34th Hispanic Heritage Awards 

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Oct. 8, at 9 PM
Saturday, Oct. 9, at 2 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Oct. 9, at 10 PM
Monday, Oct. 11, at 9 PM

Celebrate the recipients of the annual Hispanic Heritage Awards. The evening includes performances and appearances by some of the country’s most celebrated Hispanic artists and visionaries. 

American Experience, “American Oz”

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Oct. 9, at 3 PM

Explore the life and times of author L. Frank Baum, the creator of one of the most beloved, enduring and classic American narratives.

American Masters, “LennonNYC”

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Oct. 16, at 9  PM

Learn the story of one of the most famous and influential artists of the 20th century and how he found redemption not in the public adoration he craved as a youth, but in the quiet and simple pleasures of fatherhood. 

American Masters, “Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go for It”

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Tuesday, Oct. 5. At 9 PM
Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 2 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 10 PM

Discover how Moreno defied her humble upbringing and racism to become one of a select group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar and Tony award winners. Explore her 70-year career with new interviews, clips of her iconic roles and scenes of the star on set today.

BSO 360

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Saturday, Oct. 9, at 8:30 PM

Andris Nelsons talks about the passions that led him to become an internationally renowned conductor. In this candid conversation, viewers learn how Nelsons' earliest years in Latvia led to the world stage as he conducts the symphony and reveals his approach to music and musicians. (Part 1 of 5)

BSO 360

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Saturday, Oct. 16, at 8:30 PM

Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look at the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular—the annual July 4 celebration where 400,000 people celebrate America's birthday with the Boston Pops and its world-renowned fireworks. Conductor Keith Lockhart is featured along with guest artists Melissa Etheridge, Andy Grammer and Leslie Odom, Jr. (Part 2 of 5)

BSO 360

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Saturday, Oct. 23, at 8:30 PM

Enjoy this informative and engaging history of the Boston Pops. Through Arthur Fiedler, John Williams and Keith Lockhart, the Pops have mastered an entertaining blend of popular and classical works. (Part 3 of 5)

BSO 360

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Saturday, Oct. 30, at 8:30 PM

Learn why there’s nothing like the Boston Symphony’s summer home at Tanglewood. Conductor Thomas Wilkins travels to Boston schools with his popular workshops, and BSO percussionists explain that not all drumsticks are created equal. (Part 4 of 5)

The Cheech

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sunday, Oct. 3, at 1:30 PM

Through the palette of the Los Tejanos Art Exhibit, "The Cheech" explores Cheech Marin’s lifelong advocacy of the Chicano Art Movement and his journey to develop the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art, Culture and Industry. With original score by Grammy-nominated musician El Dusty, THE CHEECH is a fascinating look at a national icon’s love affair with art, and Marin’s incredible contribution to promote and preserve a vital part of American cultural identity.

Children’s Crusade Revisited

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Friday, Oct. 22, at 10:30 PM

Explore the impact of Kurt Vonnegut’s 1969 anti-war novel “Slaughterhouse-Five” on American literature and culture. A veteran of World War II, Vonnegut based his classic novel in part on his traumatic experience as a young prisoner of war during the Allied firebombing of Dresden in February 1945. A joint production of WFYI and journalism students at Franklin College, the documentary provides an intimate look at the talented but troubled author.

Driven to Abstraction

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sunday, Oct. 3, at noon

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Monday, Oct. 4, at 8:30 PM

This documentary unravels a mutating tale of self-delusion, greed and fraud—the $80 million forgery scandal that rocked the art world and brought down Knoedler, New York City's oldest and most venerable gallery. Was the gallery’s esteemed director the victim of a con artist who showed up with an endless treasure trove of previously unseen abstract expressionist masterpieces? Or did she eventually suspect they were fakes, yet continue to sell them for millions of dollars for 15 years? Whatever the truth, two women from very different worlds crossed paths in what would become the greatest hoax ever of Modern American Art.

