John Lemley's City Cafe

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John Lemley's City Cafe

Welcome to the official page of John Lemley's City Cafe, a classical program heard on GPB Radio and the new GPB Classical app.

02/16/2026

The perfect soundtrack for your Sunday evening. On-air and online now. 📻 📱 💻

02/13/2026

Happy World Radio Day! 📻 🎶

02/02/2026

The Minnesota Orchestra changed the program for its concerts on 30 and 31 January in memory of Alex Pretti and Renee Good.

In a statement on their website and social media, the orchestra wrote, “In light of what’s happening in our community right now, this weekend’s program will open with the Adagietto from Mahler’s Symphony No. 5, instead of Dukas’s ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice.’ We offer it in memorial for Alex Pretti and Renee Good—and we share it with love for our audience and our beautiful city on a program that explores the resilience of finding ‘songs to sing’ amidst tragedy and seeking hope in darkness.”

The rest of the program was unchanged, and included the US premiere of Donghoon Shin’s ‘Threadsuns’ Concerto for Viola and Orchestra, featuring Principal Viola Rebecca Albers. Conductor Fabien Gabel led the concerts.

The program is now available for streaming free of charge on the orchestra’s YouTube channel.

09/17/2025

"As an artist, I just can't think of a better life than the one that I've been blessed with.”

Rest in Peace, Robert Redford ♥️

09/10/2025

When Erik Satie died in 1925, those closest to him were shocked to discover that he had lived in a filthy, threadbare one-room apartment to which he hadn’t admitted a single visitor, not even the concierge, in 27 years… 🎹

It was found cut off from utilities and cluttered with hoarded umbrellas and piles of unsorted papers, which nearly buried the two grand pianos that Satie had stacked one on top of the other, the upper one used as storage for letters and parcels.

Amongst the papers scattered in the apartment were thousands of tiny notes, meticulously handwritten in black and red Indian ink. When deciphered, these revealed detailed descriptions of a make-believe castle, an invented religious order, and an unplayable musical instrument, among other fantasies. Also discovered were numerous notebooks filled with unpublished compositions.

Despite the bleakness of his private life, Satie had maintained an immaculate public appearance. Clad daily in one of a dozen identical grey suits (earning him the nickname “the Velvet Gentleman”) he would emerge daily from his squalid hovel for a 10km stroll to his favorite cafés in Paris.

09/09/2025

Happy birthday, Antonin Dvořák! The composer of the New World Symphony was born on this day in 1841, 184 years ago. ❤️

09/06/2025

Giorgio Armani has passed away at the age of 91. ❤️

The legendary Italian fashion designer was a longtime supporter of the arts, and was one of the first to support La Scala when it became a foundation in 1997. In 2021, he renewed this bond through a second partnership, with the Armani Group contributing to the construction of a new building for the iconic opera house.

That same year, Armani paid tribute to soprano Maria Callas with an evening gown from his Giorgio Armani Privé collection, dedicating the design to the city of Milan. “To represent Maria Callas,” he said, “I have chosen a red gown: red for passion and strength, qualities that I have always believed were part of Maria Callas, a free woman of character”.

(📷 Global)

09/05/2025

Katharine, Duchess of Kent, has died aged 92, Buckingham Palace has announced.

She was the oldest living member of the royal family, though she kept a low profile in recent years, having stepped back from royal duties in 2002. After decades of service as a working royal, she made the rare decision to relinquish her HRH (Her Royal Highness) title, choosing instead to dedicate herself to music education.

She became a music teacher at Wansbeck Primary School in Hull, a role she kept private for several years. She also taught piano from a rented flat in London. In 2004, she founded Future Talent, a charity committed to supporting young musicians from all backgrounds and ensuring every child has the opportunity to develop their talent. ❤️

The Palace said: “It is with deep sorrow that Buckingham Palace announces the death of Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent. Her Royal Highness passed away peacefully last night at Kensington Palace, surrounded by her family.”

(📷 Global)

08/26/2025

‘I never liked film music very much.’

Composer John Williams on writing music for films... 🎬

At 93, Williams has composed some of the most recognisable film scores in cinema history, such as Star Wars, Jaws, E.T., and Jurassic Park. His works have garnered five Academy Awards, four Golden Globe Awards, seven British Film Academy Awards, 23 Grammys, and numerous gold and platinum records.

(Quote via The Guardian.)

08/19/2025

Did you know? Sir Karl Jenkins’ piece ‘Adiemus’ was originally written for a Delta Airlines commercial? ✈️

In 1994, Jenkins, who is one of the most performed living composers in the world, was commissioned by Georgia’s own Delta Airlines to write a song for their new television advert. The song was also used in some Delta in-flight videos.

Later that year, Jenkins developed the piece into a full-blown choral work, and in 1995 it was officially released on the album Adiemus: Songs of Sanctuary with vocalists Miriam Stockley and Mary Carewe.

(📷 Global)

08/13/2025

Wednesday Addams plays Prokofiev 😵

In the new season of ‘Wednesday’, Jenna Ortega returns to her cello after delivering a convincing performance of a Bach Cello Suite in Season 1.

This time, in the first episode of Season 2, Ortega brings her signature eerie moodiness to a performance of Prokofiev’s brooding ‘Dance of the Knights’ – the perfect introduction to Wednesday’s fierce composure.

(FYI…the musician credited on IMDb for actually playing Wednesday’s “cello solos” is Ölveti Mátyás, a Hungarian cellist and cello teacher at the University of Debrecen.)

Address

260 14th Street NW
Atlanta, GA
30318

Telephone

+18478680035

Website

https://www.gpb.org/radio/program/city-cafe

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