Classical KUCO Programs
A Day to Remember
Brief Program – Weekdays: 8 am and 5 pm
A Day To Remember is a daily journey into the treasures of history, great and small.
Researched, written, and hosted by longtime KUCO broadcaster and award-winning novelist Kent Anderson, A Day to Remember covers a wide range of topics, ranging from ancient history to the 21st century: battles and elections, inventions and adventures, art and culture, science and spirit.
Afternoons with Kent Anderson
Weekdays: 2 pm and 6 pm
Afternoons with Kent Anderson, weekdays from 2 pm to 6 pm, bring you a seasoned broadcaster with over 45 years of radio experience. Kent Anderson, a local Oklahoman and award-winning author of six novels, has spent 35 of those years at Classical KUCO, where he serves as the Music and Traffic Director. He is also the creative mind behind the daily feature “A Day To Remember” and your trusted host during your drive home. Join Kent for a delightful blend of classical tunes, engaging traffic updates, and insightful anecdotes, making your afternoon drive a musical journey.
Beyond the Barrier
Fridays: 10 pm
Host Chris Kuborn takes listeners on another musical journey into the world of electronic and ambient music. Beyond The Barrier features soundscapes and music from the early pioneers in this genre to today’s newest artists.
Bird Note
Weekdays: 7 am
BirdNote is a two-minute radio show that combines rich sounds with engaging stories, to illustrate the amazing lives of birds and give listeners a momentary respite from the news of the day.
The Chicago Symphony
Tuesdays: 7 pm
The Chicago Symphony showcases a diverse repertoire of orchestral works, complemented by performances from esteemed soloists and guest conductors. With Lisa Simeone as the host, the program offers dynamic and innovative commentary, providing listeners with an insider’s perspective into the captivating world of music.
Classical Guitar Alive
Saturdays: 8 am
Sundays: 9 pm
Classical Guitar Alive! features great music and fascinating interviews with many of the world’s leading guitar performers and composers. Join host Tony Morris for an unabashedly enthusiastic and fast-paced romp through a vast repertoire of music ranging from Medieval through present-day solo, chamber, and orchestral music with guitar.
CMS of Lincoln Center
Sundays: 1 pm
CMS of Lincoln Center showcases exceptional live performances from New York’s Alice Tully Hall, featuring commentary by Elliott Forrest and CMS cellist and Artistic Director David Finckel. The Chamber Music Society captivates audiences with its concerts, making it the leading organization in drawing people to chamber music.
Collectors’ Corner
Sundays: 5 pm
Collectors’ Corner uncovers timeless music that shaped the world. Host Henry Fogel shares a curated selection from his personal record collection, built over years of exploring global record stores. From rare repertoire to captivating performances, Fogel presents true industry classics for a wider audience to enjoy.
Composers Datebook
Brief Program – Weekdays: 4 pm
What do Chopin and Corelli have in common with Chick Corea and John Corigliano? Listen to Composers Datebook and find out!
Composers Datebook host John Birge provides a daily two-minute program designed to inform, engage, and entertain listeners with timely information about composers of the past and present. Each program notes significant or intriguing musical events involving composers of the past and present—with appropriate and accessible music related to each.
Concert Hall Classics
Monday – Thursday: 11 am and 9 pm
Concert Hall Classics, hosted by Curt Timmons, offers three hours of stunning music, presenting extended selections from the KUCO library. The program allows KUCO listeners to indulge in their favorite masterworks as well as discover more unusual offerings.
Early Music Now
Sundays: 11 pm
Early Music Now presents a diverse range of music from the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and early Baroque, including medieval chant, Renaissance madrigals, dances, consort music, baroque cantatas, and keyboard pieces. Hosted by Sara Schneider, the show offers a captivating journey through seven centuries of music history with knowledge, charm, and passion.
EarthDate
Brief Program – Weekdays: 3 pm
EarthDate focuses on the workings and complexity of our planet – its geology, its environment, and its major geologic events, both distant and more recent. Hosted by Dr. Scott W. Tinker, Director Emeritus of the Bureau of Economic Geology at The University of Texas at Austin, EarthDate explores Earth’s resources and processes and how they impact listeners’ daily lives.
