Austin Pictures: KMFA Live Broadcast, a Talk with Joan Kobayashi
For Austin Pictures, KMFA Classical 89.5 is not only a Media Sponsor, they have also joined us as a production partner to broadcast the evening live simultaneously with the show! So if it turns out you can’t come down to see the show at ACL Live on October 1st… you can still tune in your radio, or listen online, to the whole production.
This is actually not the first time we’ve played together like this. Do you remember the last time they broadcast a show live for us? It was for the opening of Austin Goes Classical last summer at the Long Center when Pepe Romero played his dazzling, sold-out show at the Long Center. What a night that was!
We love KMFA. And we wanted to sit down with KMFA’s General Manager, Joan Kobayashi, to learn a bit more about the station.
Matt Hinsley for Austin Pictures: What are some core principles or values that define KMFA?
Joan Kobayashi for KMFA: We include excellence of content, fiscal responsibility and community collaboration as some of our most important core principles. All of our principles require a constant focus on community trusteeship and stewardship. Staff, board, listeners and donors alike are all trustees and stewards of this community asset we call 89.5, KMFA – an all-classical public radio service for Austin and Central Texas. We consider the station and its resources as a trust we must preserve and enhance – and we operate with a sense of stewardship on behalf of the communities we serve, consciously working to honor the trust placed in us.
MH: Why do you feel it's important to give back to our community?
JK: We are part of, sustained by, and serve our community. Giving back is an inherent part of our mission and community responsibility. KMFA has long considered gifts in support of our station as gifts for Central Texans.
MH: Why are you supporting Austin Pictures?
JK: We feel strongly that our programming should be reflective of our community - and live broadcasts of locally based performances are the epitome of that reflection. Having successfully collaborated with the Austin Classical Guitar Society in the past, we accepted without hesitation when asked to be part of Austin Pictures. Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition is described as a monumental masterpiece - so, too, is this amazing collaborative event that you - Matt Hinsley - have put together. We’re thrilled to extend its reach to as many people as possible through our broadcast!
MH: Tell me about the live broadcast you're planning?
JK: Our broadcast will begin at 7:30pm on October 1st and will be co-hosted by Dianne Donovan (KMFA mid-day announcer and Classical Austin producer) and Keith Neisler (KMFA Program Director). Content will include feature interviews with the performers before the concert and during intermissions. We will also have an online component where the performance’s multimedia images will be displayed on our website.
MH: Is there anything else you'd like to share?
JK: That we can’t wait! We particularly love working with you and the Austin Classical Guitar Society (ACGS). We’re also proud to collaborate with KUT and ACGS in presenting “Classical Cactus,” a new program that features the Austin Classical Guitar Society’s series of the same name at the Cactus Cafe. Our first program airs September 6th, and the remainder of the series will air throughout the year. More great Classically Austin programming!
Pictures Spotlight: Pisco Portón, Opening Night Dinner
We are busy planning the opening night dinner that will directly precede Austin Pictures on October 1st. Doors open for Austin Pictures at ACL Live (just north of City Hall, in the W Hotel) at 6:30PM, AV/previews begin at 7:30 and the show starts at 8. But across the street in Silicon Lab’s east building, beginning at 5:30, we’re having our opening night dinner!
Jorge Caballero, the genius guitarist who is our centerpiece guest performer for Austin Pictures, is from Peru. We learned this summer that chef Julio, head chef of our new favorite cuisine partner, La Sombra Bar and Grill, is also Peruvian! So it seemed like the perfect fit to ask La Sombra to create a Peruvian feast for opening night!
Our friends at La Sombra introduced us to Pisco Portón. These distillers of premium Peruvian Pisco are not only brilliant at what they do, but they are also very generous and community-minded. They have joined in as a sponsor of our opening night dinner. Thank you Pisco Portón!
“What is Pisco?” You ask? I thought you might! I had a conversation with the good people at Pisco Portón to learn a bit more (ooh, and there’s even a recipe below!).
Matt Hinsley: We are so grateful for your support of our opening night dinner and of our Austin Pictures project. I’m sure that I’m not alone in wanting to know more about Pisco and, specifically, Pisco Portón. Can you help?
PP: Pisco Portón is a new, ultra premium white spirit that is versatile in cocktails and offers complexity with a delicate finish when savored on its own. Born from grapes that grow in the shadows of the Andes Mountains, Pisco Portón is artisanally crafted at Hacienda La Caravedo distillery in Ica, Peru. Building on the heritage and traditions of this distillery, which was founded in 1684 and is the oldest in the Americas, Pisco Portón combines centuries-old methods with state-of-the-art and eco-friendly technology to create a “mosto verde pisco” of unmatched quality.
