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Bill Chin and the Oriana Singers (10/31/1989)

April 18, 2025, 11:00 pm

Members of the Oriana Singers in WFMT’s Studio with Studs Terkel, 1989. (Photo by Free Chin)

Led by noted founder and artistic director William Chin, the Oriana Singers have concertized in Chicago and around the world since 1979. The ensemble performs on Live From WFMT on Monday, April 21, 2025. That made us recall the hour in 1989 when they sang a collection of 18th and 19th century American parlor music on the Studs Terkel Program.

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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.

Afternoon Music with Candice Agree

Afternoon Music with Candice Agree

Bill Chin and the Oriana Singers (10/31/1989)