Exploring Music
Weekdays: 10 am and 6 pm
Exploring Music is a captivating adventure through the world of classical music, led by guide Bill McGlaughlin. Each week, we explore a different theme and follow the music wherever it takes us, immersing ourselves in genres, music festivals, and classical themes.
Footlight Parade
Saturdays: 4 pm
Footlight Parade: Sounds of the American Musical offers a front-row experience to celebrate the magic of Broadway and Hollywood musicals, from early 20th-century classics to current hits by renowned composers. Hosted by Bill Rudman, this lively and fast-paced program shines a spotlight on captivating recordings that steal the show.
Hearts of Space
Fridays: 9 pm
Saturdays: 7 am
Hearts of Space began as Stephen Hill’s fascination with ambient and contemplative music and has grown into the most popular contemporary music program on public radio. It features a unique blend of ambient, electronic, world, new age, classical, and experimental music, making it a premier showcase for contemplative music worldwide.
High Country Celtic Radio
Saturdays: 5 pm
High Country Celtic Radio focuses on the traditional, acoustic music of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Brittany, Northern Spain, and the Isle of Man, played by musicians from around the world. Although produced in northwestern Nevada at the foot of the Sierra Nevada, HCCR brings the lush, vibrant colors of traditional Celtic music to listeners in the high desert and beyond.
Make Believe Ballroom
Saturdays: 7 pm
Each week on Make Believe Ballroom, host Jeff Bressler transports you to the golden age of swing with classic big band hits from the 1930s and 1940s—the music that shaped jazz and became the foundation of the Great American Songbook. Make Believe Ballroom features treasured 78rpm recordings, fascinating stories of legendary bandleaders, musicians, composers, and vocalists, listener requests, and special segments that bring the era’s music and history vividly to life.
Mornings with Paul Nesper
Weekdays: 6 am – 10 am
Host Paul Nesper, a seasoned musician and arts educator, curates a seamless blend of the latest weather, traffic updates, and the finest classical music from 6 am to 10 am each weekday. With a friendly smile each weekday morning, Paul ensures that your internal weather stays sunny, even on cloudy days. Join “Mornings with Paul Nesper” as he sets the perfect tone for the day ahead.
New York Philharmonic This Week
Mondays: 7 pm
The New York Philharmonic This Week showcases recent performances and commercial recordings, accompanied by artist interviews and highlights from the NY Phil’s archives. Hosted by Alec Baldwin, this nationally acclaimed program has received numerous awards and enlightens millions of listeners annually.
The Metropolitan Opera
Saturdays: Noon
KUCO is proud to carry The Metropolitan Opera Saturday matinee during their 95th season beginning December 6, 2025, with Puccini’s beloved La Bohème. The broadcasts span 26 consecutive weeks and will highlight the Met season’s rich mix of classic and new repertoire, concluding with the final broadcast on May 30, 2026, of Gabriela Lena Frank’s El Último Sueño de Frida y Diego.
All broadcasts of The Metropolitan Opera are broadcast at 12 p.m. (noon) Central Time.
Overnights with Peter Van de Graaff
Saturday – Thursday: Midnight – 6 am
At midnight, Saturday through Thursday, Overnights with Peter Van de Graaff invites you to delight in the enchanting world of classical music. Host Peter Van de Graaff curates a diverse selection spanning all eras on the overnight program. From the intricate compositions of the Baroque era to the timeless masterpieces of the Classical and Romantic periods, Peter weaves a musical tapestry that transcends time. Whether he’s presenting a soothing collection of lullabies or exploring pieces inspired by Shakespearean plays, each evening promises a captivating journey through the vast realm of music.
Performance Oklahoma
Saturdays: 9 am
Sundays: 7 pm
Performance Oklahoma, with host Paul Nesper, is a weekly showcase of beautiful stunning performances selected from concert venues throughout Oklahoma.
Performance Today
Fridays: 11 am
Sundays: 2 pm
Performance Today, hosted by Valerie Kahler, is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews.
Pipedreams
Sundays: 6 am – 8 am
Pipedreams is the only nationally-distributed radio program focused on the art of the pipe organ. Hosted by Michael Barone, Pipedreams has garnered recognition for its outstanding contributions.
