Thirty-five years ago, WILL-FM radio in Urbana, IL, posted a part-time position for a classical music announcer. (“Wait,”, I thought, “I can get paid to listen to, program, research and talk about classical music? I’m in!”) I applied and was immediately hired, and what began as a way to supplement my opera career became a career in itself. I worked full-time as a classical music announcer, programmer and live broadcast host for WFDD in Winston-Salem, NC before the Classical Public Radio Network in Los Angeles came calling. My programs were then heard on scores of public radio stations across the country. A decade ago, I moved to the Shenandoah Valley, where, once again, I worked as a part-time host, this time on WMRA and WEMC.
Now I am retiring from public radio, with my last programs on WMRA and WEMC airing 28 August. It has been an unexpected career, and a pleasure, to serve as a conduit between you, the listener, and the music and information you seek.
Retiring from public radio means continuing to do what I love: running the music program at First Presbyterian Church in Waynesboro with my husband, Roger, who serves as Director of Music/Organist; playing piano (which I have done since I was four), learning, among other works, the Piano Concerto no. 2 by Johannes Brahms; and supporting my family’s musical and other endeavors. When not making music, I will spend an inordinate amount of time in the pool and in the kitchen, cooking and baking.
-Kimberlea Daggy
