About Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County - Spotlight on Arts & Culture Podcast
The Cultural Alliance’s monthly SPOTLIGHT ON ARTS & CULTURE live on-air interview program is broadcast monthly each month on community radio station WPKN 89.5FM, based in Bridgeport. Broadcasts are also available as podcasts on all platforms.
Spotlight on Heida Hermanns Finalist Matthew Figel
Meet Matthew Figel, a Heida Nermann finalist and pianist whose performances bring historical depth and expressive insight to classical music. Currently completing his Doctor of Musical Arts at the Eastman School of Music, Matthew has performed internationally at venues including Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, and the Concertgebouw Brugge. With a particular passion for 18th- and early 19th-century repertoire, he explores the relationship between historical performance practices and modern musical interpretation, bringing the sounds and traditions of earlier eras to life through the piano and fortepiano. In this WPKN Spotlight, discover the artistry, scholarship, and musical curiosity behind his work.
Learn more about the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition (https://mocact.org/performance/finalists-chosen-for-the-2026-heida-hermanns-intl-music-competition/) and get tickets.
Complete our audience survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuQLS5Dei_-A64g6bkGL9quOrhFqbZUKSWYbD0SoBT_m8URg/viewform?usp=header)!
Connect with finalist Matthew Figel (https://www.instagram.com/matthewfigelpiano/) and MoCA\CT (https://www.instagram.com/mocact/) on instagram.
Connect with the Cultural Alliance (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfc/) and Douglas (https://www.instagram.com/dougcafc/) on instagram.
Learn more about the Cultural Alliance (https://culturalalliancefc.org/).
27 Oct 2026
Spotlight on Heida Hermanns Finailst Juhee Lim
What does it take to build a life in music when the journey begins on the world stage at just nine years old? In this Spotlight, host Douglas Laustsen sits down with Heida Hermanns finalist Juhee Lim to explore her path as a pianist, from her early performance with the Mariinsky Orchestra under Valery Gergiev to her studies at Juilliard and Yale. Recognized by Forbes Korea as a “2030 Next Generation Leader,” Juhee has performed with distinguished orchestras and in concert halls around the world. Join Douglas for a conversation about the experiences, dedication, and artistic curiosity shaping her musical journey.
Learn more about the Heida Hermanns International Music Competition (https://mocact.org/performance/finalists-chosen-for-the-2026-heida-hermanns-intl-music-competition/) and get tickets.
Complete our audience survey (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScuQLS5Dei_-A64g6bkGL9quOrhFqbZUKSWYbD0SoBT_m8URg/viewform?usp=header)!
Connect with finalist Juhee Lim (https://www.instagram.com/juheelimpiano/) and MoCA\CT (https://www.instagram.com/mocact/) on instagram.
Connect with the Cultural Alliance (https://www.instagram.com/culturalfc/) and Douglas (https://www.instagram.com/dougcafc/) on instagram.
Learn more about the Cultural Alliance (https://culturalalliancefc.org/).
20 Oct 2026
Spotlight on Jazz'n Downtown
Douglas sits down with Paige Miglio and Raheem Nelson to talk about the inaugural Jazz’n Downtown, a new immersive arts and culture experience coming to downtown Milford. Presented by the Milford Arts Council, the event brings live jazz into the streets, shops, waterfront, and gathering places of the city, inviting audiences to experience downtown in a whole new way. They discuss the vision behind the festival, what makes Milford the perfect setting, and how music can bring people together while connecting them with the local community.
Learn More at http://jazzndowntown.org/ (http://jazzndowntown.org/)
8 Sept 2026
Spotlight on Miggs Burroughs
What does it mean to be an artist and to build a creative community that lasts for generations? In this episode of Spotlight on Arts & Culture, Douglas Laustsen sits down with the patron saint of Westport Arts and a cofounder of the artists collective of westport, Miggs Burroughs, for a wide-ranging, deeply personal conversation about art, activism, community, and an extraordinary life in the arts. Hear stories of the generations of Westport artists, his upbringing and his father’s animation career, his very brief acting career and subtle protests during the civil rights movement, making lenticulars, the need for community as an artist, and even painting an egg for a president. Along the way, discover why connection and community can be just as essential to an artist as the work itself. A fascinating conversation with one of Fairfield County’s most distinctive creative voices and a glimpse into the people and stories that have shaped its vibrant arts landscape.
