Meet Broadcaster Peter Shimkin

Peter Shimkin, a retired physician, is the host of Tuesday Afternoon Classics. Peter was first introduced to classical music by his mother and by his grandmother, who was a professional organist and piano teacher. He began his personal music collection at age eight when he saved his allowance diligently to purchase a recording of "Eine Kleine Nachtmusik" conducted by Sir Thomas Beecham. Peter tells us that "during one of the last conversations I had with my mother before she passed away in December 2011, she reminded me that back before I was old enough to remember, my first love was Mozart. I still love him."

Although Peter stopped taking piano lessons as a teenager, he never stopped listening to and enjoying orchestral and chamber music and over the years his musical tastes became quite eclectic. He has enjoyed seeing and hearing a number of memorable performances, including concerts by Luciano Pavarotti, Leontyne Price and Alicia de Larrocha, as well as taking in the wonderful artistry of the Emerson String Quartet, Leonard Bernstein conducting the NY Philharmonic and Eugene Ormandy conducting the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Peter's interest in opera developed when he began to attend live performances. Over the years, as his interest in opera grew, one of his favorite ways to socialize with fellow physicians was to attend concerts and operas in NYC. In 1990 he organized five of his fellow physicians to attend all of the performances of Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Met.  Says Peter; "The physician group I organized will be in attendance for the new Met Ring Cycle beginning May 5th and we are already planning for next year."

Peter continues; "Pursuing my addiction to Wagner, I gave pre-concert talks before the HDTV presentations of the last two Ring operas at Fairfield University in late 2011 and February 2012. I hope to give more pre-concert talks and am negotiating with Fairfield University to see if there is interest in an adult education course about the Ring, including a discussion about its meaning." He tells us "I have also much enjoyed collaborating with Doug Fox (of WMNR's Tuesday Evening at the Opera) on programs about Russian operas and singers."

Peter came to WMNR as a long-time listener (at least since 1982 or '83 he tells us) and donor. Peter recalls "I played it in my office at work and well remember Joanne Moryl playing Bruckner's 8th symphony and Diana Blase playing Hubert Parry's 4th. When I retired in 2009, after five months of driving my wife crazy at home I called and asked Kurt if there was a slot open.  It has taken a while to become comfortable in front of a microphone, but I hope my personality now comes through to the listener."  Peter notes that when his program "went from two to three hours, it was for the purpose of playing longer works such as the Mahler and Bruckner symphonies. I doubt if you get these magnificent pieces at 1:00 pm anywhere else on the radio dial."

To read WMNR's Theatre Reviews with Rosalind Friedman   click here