Wednesday afternoon The AIR brings you a new episode of Curtain Call that kicks off a series of shows that pay tribute to the legendary composer/lyricist, Stephen Sondheim, in his 90th year. You can tune in at the website, or on this embedded radio player…

At 3 PM Mel Larch devotes the entire hour of Curtain Call to music from last weekend’s streaming tribute to Stephen Sondheim, Take Me To The World: A Sondheim 90th Birthday Celebration.

In this hour you will hear performancs of classic Sondheim songs by such artists as Meryl Streep, Audra McDonald, Neil Patrick Harris, Laura Benanti, Randy Rainbow, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Linda Lavin, and many more.

The event was a benefit for Artists Striving to End Poverty, or ASTEP, a program founded by Broadway musical director Mary-Mitchell Campbell which connects visual and performing artists with youth from underserved communities in the US and all over the world to provide them with access to the arts–and help break the cycle of poverty. You can find out more by visiting their website at ASTEP.org

This is the first of at least three episodes of Curtain Call devoted to the works of Mr. Sondheim. Next week Mel continues with her tribute to one of her theatrical heroes with a show filled with more all-star renditions of the most memorable songs composed by Stephen Sondheim.

Curtain Call can be heard on The AIR Wednesday at 3 PM, with replays Thursday at 8 AM and 9 PM, Friday at 10 AM and Saturday at 6 PM. An all-night marathon of Curtain Call episodes can be heard Wednesday nights, beginning at Midnight, and an additional marathon can be heard Sunday evenings from 6 PM to midnight.

Fans of Mel get an extra treat this week, as Friday at 2 PM sees an AIR Music Special, MIRRORBALL, also hosted by Mel Larch, which will present a solid hour of the top hits of the Disco era. This is a bit of a pilot for a potential series, so if enough people like it, Mrs. PopCulteer may be adding a second show to her internet-radio arsenal.