MOUSIKES NOTES

A KFCF Radio Program

By

Alex Vavoulis, Programmer

THE BEGINNING

Listener-sponsored radio station, KFCF 88.1FM, was an idea from Everett C. Frost, a former English faculty member at California State University, Fresno. In 1972, Alex Vavoulis, then president of the Fresno Free College Foundation (FFCF), started work on  The Federal Communications Commission application with the help of radio Engineer Randy Stover. When KFCF first started the KPFA signal from Berkeley on June 9, 1975, it began offering several local programs. With Vavoulis as Manager and Stover as Chief Engineer, Vavoulis began a program on the first Sunday of each month which was called Fresno Live.

FRESNO LIVE

This time slot was used to broadcast local originating musical programs. Most of these programs were recorded by Stover and volunteer Rychard Withers. For example, KFCF

recorded concerts by the Fresno Philharmonic Orchestra and these were shared with Charles Amirkhanian at KPFA so that these broadcasts originated with KPFA. When Keyboard Concerts was sponsored by the Fresno Free College Foundation, KFCF recorded all of these programs and broadcast on Fresno Live. Another series which was being sponsored by the FFCF was Orpheus, A Chamber Music Ensemble, was recorded and broadcast by KFCF.

Fresno Live broadcast live recordings of programs other than classical music. For example, a combined music and poetry reading with Flamenco Guitarist Juan Serrano and poet Philip Levine and a concert by folk singer Kate Wolf, both of which drew capacity audiences at Northwest, in Fresno. In 1988, KFCF recorded a poetry reading by three Greek poets at a dinner hosted by Upstart Crow Restaurant and Bookstore in Manchester Center in Fresno. Stover and Withers recorded the program and music was edited into the readings and then broadcast on Fresno Live. These programs, recorded on reel-to-reel tapes, are now being transferred to CDs under the KFCF Archives Project.

MOUSIKES NOTES

The name of the program was changed in 1992 from Fresno Live to Mousikes Notes (Greek for Musical Notes). At this time Alex and Vasiliky Vavoulis became co-producers of the program which became a showcase for music by Greek composers. Its time schedule changed to the fourth Saturday of each month from 9 – 11 P.M. The music heard on KFCF captures the spirit and soul of the Greek people, and some of these programs are on the internet at www.mousikesnotes.com. Several of the programs were taken to KPFA and co-hosted with Mary Berg on her regular Sunday morning program. 

The richness of Greek music is found in many forms: symphonies, oratorios, operas, operettas, ballets, contemporary, theater, film, folk, popular, cantatas and island songs. The combining of music with poetry is very common with Greek composers which has stimulated interest in poetry for the Greek people. Poets Odysseas Elytis and George Seferis, both Noble Laureats, have had their poetry set to music as have Yiannis Ritsos and Angelos Sikelianos, just to name a few.

A Mousikes Notes program that stands out was based on the Ballad of Mauthausen, a four song cycle by Mikis Theodorakis. The composer was inspired by four poems written by playwright Iakovos Kambanellis. The poems were an outcome of Kambanellis’ experiences in the Nazi concentration camp and reported in his book, Mauthausen, and translated into English by Professor Gaile Holtz-Warhaft of Cornel University. The program included the four songs, commentary and a telephone interview with the translator.

Other programs that are remembered were Memorial Tributes to composer Manos Hadzidakis, poets Odysseas Elytis and George Seferis, Ralph Victor, FFCF Board member and humanitarian, guitarist Jesse Sands, Greek singer Biki Moscholiou and to Pianist Philip Lorenz, founder and musical director of Keyboard Concerts when the keyboard series was sponsored by FFCF. A special program that is remembered is KFCF’s celebration of the 80^th birthday of Mikis Theodorakis.

AFFIRMATION

In its Articles of Incorporation, the FFCF committed itself to “the enhancement of the intellectual and artistic life of the community.” This has been the guiding principle in all of the activities sponsored by the FFCF.