John Davis has been a full-time Reporter/Producer for WGCU since 2009. He is the local host for NPR’s Morning Edition and producer and host for WGCU’s radio talk program Gulf Coast Life! John came to WGCU as an intern in 2007, and is now reporting on a broad spectrum of topics of interest to Southwest Florida. Prior to joining WGCU, he worked at WDUQ-FM in Pittsburgh, PA covering local government and general assignments.John studied journalism at Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, before earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication from Florida Gulf Coast University. His work has garnered awards from the Press Club of Western Pennsylvania, the Radio Television Digital News Association, and a first place award and “Best in Show” from the Florida Associated Press for his investigative work in 2011. Send news pitches to wgcunews at wgcu.org
-
The Sidney & Berne Davis Art Center hosts an inclusive group exhibition of works by STARability Foundation participants titled “Divergent Inspiration.” The Foundation also recently received a game-changing $5 million donation from philanthropist and entrepreneur Tom Golisano. STARability CEO Karen Govern talks about the exhibit, plans for expansion, and the foundation’s work, mission, and history.
-
The Southwest Florida Symphony’s final Masterworks concert of the season features guest cellist Sterling Elliot performing Tchaikovsky’s “Variations on a Rococo Theme,” a new work by Taiwanese composer Ke-chia Chen titled “Ebbs and Flows,” and Shostakovich’s beloved Symphony No. 5 in De minor, which is steeped in the turbulent history of the Soviet Union.We take a deeper dive into the program with Southwest Florida Symphony Maestro Radu Paponiu.
-
Renowned guitar player, singer songwriter and music educator Dave Isaacs, known as the “Nashville Guitar Guru, is leading Babcock Ranch’s inaugural “Musician in Residence” program. We talk with Isaacs about his musical background, his unique and personal teaching style, and his vision for the new program.
-
Ghostbird Theatre to perform play “Artificial Genesis” written by generative Artificial IntelligenceGhostbird Theatre Company is mounting a production of a new play titled “Artificial Genesis” about the end of the world brought about by artificial intelligence. The play itself was written by a generative AI model. We’ll take a closer look in a conversation with the show’s director Barry Cavin and his son Emory Cavin, who’s responsible for the AI interface design and programming that led to the creation of the play.
-
Delta Blues guitarist, bassist and vocalist Anthony “Big A” Sherrod performed live in studio while in Southwest Florida for a Big A & The All Stars concert at Florida Gulf Coast University earlier this month. We’ll hear music and conversation from Sherrod along with Delta Blues documentarian, organizer and advocate Roger Stolle.
-
The Southwest Florida Symphony showcases the orchestra’s concertmaster Orin Laursen in a March 16 performance of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major. Ahead of the performance Laursen joins us to talk about the piece and his musical background. Maestro Radu Paponiu also joins the program to explore other works in the upcoming Masterworks concert.
-
The Americans for the Arts’ AEP6 (Arts & Economic Prosperity Study 6) finds that Lee County’s nonprofit arts and culture sector generated more than $135 million in economic activity in 2022 and supported more than 2,500 full time jobs. We explore results of the study, and the case they make for more public support for the arts, in a conversation with Alliance for the Arts Executive Director Molly Rowan-Deckart, Florida Repertory Theatre Producing Artistic Director Greg Longenhagen, and local arts reporter and advocate Tom Hall.
-
A conversation with artist and conservationist Niki Butcher ahead of an exhibition of her work opens at the Marco Island Historical Museum titled “Daydreaming: Niki Butcher’s Hand-Painted Photography.”
-
Delta Blues guitarist, bassist and vocalist Anthony “Big A” Sherrod performed live in studio while in Southwest Florida for a Big A & The All Stars concert at Florida Gulf Coast University earlier this month. We’ll hear music and conversation from Sherrod along with Delta Blues documentarian, organizer and advocate Roger Stolle.
-
Players Circle Theater in Fort Myers is mounting a production of the Pulitzer and Tony Award-winning drama “Proof,” by playwright David Auburn. We’ll explore the production in a conversation with Players Circle Theatre Producing Artistic Director Bob Cacioppo and actor Steven Coe.