Theme and Variations

In its seven years of national distribution, "Theme and Variations" was the only program on National Public Radio celebrating the interconnectedness between classical music and world literature.  Each week, host Will Everett and his guests presented compelling readings from the stories and novels of classic and contemporary writers, holding them up for comparison to great works of classical music on a common theme.  The program featured a regular “Audiobiography” series highlighting the lives of writers, world composers, musicians and American statesmen, as well as "American MusicMakers" programs which promoted the work of contemporary poets and composers. The program began in 1997 as a live weekly program on KMBH-FM in Harlingen, Texas.  Two years later, with funding from John Grisham’s “Oxford American” magazine, the program went into national distribution on NPR.  The program was picked up by 75 NPR markets and was heard by an estimated 700,000 listeners each week. With travel exigencies in the Middle East and a growing demand for short-run specials, the organization will discontinue production of new "Theme and Variations" episodes in December 2006.  Encore broadcasts will be heard in a limited number of markets thereafter.

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