For those who like their classical music delivered with a wealth of knowledge, a wide variety of repertoire and a dash of dry wit, CKDU-FM’s Saturday Morning Musical Box, hosted by Walter H. Kemp, has been a gift to listeners for three decades.
This week, the affable, avuncular radio veteran shares a 30th anniversary with the Dalhousie University campus/community radio station, which made the switch Friday, Feb. 1, 1985, from campus-only closed circuit to broadcasting on the public airwaves at 97.5 FM, since switched to 88.1 FM, and online at ckdu.ca.
Kemp’s show debuted the next day, in the same 8 to 10 a.m. time slot he currently holds. Despite the passage of time, not much about the show has changed, to the delight of his listeners. There are the recordings from his extensive personal collection as well as CKDU’s library, the abundance of musical lore contained within a mind educated at Harvard and Oxford, and a steadfast relationship with the local classical community, developed over his years as chair of the Dal music department.
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