After 42 years with WUSF, Russell Gant is signing off.
The music director and host at Classical WSMR is retiring Wednesday.
Gant started working at WUSF as a volunteer and then part-time production assistant in 1983 while he was a music student at the University of South Florida. He became a full-time on-air music host in 1987.
Gant picked out around 50 of his favorite pieces of music that are airing all day Wednesday on WSMR 89.1 and 103.9 FM. He'll sign off at noon with one final Midday Mozart, but he'll be back on the air singing in a chorus that performed Mahler's Symphony No. 8 under the direction of Robert Shaw during the Evening Masterwork Wednesday at 7 p.m.
WUSF assistant news director Mark Schreiner, who has worked with Gant since 2001, interviewed him one last time.
Gant: A friend of mine, Bob Workmon, was a board operator here, and we were working on some project together. And he said, "Hey, come into the studio. We'll just rehearse there while I'm rolling tape or whatever." And said, "Oh, this is cool, a radio station." Because when I was a kid, like 7 years old, I wanted a tape recorder with a microphone, and I used to play DJ.
I became such a frequent visitor, the operations manager at that time said, "You want to learn how to do this? You want a job?" And I said, "Yeah, better than Burger King," which is where I was working.
And then a couple of years later, the morning announcer position became open, and we both applied, Bob and I. And when Bob found out that I applied, this is the kind of guy he is, he withdrew. And the program director at that time, Bill Morse, he said, "Well, Merry Christmas, Russell."
And my academic advisor, when I came to USF, she leaned across the desk, and she was very stern. She said, "You do know USF means 'you stay forever,' don't you?" I took her literally, I guess, and here I am, yeah, 42 years later.
Why is now the time to take your leave?
Well, my wife and I were talking about retirement. She's been retired for a few years, she retired young. While I can still enjoy the things I like to do, like golf and I want to take better care of myself, why not start now in my early 60s, rather than when I'm approaching 70 or something and I might not be able to do what I want to do?
Did you think 42 years ago that you would stay forever?
No, (laughs) no. You know, I just never left. I enjoyed it too much. Every day I looked forward to coming into this place and just doing what I do, starting with running the controls for Morning Edition, and then moving into the classical music host role.
Gradually, Bill Morse kind of took me under his wing. When I first started, he was principal classical announcer, as they called him, and he was promoted to program director, hired me, and it just kind of slowly evolved over the years with training opportunities, workshops.
I eventually got to the program directors' conference that's held annually where everybody gathers and shares their ideas. That's where I first met Sheila Rue, who was doing a workshop in Memphis, and then eventually, years later, became program director here, until very recently.
I've had the right people at the right time, just we've crossed paths, and it's been tremendous.
How do you think classical music and classical music on the radio has changed in that four decade period?
I think we've learned more on what the general audience wants to hear and likes to hear. I think when I first started here, you might even hear Stockhausen on the radio, which is challenging to listen to. We don't do that anymore.
I'm not saying we've homogenized or or some people like to say dumbed down the sound, because that's not the case at all. We play complete symphonies, but we play the works that studies have shown people really want to hear.
We don't want to be a distraction. People are driving, people are doing the dishes. We're, I hate to say it, background sound. In many cases, that's the way people use radio — we don't say, "The Lone Ranger's on in 10 minutes," and we all gather around the radio like they did in the 50s or whatever.
People don't do that anymore, but they're they've got us on their earbuds while they go for their morning walk and things like that. So we have to keep that in mind. We don't want to be a distraction, and we don't want to be boring either. So I think we have a good balance.
One thing that definitely wasn't boring was the hundreds of composers and performers that you've interviewed, witnessed over the course of these many years. Who have been some of your favorite that you've either interviewed or watched perform?
I was a vocal student at USF and studied choral music, studied under Dr Robert Summer, through whom I met. Robert Shaw, the great conductor of the Robert Shaw Chorale, onto the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus. I got to sing in a chorus under Robert Shaw, recording Mahler's Eighth Symphony. You're going to hear that recording tonight at seven.
So when I got to interview the likes of Sir David Wilcocks, John Rutter, Dale Warland, these greats of choral music that have stopped by, was just a thrill. It's kind of like meeting your heroes.
And then people like Pepe Romero and Robert Levin and Itzhak Perlman. It's mind-blowing when you think about it.
We'd all love to have our dream interview. If there's someone you have or haven't interviewed yet, living or dead, composer or performer, who would it be?
I don't know why, but Leonard Bernstein is just popping into my head. I think he was just amazing, the way he brought the youth to classical music with his television programs. And he crossed boundaries from Broadway to classical to conducting to using those facial expressions to conduct an orchestra.
If you Google or search YouTube for "Bernstein conducting the Vienna Philharmonic." I forget which waltz it is (editor's note: it's Haydn's Symphony No. 88), but he only uses facial expressions. That was in reaction to people saying he he was too big with his arm waving, and so he said, "Okay, I'm not gonna wave my arms." And he just used facial expressions, and it's great. So I think Leonard Bernstein.
What is your message to the listeners?
Thank you for putting up with me. (Laughs) I mean seriously, as I feel I kind of stumbled and bumbled all the way through this, what we're calling a career, learning as I go, learning something every day, getting the feedback from the audience, they're very free with letting you know what they think, and that's a good thing.
And for supporting the station. My goodness, this is cliche, but we couldn't do this without our listener supporters. And you hear us say that all the time, but it's absolutely true, and I'm truly grateful that you've allowed me to come into your homes, into your cars, wherever. It's always been about the music, and I've felt that, and I believe that. And thank you for choosing to listen.
Well thank you for the many years you've done this, Russell, and speaking on behalf of the listeners as well as a colleague and a friend, I'm going to miss you. What are you going to miss the most?
The people, without a doubt, the friendships that I've made with staff members that have come and gone, and some still here, like you, Mark, I'm hoping they will last forever. I mean, as you know, the laughs we've had are unforgettable, the inside jokes that we sneak in on the air sometimes during the fund drives.
Oh never.
(Both laugh) Oh never. That's the most gratifying. And the connections I've made with the community organizations, the orchestras, the opera companies, the ballets, the theaters, all of that, some real good friendships made there as well.
