Six members of The Klezmorim discuss their musical upbringings, the history of klezmer music, and explain how song structures work and overlap. Songs played throughout are: "Moldovanke" by The Klezmorim, 2 songs by an unknown klemer band from the mid 1920s,"Papirosn" by The Klezmorim, "A Glezele Vayn (A Little Glass of Wine)" by The Klezmorim, and a live performance of "Papirosn" by The Klezmorim. All music performed by The Klezmorim were prerecorded off site. Music has been removed from this recording for copyright reasons.

Content Warning: This conversation includes racially and/or culturally derogatory language and/or negative depictions of Black and Indigenous people of color, women, and LGBTQI+ individuals. Rather than remove this content, we present it in the context of twentieth-century social history to acknowledge and learn from its impact and to inspire awareness and discussion. When she was a teenager, Sister Mary William told her parents that she wanted to become a nun. Sister Mary wanted to become a nun so that she could love and help many people.

Discussing the political situation in the Philippines and the human rights organization Task Force Detainees of the Philippines (TFDP) with Sister Margot Lloran. The TFDP works with the Filipino people to craft a response to militarization.

Discussing the arrest and subsequent trial of peace demonstrators at the Great Lakes Naval Base near Waukegan, Illinois with Sister Dorothy Gartland.

Sister Betty Campbell and Father Peter Hind discuss their missionary trips to Latin America. They talk about their time in Peru, Brazil, and El Salvador and working against difficult governments to help struggling people. They also recall some of violence they witnessed or heard about during the El Salvador Civil War, including the execution of four American missionary women.

Secretary General of the British Arts Council Sir Roy Shaw and Studs Terkel discuss making the arts accessible for everyone and how the arts are a benefit to communities. Studs Terkel reads a quote from Kingsley Amos.

Sir Geraint Evans discusses his career in opera. He also discusses his life in Wales and the Welsh language.

Sir Geraint Evans discusses opera and his time as a performer. Includes an in-depth discussion of the opera Peter Grimes.

Sir George Bolton discusses how the 1929 American stock market crash affected international banking and investment and how economy and culture relate to each other.

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.

According to Sir Cedric Hardwicke, plays are only fashionable in New York City even though people all around the country are hungry to see a good play. In England around Christmas time, Hardwicke says children are exposed to plays at an early age, unlike here in the states, where there aren't any plays geared toward children.*Please note: some sections have been edited out from the original recording due to copyright considerations 

Known for their songs about the working class, both Florence Reece and Pete Seeger talk about how they come about writing the lyrics to songs. Seeger says unbeknownst to them, anyone can write a song. Included within this interview, Seeger plays the banjo and Reece sings a song.

On the eve of Irving Berlin's 101st birthday, both Studs Terkel and Tony Bennett talk about his album, "Bennett/Berlin," which is Bennett's tribute to Irving Berlin. When talking about his 90th album, Bennett explained none of Berlin's songs are dated. When asked about his own career, Bennett explained that he's learned more from his failures than he's learned from his successes.

Judy Collins converses with Studs about her early life and her career as a singer of folk music. The following songs are played throughout the interview: "Lark in the Morning;" "The Great Silkie of Sule Skerry;" "Pretty Saro;" "Song of the Wandering Aengus," Yeats, W.B. read by Cyril Cusak; "Golden Apples of the Sun," Yeats, W.B./Edmonson, Travis; "The Bold Fenian Men," Kearney, Paedar; "The Ballad of the Carpenter," MacColl, Ewan; and "The dove." Traditional/MacColl, Ewan.