John Chester

Afternoon Host, Classical WETA 90.9 FM

John Chester is the afternoon host for Classical WETA 90.9 FM, the exclusive classical music radio station in the nation’s capital. Chester has a long and distinguished career working for public and commercial classical music stations.

Raised in Freeport, Illinois, he remembers visiting his first radio station when he was a cub scout. After serving in the Air Force, Chester attended Southern Illinois University, where he received a BA in communications in 1974. Shortly after that, Chester went to work for public radio station WILL-AM and WILL-FM at the University of Illinois.

It was the opportunity to work at WGMS-FM as assistant program director that brought Chester to the Greater Washington area. He eventually became a full-time announcer for the station. After 12 years at WGMS, he moved to Boston where he became the afternoon host at Boston's commercial classical music station WCRB-FM. In 1996, Chester returned to WGMS and was that station's afternoon host until January 2007.

When he’s off the air, Chester enjoys gardening, woodwork, golfing, fishing, watching movies and reading—he also enjoys playing with his three terriers. Chester is the proud father of two grown daughters. He currently lives in North Potomac, MD.

A conversation with John Chester

How did you first become interested in classical music?

I grew up in a family where everyone was taking music lessons and singing in the church choir. It seemed like everyone was always scratching or pounding on something. My three sisters all played instruments--cello, flute, and piano--and my mother enjoyed the Met every Saturday afternoon, turning up the old AM radio till it could be heard throughout the house if not the neighborhood. It drove my father and me nuts. So, I had pretty constant exposure to classical music growing up.

I eventually rebelled! As a teenager, I gave up the clarinet and piano and concentrated on other things. I didn't have the talent or the patience to be a performer. It wasn't until a number of years later that I really got involved with music again. I took a job at WILL AM/FM, the public radio station at the University of Illinois after leaving the service and graduating from college, and I worked there from 1977-1981. During my time there, I volunteered to be a classical announcer and realized that I really enjoyed it. This led to a job at WGMS where I became the assistant program director and, later, a full time announcer. Except for about 3 1/2 years in Boston, I was at WGMS until January when I came to Classical WETA.

What is your favorite aspect of your job as an on-air host?

My favorite aspect of being on the air is telling a good story or stories about a composer or performer--something that lends a little light on why a piece was composed or is played a certain way. I'm not an academic but I love learning about the composers and musicians. It's wonderful how the music says something about their lives. Music is very much an expression of people.

It's also fun to find something completely unrelated to what's on the air but that might be of interest to the listeners--just as if they're in my living room with me.

What do you see as the biggest differences between public radio and commercial radio for classical music?

Well, the number of similarities are far greater than any differences. One could certainly say that public radio listeners have less patience for commercials than commercial listeners. Public radio listeners may also be willing to listen to a greater variety of pieces. It's really hard to say.

How would you describe the connection between listeners and the radio?

Radio stations are like people. You have a personality but you're not the same everyday. The same is true with a radio station. It's not just a music service. But it's not a concert hall, either. People use radio differently. Ideally all the pieces should fit together, connecting to the pieces that come before and after.

Radio's strengths are its immediacy and its intimacy. We can respond faster than just about any other medium. In my opinion, we can also create emotions and images better than any other medium. If we don't pay attention to those two strengths then we are not serving our audience as well as we can.

Any favorite memories of people you've met or experiences you've had related to classical music?

One of my favorite interviews was with violinist Isaac Stern. I was a bit nervous before the interview but afterward I realized it felt as if I was talking with my grandfather. He was very warm and revealed a number of things about himself, his family, and his art. I find that's the case with a lot of artists--they've been interviewed so many times that they understand that it's an opportunity to speak to the audience and shed light on their lives. As a result, they're very easy to talk to.

Who are your favorite composers?

That might depend on the day, what mood I'm in.....it's hard to say. Brahms has always been special to me...from his great Teutonic symphonies to the intimacy of his late piano pieces. And then there's Bach....his range of expression includes every possible emotion and type of music. Vaughan Williams always catches my ear....as does Debussy, Ravel.....and many Spanish composers including Granados. I don't know if I really have an all-time favorite.