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Jan Peerce (5/15/1961)

November 22, 2019, 11:00 pm

Jan Peerce, 1944 (Source: Hymn of the Nations, a film by United States Office of War Information via wikimedia.org)

The great American tenor, Jan Peerce, child of Jewish immigrants, was born in 1904 in New York City. He delighted audiences for more than 60 years, including three decades as a Metropolitan Opera favorite. In 1961, Jan Peerce spoke with Studs Terkel about Verdi, cantorial repertoire, and more.

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Meet the Host

Studs Terkel (1912-2008) radically redefined the concept of radio interviews. For 45 years starting in 1952, WFMT was his homebase. His daily radio show was a pillar of WFMT’s programming, with its eclectic and astute mix of music and conversation. Studs juxtaposed interviews with the many of the 20th century’s most significant figures with the voices of uncelebrated, working people from Chicago. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Studs helped established oral history as a popular and socially ambitious literary genre. Some of his titles include: Division Street, Hard Times, Working, Race and And They All Sang (Adventures of an Eclectic Disc Jockey). Studs was also a recipient of the National Book Award.

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Jan Peerce (5/15/1961)