Pipedreams is a radio music program produced and distributed by American Public Media (APM) based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, created and hosted since its inception by J. Michael Barone. Each one- or two-hour show features organ music, and centers on a theme such as a particular instrument, venue, organ builder, performer, composer, period, etc.
 | |
| Genre | Classical music |
|---|---|
| Running time | 2 hours |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | Minnesota Public Radio |
| Syndicates | American Public Media |
| Hosted by | J. Michael Barone |
| Original release | January 3, 1982 – present |
| Website | www.pipedreams.org |
History
editThe program has been in weekly national broadcast syndication since 1983 (following pilot episodes in 1982), and it remains the only nationally syndicated radio program in the United States devoted to organ music. The program is available on APM-affiliated stations and on the Pipedreams.org website.[1][2][3] In recent years, Pipedreams' weekly radio audience has fluctuated around 200,000 listeners.[1][4] The program's major sponsors include the Associated Pipe Organ Builders of America.
In addition to the radio program itself, Pipedreams is also known for producing guided tours, often to Europe with the objective of visiting organs of unique quality or interest. Recordings of these notable instruments are frequently featured in the broadcasts of Pipedreams.
Accolades
editThe program's major accolades include the 2001 Deems Taylor Radio Broadcast Award for Excellence from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers.[5][6] In 2017, the American Guild of Organists commissioned a monograph series and published its inaugural volume, J. Michael Barone and Pipedreams: The Organ on Public Radio, by Haig Mardirosian.[7]
In popular culture
editThe program was referenced on Episode 116 (Santa Claus) of the cult TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in 1993.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b "Tuning In to the Organ, and Not Just in Church". The New York Times. October 18, 2008. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ^ "About Pipedreams". American Public Media. 2014. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ^ "Pipedreams 35th Anniversary", The American Organist (June, 2018), p. 27.
- ^ "Pipedreams: Research and Audience Data". American Public Media. Spring 2013. Retrieved June 9, 2014.
- ^ "34th Annual ASCAP Deems Taylor Award Recipients". American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. 2001. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
- ^ "Pipedreams Wins ASCAP–Deems Taylor Broadcast Award". American Public Media. December 2001. Retrieved April 27, 2014.
- ^ Mardirosian, Haig (December 2017). J. Michael Barone and Pipedreams: The Organ on Public Radio (PDF). American Guild of Organists Monograph Series No. 1. Retrieved 19 April 2024.
- ^ "MST3K: Santa Claus – It's Liberace Santa!", Mystery Science Theater 3000 (official YouTube channel).