Reel Music
Fridays: 1 pm
Saturdays: 11 am
Reel Music takes you on a weekly cinematic journey, featuring orchestral themes from the finest film scores. Hosted by Matt Rogers, this hour-long show is infused with the occasional vintage snack bar announcement, providing a delightful and nostalgic experience for all.
The Retro Cocktail Hour
Saturdays: 9 pm
Experience the vintage sounds of The Retro Cocktail Hour, a weekly blend of ’50s, ’60s, and ’70s music. Hosted by an eclectic mix of “bachelor pad” tunes, exotica, jazz, and pop, the show features obscure Italian B-movie soundtracks, bossa nova, and contemporary bands like Don Tiki and the Tikiyaki Orchestra. Sip on the nostalgic charm of this lively musical journey.
Sound Ideas
Saturdays: 11 pm
Sound Ideas explores the artistry of jazz, blues, and the spoken word. Hosted by Clay Ryder, each episode explores a different theme or genre of the jazz idiom through recorded performances pulled from more than eighty years of recorded art.
Spotlight
Thursdays: 9 am
Spotlight is KUCO’s weekly program celebrating Oklahoma’s vibrant arts community, offering interviews with guests, exploring individual artistic endeavor, upcoming concerts, events and exhibits, and learning more about the arts organizations that serve our community.
StarDate
Brief Program – Weekdays: 6 am and 2 pm
StarDate tells you what to look for in the night sky, and explains the science, history, and skylore behind these objects. It also keeps informs on the latest research findings and space missions. And it offers tidbits on astronomy in the arts and popular culture, providing ways for people with diverse interests to keep up with the universe.
Sunday Baroque
Sundays: 9 am
Fresh and inviting, upbeat and inspiring, Sunday Baroque is a weekly radio program hosted by Suzanne Bona. Sunday Baroque features beloved and appealing music composed in the baroque era (1600-1750) and the years leading up to it. The music may be centuries-old, but it’s the perfect antidote for the stress and distractions of our modern lives, so you can relax and recharge for the week ahead.
SymphonyCast
Fridays: 2 pm
Saturdays: 2 pm
SymphonyCast, with host Steve Seel, is a two-hour weekly radio program featuring a full-length concert by a major orchestra. Material is drawn from Europe’s premier symphony orchestras, along with U.S. orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Nashville Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra.
The WFMT Orchestra Series
Wednesdays: 7 pm
Embark on a global journey with The WFMT Orchestra Series, exploring the finest ensembles worldwide. Every Wednesday evening, experience exceptional highlights from top-tier orchestras such as the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and many others, showcasing unique programming and superb performances.
Vinyl Lounge
Saturdays: 8 pm
Vinyl Lounge with Curt Timmons, presents an hour to Take It Easy! Let those MacIntosh tuner tubes warm up, lay some cool vinyl on the AR turntable with that sweet Grado cartridge, sit back, and let those Klipschorns make the music happen! Join Curt to catch some Space Age Pop, Exotica, a bit of Easy Listening, and other Cool Music.
Wind and Rhythm
Sundays: 4 pm
Wind and Rhythm is the ultimate gathering place for over 38 million band music enthusiasts, featuring a vibrant mix of wind ensembles, symphonies, concert bands, and small brass, reed, and percussion ensembles. From spirited marches to the timeless compositions of Holst and Vaughan Williams, we celebrate the diverse and inclusive culture of wind music.
With Heart and Voice
Sundays: 8am and 10 pm
With Heart and Voice is a weekly program that explores sacred choral and organ music, encompassing diverse denominations, cultures, and over a thousand years of celebration. Hosted by Peter DuBois, the show celebrates the richness and beauty of sacred music, focusing on the seasons of the liturgical year.
WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour
Saturdays: 6 pm
WoodSongs Old-Time Radio Hour is an all volunteer, live audience celebration of grassroots music and the artists who make it. The show airs on 537 radio stations from Australia to Oklahoma City to Dublin, Ireland, on American Forces Radio Network twice each weekend in 177 nations, every military base and US Naval ship in the world. WoodSongs is recorded LIVE at the Lyric Theatre in downtown Lexington, Kentucky.