some very small towns -- some not even on the map.

Tech announces Arts Initiative - 5.19.08

Virginia Tech has announced an $82 million, four-year plan called the Arts Initiative that strives to make the school as well known for the creative arts as it is for Beamer Ball.  Studio Virginia host Gene Marrano spoke with two Tech officials involved with the project. Listen.

5.15.08 - The Arts Initiative at Virginia Tech is an ambitious plan to make the campus as well known for the creative arts as it is for Beamer Ball. Plus, "From Mud to Mobility" at the Virginia Museum of Transportation and public art in Martinsville.

5.8.08 - A Roanoke County physician writes about his childhood in war-torn Lebanon and the joys that life holds now; a ballad singer from Southwestern Virginia designs her own major to study traditional Appalachian music in college; and Jerry Falwell's widow pens a memoir on her sometimes controversial late husband.

5.1.08 - The Norfolk Southern Festival of New Works includes a play about a real-life murder of two college professors in 2001; a Charlottesville author talks about his new book concerning the war of wills between Churchill and Gandhi; plus the musical "Cats" is a fundraiser in Galax and a couple trades the city life for a goat farm.

APRIL

4.24.08 - The Caribbean Jazz Project in Blacksburg; a new season of music at the Charlottesville Pavilion; the Virginia Film Office judges its first annual competition; images from a Southwestern Virginia photographer in the war-torn Congo; and furry tales from a nurse-turned-children's book author.

4.17.08 - A Virginia Tech shooting victim, now recovered, writes a book about April 16; blues piano legend Henry Butler at Jefferson Center; a storytelling festival in Botetourt County; a new novel by the writer-in-residence at Hollins University; and a multi-media play based on the poems of Emily Dickenson.

4.10.08 - A Franklin County native now living and teaching in Wyoming talks about her latest novel on the eve of a visit back home; plus the Valley Writers Club tries its hand at poetry; an arts event from groups that banded together after last year's tragedy at Virginia Tech; and a down-home memoir provides a glimpse of life in the past.

4.3.08 - Science fiction and fantasy writer L.E. Modisett in Virginia; a concert in Charlottesville by the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields; traditional piano music in Floyd and a first-time poetry symposium at VMI.

MARCH

3.27.08 - A first time novelist from the New River Valley writes about the troubled places a mind can go; electronica meets traditional music as "Nancy and Two Meteors" performs at the Roanoke Public Library; and quilting as art in Lynchburg.

NRV professor is first-time novelist - 3.27.08

New River Valley Community College professor Scott Loring Sanders is a now a first time novelist with “The Hanging Woods.” He was interviewed on WVTF's "Studio Virginia" by host Gene Marrano. Listen.

3.20.08 - A Charlottesville author discusses her racy novel at the upcoming Virginia Festival of the Book; we'll hear from "a mom who reads too much;" plus high school students head to a performing arts competition in New York; and a story called "Aliens, Psychos and Soul."

3.13.08 - Radford native Andrew Gregory on his new CD and his appearance in a nationally-syndicated comic strip. Plus, it's time to get absolutely Irish for St. Patrick's Day at a film premiere in Charlottesville.

Radford native talks about new CD - 3.14.08

Radford native Andrew Rose Gregory is a now a songwriter and performer living in Brooklyn, NY. He was on Studio Virginia recently to talk about his new CD "The Color Red," and his appearance in the nationally-syndicated comic strip Gil Thorp. Listen.

Andrew Rose Gregory

3.6.08 - Two former residents of Southwestern Virginia talk about their recently published books; a musician keeps on playing despite being a quadriplegic; and a sneak preview of Charlottesville's Festival of the Book.

Meetings scheduled to talk about the arts - 3.3.08

Arts Council of the Blue Ridge executive director Laura Rawlings is hosting a series of Art Town Meetings over the next few months to find out what the public, artists and cultural organizations want from the Council in the future. Rawlings was a guest on Studio Virginia recently, speaking with host Gene Marrano. Listen.

Laura Rawlings is executive director of The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge.

FEBRUARY

2.28.08 - From “L.A. Law” and “Cheers” to Mill Mountain Theatre - actor Rob Neukirsch gives up the restaurant business and goes back to his former career; and The Arts Council of the Blue Ridge is going on the road with a series of town hall meetings.

2.21.08 - The Kimoyo Benefit Concert at Jefferson Center helps fun medical clinics and educational missions in West Africa; and a Hollins University professor describes visits to her native country through a new book, "Letters from Cairo."

2.14.08 - The first Dumas Arts Festival in Roanoke showcases local African American talent; a new magazine focuses on the arts community across the state and a not-so-sweet Valentine.

First Dumas Arts Festival in place - 2.14.08

The first Dumas Arts Festival takes place in Roanoke Feb. 22-24. Hollins University student filmmaker Kalimah Abioto was on Studio Virginia to talk about her entry, If the People Could Fly. Listen.

Kalimah Abioto

2.7.08 - The roots music of Red Clay River; Grace Potter brings her organic rock n’ roll to Jefferson Center; and a Roanoke video journalist talks about his new short film on the military surge in Iraq - which he saw first hand recently.

JANUARY

1.31.08 - Blacksburg singer-songwriter Leslie Brooks talks about her musical odyssey; and Roanoke City Mayor Nelson Harris on his latest book, "A History of the Greater Raleigh Court Neighborhood."

Mayor pens book on Roanoke communities - 1.31.08

Roanoke City Mayor Nelson Harris, also a history buff and author, appeared on Studio Virginia with host Gene Marrano to talk about his new release: Greater Raleigh Court: A History of Wasena, Virginia Heights, Norwich and Raleigh Court. Listen.

1.24.08 - The monologue's the thing as the English-speaking union holds its local Shakespeare competition for high school students; Stephen King's Misery is now a stage play at Mill Mountain Theater; a family-owned music shop that's been in business for 75 years; and the Cassatt String Quartet in Blacksburg.

1.17.08 - Center In The Square observes its 25th anniversary as a regional hub for the arts in Roanoke; UVa students study how music helps people cope; renowned guitarist Bill Frisell comes to Jefferson Center (interviewed by Cara Modisett).

1.10.08 - Sweet Briar College holds its first-ever "Fringe Festival," a blend of music, the lively arts and even some comedy; and Bedford's National D-Day Memorial is "Etched in Stone," a new book of photography about monuments to times of war from a UVa law graduate.

Fringe Festival at Sweet Briar College - 1.14.08

Sweet Briar College will hold its first-ever "Fringe Festival" of music, dance, fine arts and more from Jan. 31-Feb. 3. Nick Ross, Shelbie Filson and Geoff Kershner from Sweet Briar were guests on Studio Virginia to talk about the event. Listen.

1.3.08 - On this week's show a special conversation with Southwestern Virginia author and award-winning novelist Sharyn McCrumb; and a former Roanoker begins her 13-week run on a network soap opera.

Sharyn McCrumb on Studio Virginia - 1.3.08

Southwestern Virginia author and award-winning novelist Sharyn McCrumb joined Studio Virginia host Gene Marrano for a conversation about her new book, "Once Around the Track." Listen.