Great Performances, Now Hear This, “Beethoven’s Ghost”

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Oct. 29, at 9 PM
Saturday, Oct. 30, at 2 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 31, at 5 PM

This episode is the final episode of “Now Hear This.” Scott Yoo, renowned violinist and conductor of the Mexico City Philharmonic, hosts the miniseries that merges music, storytelling, travel and culture while chasing the secret histories of some of the greatest music ever written.

Great Performances at the Met, “Carmen”

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 17, at 5 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 19, at 8 PM

Mezzo-soprano Clémentine Margraine reprises her role opera’s ultimate seductress alongside Roberto Alagna as her impassioned lover, Don José. Aleksandra Kurzak and Alexander Vinogradov round out the cast of Sir Richard Eyre’s production. Louis Langrée conducts.

Great Performances at the Met, “Dialogues des Carmelites”

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 24, at 5 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 26, at 8 PM

Watch John Dexter’s production of the Poulenc classic about the power of faith. It stars Isabel Leonard as Blanche and Karita Mattila as The Prioress. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts. 

Great Performances at the Met, “Sondra Radvanovsky & Piotr Beczala in Concert”

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 3, at 5 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 5, at 8 PM

From the historic Stadthalle in Wuppertal, Germany, recorded in January, this world-famous soprano-tenor pair perform arias and duets from some of their many performances at the Met including Giordano’s “Andrea Chénier,” Verdi’s “La Forza del Destino,” “Luisa Miller” and Dvořák’s “Rusalka," accompanied by Vincenzo Scalera on piano.

Great Performances at the Met, “Three Divas at Versailles”

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Oct. 8, at 10 PM
Saturday, Oct. 9, at 3 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 10, at 5 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 8 PM

Sopranos Ailyn Pérez and Nadine Sierra join forces with mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, as well as pianist Vlad Iftinca and guitarist Pablo Sáinz-Villegas, for a program of favorite arias and scenes, transmitted love from the Royal Opera of Versailles in France. 

Gullah Roots

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Oct. 16, at 8 PM

Follow leaders of the South Carolina and Georgia Gullah/Geechee communities as they experience a homecoming in Sierra Leone in December of 2019. This is the fourth time Gullah/Geechee people have traveled to Sierra Leone to explore their roots. 

Jane Austen: Behind Closed Doors

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Wednesday, Oct. 6, at 5 PM
Sunday, Oct. 10, at 10 PM
Monday, Oct. 11, at 3 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Thursday, Oct. 14, at 7 PM

Host Lucy Worsley traces novelist Jane Austen’s life and career as she explores the homes and holidays apartments where Austen lived and stayed. The “Pride and Prejudice” author used houses and property as central themes in her work, and was very much influenced by where she lived.

Library of Congress National Book Festival: Celebrating American Ingenuity 

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Friday, Oct. 29, at 9 PM

Enjoy interviews, insights and artistic expressions from some of the nation’s most significant and prolific literary voices, with a glimpse into their creative processes and environments. The impressive list of authors includes Colson Whitehead, Madeleine Albright, Melinda Gates, John Grisham and many more.

Life in Synchro

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Friday, Oct. 1, at 8 PM

Synchronized ice skating is a cold and unforgiving world, but to the women and girls who find family here, it’s home. Beauty, brutality, grace and guts—the ice reveals all in this largely overlooked but electrifying sport. Journey alongside incredible women around the country as they push their teams and themselves beyond the routine and up towards greatness.

Live Art: Family

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Wednesday, Oct. 20, at 5 PM

Inspiring young performers join acclaimed guest artists for a concert experience celebrating inclusion and ability. Student performers with and without developmental disabilities represent the School of the Performing Arts in the Richmond Community (SPARC)’s innovative Live Art program, which integrates performing arts curriculum with special education. SPARC students perform alongside celebrity guest artists including Jason Mraz, Hanson, MILCK and Kori Withers.

