Meet the Composer!

The great composers we know and love are not too different from all of us today!

Discover what sparked their love of music, who supported them along the way, and fun facts about the people behind the great music.

Listen to the episodes below and use the activity sheet to deepen your understanding.

Activity Sheet

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Meet the Composer!

As you learn about the composer, take notes on their life and music with the given questions in mind. With your notes, write a biography of the composer. Unlike other biographies, include your personal thoughts on their life and music!

Teachers/Parents:
The goal of this exercise is to inform the student about the lives of composers and what their music is like, and for them to realize great music was written by everyday people following their passions. After a critical listen to each episode and taking guided notes, students will use the gathered information to creatively write a biography, thinking about what stood out the most to them about the composer.
 

Episodes

  • Black and white portrait picture of Wagner from 1871.

    Richard Wagner: The flawed man who changed opera

    March 31, 2026

    This composer's life was tumultuous and sometimes straight out of a soap opera. John Banther and Evan Keely explore what led him to opera, his initial success and failures, his bigoted "Judaism in Music" essay, and how his Ring Cycle changed everything.
  • Lubna Alyaan is playing her violin and wearing a red sweater.

    3 Composers lost to Tyranny

    February 17, 2026

    A hallmark of tyranny is its desire to control and stifle creative expression. In this episode, in memory of Lubna Alyaan, John Banther and Evan Keely explore three 20th-century composers, what happened to them, and select works that demand your attention.
  • black and white drawing of Mayer, her hair is pulled back and adorned with a flower.

    Emilie Mayer; Rediscovering a celebrated 19th-century composer

    December 9, 2025

    She didn't have a typical upbringing like other composers, and forged her own way with private teachers and determination. John Banther and Evan Keely explore the wide range of repertoire she composed, from symphonies to songs, and look at events that changed the trajectory of her life and career.
  • Adolphus Hailstork headshot, he is smiling, wearing thin rimmed glasses, and in front of a blue background

    Adolphus Hailstork, an American composer writing for our time

    November 11, 2025

    Hailstork has been writing music and teaching for over 5 decades, and his work has documented in music major American moments, from the bicentennial, 9/11, George Floyd, and even infrastructure. John Banther and Evan Keely explore his life, studies with Boulanger, his military experience, and look at 3 works ranging from orchestral to choral that demonstrate his style.
  • Felix Mendelssohn: A prodigy, inventor, and visionary!

    Felix Mendelssohn: A prodigy, inventor, and visionary!

    Episode 132 May 27, 2025

    Join us to explore Felix Mendelssohn's life through 4 different aspects of life that separated him from nearly every other composer. John Banther and James Jacobs explore his life, what made him different, and enjoy a full performance of one of his iconic works too!

Support for arts and education programming on WETA comes from the Estate of Toni A. Ritzenberg.