31 Aug 2026
Spotlight on Especially Everyone
How can music create spaces where everyone belongs?
In this episode of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County’s WPKN Spotlight Series, we sit down with Pete Kozak and Jill Tuck, the founders of Especially Everyone, a nonprofit organization dedicated to building inclusive musical experiences for people of all abilities. Especially Everyone is redefining what participation in the arts can look like. Our conversation explores the importance of creating universally accessible events and how music can foster connection and community. Join us as we discuss the challenges and rewards of making the arts more accessible and why inclusion strengthens the entire cultural landscape.
21 Aug 2026
Spotlight on... The Quick Center's Arts For All Program
The arts have the power to shape lives long before someone steps onto a stage or into a gallery. In this episode of Spotlight on Arts & Culture, Douglas Laustsen speaks with Katie Lang, Manager of Engagement Initiatives at Regina A. Quick Center for the Arts, about the Quick’s Arts for All initiative and its commitment to expanding access to arts education throughout Fairfield County. Serving more than 3,000 students each year, Arts for All connects young people with professional artists through workshops, live performances, mentorships, transportation assistance, scholarships, and long-term partnerships with schools and community organizations. The program demonstrates how sustained investment in arts experiences helps foster creativity, confidence, academic success, and lifelong engagement with culture.
9 Aug 2026
Spotlight on the Aldrich's "i am what is around me"
In this episode Douglas Laustsen visits with The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum to explore I Am What Is Around Me, the museum’s inaugural Decennial exhibition. Conceived as a once-every-ten-years survey, the exhibition brings together 40 artists living and working across Connecticut, celebrating the depth, diversity, and vitality of the state’s contemporary art scene while spotlighting artists who have never before had a solo museum exhibition in Connecticut. Douglas is joined by Chief Curator Amy Smith-Stewart and artists Remy Sosa, Arghavan Khosravi, and Gary Burnley for a conversation about creative practice, place, and the importance of investing in artists working close to home. Together, they discuss how this landmark exhibition strengthens connections across Connecticut’s creative communities and affirms Fairfield County’s place within the state’s evolving cultural landscape.
16 Apr 2025
Community, Creativity, and Cultural Equity in Bridgeport with Brandon Clark (Executive Director of Park City Presents) and John Torres (Founder & Board Chair, General Manager)
We’re turning up the volume on community, creativity, and cultural equity in Bridgeport!
This episode of Spotlight on Arts & Culture, we sit down with Brandon Clark, Executive Director of Park City Presents, and John Torres, Founder & Board Chair of Park City Presents and General Manager of Park City Music Hall. From live music to visionary programming, hear how they’re using the arts to build bridges, amplify underrepresented voices, and transform Fairfield County—one beat at a time.
10 Mar 2025
Women in the Arts with Nikkya Hargrove
It’s Women’s History Month and Erika Wesley, Executive Director of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, is thrilled to have @nikkyahargrove join us for this episode of “Spotlight on Arts and Culture”. Nikkya Hargrove is a LAMBDA Literary Nonfiction Fellow, the author of Mama: A Queer Black Woman’s Story of a Family Lost and Found, and the owner of an independent bookstore in Stratford, CT called Obodo Serendipity Books. Join us for us an exciting and inspiring conversation about women in the arts!
10 Mar 2025
The Power of Curation and the Role of Black Curators in Shaping Cultural Narratives
In this special episode of Spotlight on Arts and Culture Erika Wesley, Executive Director of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, speaks with Lewis Derogene, Head of Exhibitions at MoCA CT! We’re diving into the power of curation, the role of Black curators in shaping cultural narratives, and how exhibitions can tell stories that inspire, challenge, and celebrate.
22 Jan 2025
The Tip of the Iceberg: Shelton's Creative Economy
Erika Wesley, Executive Director of the Cultural Alliance of Fairfield County, speaks with Shelton creatives Melissa Alves-Garrity, an employee of 415 Howe Avenue (https://www.415howeave.com/)and a Speakeasy Owner, and Dominick Cerritelli, Owner of 415 Howe Street. The location 415 Howe Street is "a destination for commerce and community" in Downtown Shelton.
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