The Voice of the Performing Arts
The Voice of the Performing Arts is a weekly radio show that explores the importance of arts education. It airs each Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time on WICR 88.7, a public radio station at the University of Indianapolis. The show also airs online and via the TuneIn Radio App. It is a one-hour program hosted by Steven Libman, a long time performing arts leader and former CEO of the Center for the Performing Arts in Carmel, Indiana and Jeff Swensson, an arts education advocate and former superintendent of Carmel Clay Schools.
Background
During each episode of The Voice of the Performing Arts,[1] guests from the arts community including arts professionals, educators and community leaders discuss the importance of introducing young people to the arts. Discussions include how they personally were drawn to the arts as a child and what can be done today to get young people excited about the arts. The hosts often ask guests to explain the “transformative moment[2]” when he or she fell in love with the performing arts.
The Voice of the Performing Arts debuted on March 30, 2013.[3] The show originally aired at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time before moving to the 10:00 a.m. time slot in February, 2014. The guests on the premiere episode included David Hochoy, artistic director of Dance Kaleidoscope; Kathleen Hacker, chair of UIndy’s Department of Music; Alan Davis, president and CEO of the Carmel Symphony Orchestra; and Soo Han, director of the Carmel High School Orchestra. Since the show’s launch The Voice of the Performing Arts has hosted guests from a variety of nationally recognized arts organizations as well as organizations and schools across Indiana.