WHRB Begins Orgy Season

While most Harvard students are buried in the libraries trying to write term papers or catch up on the semester's reading, the folks down at Harvard's radio station, WHRB, are having an orgy. In fact, they are having 60 orgies in a row.

WHRB's orgies feature a series of musical selections which focus on a topic such as a composer, theme or musical period.

The 95.3 FM station kicked off its Winter Orgy Period Sunday with the traditional Warhorse Orgy--a selection of the most frequently performed classical music--and will end the period on the January 31 with the Sam Cooke Orgy.

The longest orgy--on the music of Tchaikovsky--will consume 56 hours of air time, and the seven shortest orgies will take only two hours apiece.

Most of the orgies feature selections from WHRB's regular programming with an emphasis on classical and jazz music. The classical collection includes a 20-hour orgy on the pianist Arthur Rubinstein and a 10-hour series of requiems. The jazz selections include Herbie Hancock, Weather Report and Benny Good-man.

The station's disk jockeys come up with their own ideas for the orgies and then submit the ideas for approval to theprogram director. Occasionally listeners will alsosend in suggestions for the orgies.

Jazz Department member Rich O. Snyder '89 saidhe chose to do an orgy featuring Weather Reportbecause it is a band he has always enjoyed.

Some students take a more pragmatic approach tothe orgies. Stephanie M. Oana '87, programdirector for this January, chose the series onFin-de-Siecle music, which aired yesterday, inpart because many of the selections are on thelistening list for Literature and Arts B-65, whichshe is taking.

The orgy tradition started in the 1940s when anecstatic student, who had just finished his lastexam, went to the station and played all nine ofBeethoven's Symphonies consecutively--a feat thatmust have taken at least 12 hours. The stunt metwith so much enthusiasm that WHRB has continuedtradition of extended music play ever since.

The station also uses the orgies to solvescheduling conflicts during exam period whenstudents might have difficulties doing theirregular shows, Oana said. Station members can signup to spin their disks when they have free time.

This type of programming also gives thestation's disk jockeys a chance to play somethingdifferent. Last year, the rock department produceda Bruce Springsteen orgy, even though the stationrarely plays the Boss.

This year Corey T. Brennan, a fourth-yeargraduate student in classics and a tutor in AdamsHouse, will host an orgy of Hawaiian Steel Guitarmusic, which he says, "will feature Roy Smeck, theEddie Van Halen of the 1920s." Other orgies, suchas the one on George Gershwin, feature Broadwaymusic, another musical genre normally aired on thestation.

Although most of the music is new from year toyear, some orgies have become a tradition at thestation. Run by newly elected members of thestation, the Warhorse Orgy always kicks off theperiod, although it does not always feature thesame pieces. The Jump Orgy, featuring '40s and'50s rhythm and blues, is also an old favoritewhich people tune into each year.

The change in programming seems to pay off forWHRB, said Felicia D. Philips '88, the new programdirector. The orgy is the time when the stationgets the most mail and the most donations from itslisteners, Oana said.

In addition, since the station sends a list ofits orgies to the local papers, new listenersfrequently tune in and learn about the collegestation, Philips said, adding that last year'sweek-long Bach orgy brought the radio stationnational media attention