Released on: December 10, 2007, 8:02 am

Press Release Author: Mike Gauss

Industry: Entertainment

Press Release Summary: WCPE, TheClassicalStation.org, will honor the birthday of
Ludwig van Beethoven with special programming during its Beethovenfest December
14-16. The station will feature a wide arrangement of the composer's compositions.



Press Release Body: FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact:
Mike Gauss
919.232.5008
mike@articulon.com

WCPE Offers Birthday Tribute to Ludwig van Beethoven
Beethovenfest to Air December 14 through 16 on TheClassicalStation.org

WAKE FOREST, N.C. (December 10, 2007)-William Woltz, music director for WCPE,
TheClassicalStation.org, announces today that in recognition of Ludwig van
Beethoven's Birthday, WCPE is offering Beethovenfest the weekend of December 14.

The weekend radio festival will capture the full range of Beethoven's compositions,
beginning at 7 a.m. ET on December 14 with "Leonore Overture No 3." The weekend
offerings will include piano and violin concertos, full symphonies and sonatas. Of
particular interest is "Archduke," a piano trio in B flat airing at noon ET on
Saturday, December 15. As a bonus, WCPE will present the Cleveland Orchestra in a
concert performance of "Symphony No. 3," the "Eroica," at 8 p.m. ET on Monday,
December 17, the day of Beethoven's baptism.

"Ludwig van Beethoven towers as one of the greatest of classical composers," says
Woltz. "He triumphed over a total loss of hearing to write some of the most heroic,
uplifting music the world has ever known."

The actual date of Beethoven's birth is not documented, but his infant baptism, also
known as a Christening, held at his Catholic parish church was recorded December 17,
1770. At that time, it was customary in Catholic countries to baptize infants the
day after their birth.

Beethoven is the first composer to earn his living directly from his own work
without being subsidized by a church or aristocrat. His piano-playing career ended
in 1808 as his deafness became a detriment to his performance. Late in life,
Beethoven began incorporating vocals into his musical compositions, laying the
foundation for the Romantic Era in music.

WCPE's live broadcast of Great Classical Music, 24 Hours A Day can be accessed
around the globe in several ways; on-line streaming in multiple formats, including
IPv6, local cable television systems and traditional radio broadcasting. A complete
list of the ways WCPE is available with instructions for cable and satellite
reception can be found at theclassicalstation.org/listen.shtml.

In central North Carolina and southern Virginia, WCPE is found on the radio at 89.7 FM.

For more information on WCPE, or to print a downloadable version of Quarter Notes,
please visit TheClassicalStation.Org.

About WCPE:
With a 28-year history, WCPE is a non-commercial, 100 percent listener-supported,
independent station dedicated to excellence in Great Classical Music, 24 Hours a
Day. Community-minded business underwriters and foundations are among the 150,000
listeners in the North Carolina broadcast area. General Manager Deborah S. Proctor's
leadership has enabled the WCPE community to include national and worldwide
listeners. Other radio stations and cable television systems can rebroadcast Great
Classical Music, 24 Hours a Day. WCPE is one of the first public broadcasters to
stream on the Internet. WCPE is heard worldwide on the Internet in multiple formats,
including the next generation IPv6. Because WCPE receives no tax-derived support,
the station conducts two on-air fundraising campaigns and two major mail-out
campaigns per year to raise needed operating funds. Quarter Notes, the WCPE Program
Guide, is published four times a year as a means to enhance appreciation and
understanding of classical music. It is distributed to station supporters and is
also available online at TheClassicalStation.org/guide. For more information, visit
TheClassicalStation.Org or call 1-800-556-5178.

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Web Site: http://www.theclassicalstation.org

Contact Details: 2841 Plaza Place, Suite 105
Raleigh, N.C. 27612
919 232-5008