Cheryl Dring

Through: Thursday, January 8, 2009

Classical Music Director

Classical Music Director Cheryl Dring came to Capital Public Radio in October 2000, after 8 years with WWNO in New Orleans. She has worked in Public Radio since undergraduate school, starting as a part-time announcer when Shreveport, Louisiana signed on its first NPR station in 1984. “They said if I knew music, they could teach me radio. Luckily, I took them up on the offer.” Cheryl also worked as an announcer during graduate school at LSU, where she received a Master of Music Degree in voice, studying with soprano Martina Arroyo.

“The move to California was a challenge I didn’t think I could pass up. Having an entire station devoted to classical music is such a luxury–it shows a real commitment by this community to support the arts in a meaningful way.”

Cheryl’s early projects at Capital Public Radio included moving the music library from a card file system to a computerized database. “It makes programming faster, more flexible, and more varied. We can also respond to listener questions much more quickly and accurately, and it gives us the ability to post listings to our website.”

Sharing the classics with other music lovers is always fulfilling, but even more exciting is the chance to introduce people to classical music for the first time. “It’s always thrilling to talk to a listener who has just discovered the station, and who is surprised to discover he likes the music! You never know what that ‘trigger’ piece will be–sometimes it’s Bach or Barber, sometimes Stravinsky or Arvo Pärt.”

“When I started pursuing a life in music, I had no idea it would lead me into radio....Frankly, everyone who’s known me since childhood is just happy I found a career where talking is a job skill!”