MH: I understand we’ll be mixing up some special Pisco Portón drinks at our opening night dinner, but could you share one of your favorite recipes with us now?
PP: Sure! This is the recipe for “The Portonero”:
2 oz. Pisco Portón
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. simple syrup
1 slice of fresh ginger
1 dash of Angostura™ bitters
Top off with ginger ale
Fresh lime wedge
Pour Pisco Portón, lime juice, simple syrup, ginger and bitters into a tall glass with ice. Top off with ginger ale. Stir ingredients and garnish with a lime wedge.
MH: We’re very grateful for your support of Austin Pictures and our opening night dinner. Why do you feel it’s important to give back to the community?
PP: Pisco Portón has a commitment to being a good neighbor and to practicing business sustainably. Pisco Portón’s new state-of-the-art distillery was built with the environment in mind, incorporating design features and technology to reduce water and energy waste, as well as carbon dioxide emissions. In the United States, Pisco Portón is proud to support a number of worthy causes including Austin Pictures.
MH: I’m sure there are many great causes seeking your support. Is there something about Austin Pictures that made you want to support the project?
PP: Austin Pictures shares the best of music, film and art with its community and Pisco Portón was elated to hear you selected legendary Peruvian guitarist Jorge Caballero as the centerpiece. As a product based in Peruvian heritage and tradition, Pisco Portón is honored to be a part of Austin Pictures, creating the perfect Peruvian evening where music, cuisine and cocktails are paired together just as they would be in Peru.
MH: Are there other artistic causes you’ve supported recently, that you’re excited about?
PP: We recently sponsored Dan’s Paper Art Exhibition, an event that supports New York area artists. Although a new brand that launched this year, Pisco Portón is excited about supporting more arts organizations that do great work for their communities such as Austin Pictures.
MH: Is Pisco Portón available all over the US now?
PP: Pisco Portón is currently available in Texas, California, New York, New Jersey, Florida, Georgia, Massachusetts, Michigan, Louisiana, Ohio, Minnesota and South Carolina and will become available in more states very soon.
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They also sent a great shot of Master Distiller Johnny Schuler at their distillery in Hacienda La Caravedo, in Ica, Peru. Cheers!
$100 La Sombra Giveaway this Thursday!
On Thursday at noon we will give away a $100 gift card to La Sombra Bar and Grill to whoever has the most popular uploaded image on our Facebook wall! Join in the fun! Visit AustinPictures.org and follow the Facebook icon to the upload instructions. Then tell your friends to vote for your image!
Why Pictures? Our opening night at the 2,200-seat ACL Live Theater on October 1st is called Austin Pictures. The centerpiece is Jorge Caballero doing the near-impossible: playing the 40-minute orchestral masterwork Pictures at an Exhibition on solo guitar. By now you’ve read about Peter Bay and the Miro Quartet and the 100+ guitarists from over 1,000 miles away. Today we’d like to talk a bit about the 11 distinguished young visual artists who are also participating.
The music of Pictures at an Exhibition has 11 evocative themes based on images. We have commissioned 11 distinguished young visual artists from area high schools to each paint one of the 11 themes on 20”x24” canvases. Meet the artists now, by visiting Austin Pictures online! These young artists have been asked to study and listen to the music by Mussorgsky that relates to their theme, and paint a work of art in response to it. In that way, we’ve brought the art-work full circle, since Pictures at an Exhibition was originally composed in response to drawings – we’re doing the reverse!
We want your pictures involved too! The images posted to Facebook in the next 8 weeks will not only be eligible for awesome prizes, but they will also be woven into the fabric of the fabulous AV we’re planning in conjunction with our friends at the Alamo Drafthouse. We look forward to your participation.
La Sombra Bar and Grill. More than a thousand of you experienced the fabulous food of La Sombra Bar and Grill this summer during our Pasión Latin Series. Our fun with La Sombra continues! Not only are they generously donating the $100 gift card we’ll give away this Thursday, but they are also preparing the Opening Night Dinner hosted by Silicon Labs, before Austin Pictures on the evening of October 1st! Since Chef Julio is originally from Peru, and so is Jorge Caballero, we decided to ask the Chef to make an amazing multi-course Peruvian feast! Info about the dinner is online here.