Ursula Oppens and Studs discuss contemporary avant-garde piano. Oppens performs pieces from contemporary composers.

Studs engages the former Chicago Symphony Orchestra conductor, Sir Georg Solti, in a wide-ranging conversation about his life and career. From his early studies in Budapest with Béla Bartók, his string of good-luck opportunities before, during, and after World War II, meeting Toscanini in Lucerne, and starting on top conducting in Frankfurt, London, and finally Chicago. He discusses his many German and European musical influences and contemporaries, and stresses the importance of education, arts funding, and hard work.

Studs and Tcherepnin discuss Tcherepnin's early years in Leningrad, his creative drive and its relation to real-life experiences and the influence of Chicago on his 1953 Op. 87 Suite for Orchestra.

While their works and forte is classical music, Roger Detmer and Virgil Thomson talk about tape and electronic music. Detmer points out that in some eastern European countries, tape is considered pasee, and yet it's used often to recreate a sound to be used with their orchestras. Both men talk about electronic music and how it's sometimes used to make hand-made music sound artificial.

A master at playing the sitar, Ravi Shankar, also composed the music for the soundtrack of "Gandi". According to Shankar, there are 72 scales in Indian music and when he plays music, 90% of it is improvisation. Younger people became interested in playing the instrument after Shankar announced he was teaching George Harrison of the Beatles how to play the sitar. There is an excerpt of an interview with Shankar from 22 years ago, to the date of this program.

Presenting music and discussing the tuba with tubists Arnold Jacobs, Harvey Phillips, Fritz Kaenzig, and Richard Frazier. This mixdown includes recorded and live music in the last three minutes.

Peter Schickele, the man behind the pseudonymous musical persona P.D.Q. Bach, gives a lecture on the oft-forgotten composer and sibling of Johann Sebastian Bach, playing and discussing a number of works by the fictitious composer.

Ivan Moravec discusses his career, classical pianists, and composers. He also discusses his colleagues or contemporary pianists.

Interview with Jim Bolle and young musicians Cheryl Griffin, Clyde Jennings, Lotilda Hudson, Joseph Johnson, Stephen Graham.

Presenting music by the TubaSantas with Harvey Phillips and Dr. Frederick Fennell. Program may include a live performance. "Generic Version"-Re-edited on 12/6/1995

Presenting music soprano Elsa Charleston and pianist Abraham Stokman.

Studs and Mr. Blackwood discuss his musical theory of tonal composition, and Mr. Blackwood plays several excerpts of his piece "Chamber Work for Fourteen Winds" on the piano.

The program begins with an excerpt from BBC Radio about a hoax piece of music by Pietorzac (Hans Keller). Hans Keller and a friend went into studio and made noise and presented it as music. In this round table discussion the three gentlemen - all composers, musicians, and educators, discuss with Studs, contemporary music and the standards for defining a composition as music. In the second hour, they discuss what level of knowledge of music a critic should have in order to form a proper opinion of music. All animatedly offer their opinion to both the pro's and the cons.

In this round table discussion the three gentlemen - all composers, musicians, and educators - discuss with Studs contemporary music and the standards for defining a composition in music. In the second hour they discuss what level of knowledge of music a critic should have in order to form a proper opinion of music. All animatedly offer their opinion to both the pro and the con. A movement of both Blackwood and Shapey compositions is played.