Los Hermanos/The Brothers

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 3, at 6 PM

Virtuoso Afro-Cuban-born brothers—violinist Ilmar López-Gavilán and pianist Aldo López-Gavilán—live on opposite sides of a geopolitical chasm a half-century wide. Tracking their parallel lives in New York and Havana, their poignant reunion and their momentous first performances together, LOS HERMANOS/THE BROTHERS offers a nuanced, often startling view of estranged nations through the lens of music and family. The program features a genre-bending score composed by Cuban resident Aldo, performed with his American brother, Ilmar, and with guest appearances by maestro Joshua Bell and the Grammy-winning Harlem Quartet.

Murals of the Holocaust

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sunday, Oct. 24, at 4:30 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Friday, Oct. 8, at 10:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 23, at 10:30 PM

For 20 years, students enrolled in Western Kentucky University’s VAMPY program, a summer camp for Verbally and Mathematically Precocious Youth, have designed and created murals about the Holocaust. Watch as students work on the 2017 mural and explore “Never Again,” an exhibition of past murals at Louisville’s Jewish Community Center.

The Music Makers of Gennett Records

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 10, at 7 PM

THE MUSIC MAKERS OF GENNETT RECORDS tells the story of the little studio in Richmond, Ind., that captured early recordings of Jazz Age music legends Louis Armstrong, Bix Beiderbecke, Hoagy Carmichael, Duke Ellington and the singing cowboy Gene Autry. The documentary features several rare 1920s recordings from the Gennett Records archive, plus interviews with jazz great Wynton Marsalis, country music legend Ricky Skaggs, Broadway star Michael Feinstein and gospel music executive Dr. Bobby Jones.

One Voice: The Songs We Share, “American Roots”

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Oct. 29, at 10:30 PM
Saturday, Oct. 30, at 3:30 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 31, at 6:30 PM

Our musical pasts create our shared musical feature. Explore the many cultures and traditions across our country that came together to create what we know as American popular music—indigenous music, folk, spirituals and more. This episode celebrates this uniquely American music and how it has transcended across all boundaries.

One Voice: The Songs We Share, “Broadway”

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 10, at 4:30 PM

Learn which Broadway show tunes were recorded by the Rat Pack, Johnny Mathis and other chart-topping artists of the time to be sung outside the theater as anthems, giving a broader voice to our changing society.

One Voice: The Songs We Share, “Country”

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Oct. 29, at 10 PM
Saturday, Oct. 30, at 3 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 31, at 6 PM

Once deemed the folk music of working-class Americans, country music has reached unprecedented popularity, both in the United States and around the globe. This episode explores this singularly American art form and its rich musical history.

One Voice: The Songs We Share, “The Sacred”

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 17, at 4:30 PM

See how music once only performed in church is adapted by Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin and other top artists to be shared beyond the walls of the sanctuary.

Pulling Out All the Stops 

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sunday, Oct. 3, at 5 AM
Thursday, Oct. 21, at 5 PM

Follow the competition onstage and behind the scenes of 10 extraordinary young organists from the United States and Europe vying for first place in the first International Longwood Gardens Organ Competition. The competing organists face a challenge that other musicians never encounter: every organ is completely different and none of Longwood’s 10 finalists had a chance to practice on the Aeolian Organ before arriving at the competition. A collection of quirky characters and personalities emerge throughout the documentary.

United We Dance

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Friday, Oct. 1, at 7 PM

In the absence of open concert halls and theaters, the hourlong special UNITED WE DANCE looks back on awe-inspiring dance performances curated from a series of gala concerts in Indianapolis in years prior. Each ballet segment is introduced by the dancers and choreographers who brought these signature performances to life. The special also includes reflections from the world’s foremost dancers and artistic directors on a year where the typical creative and rehearsal processes have been disrupted, and there have been little to no live performances.

Voces on PBS, “Letters to Eloisa”

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Friday, Oct. 15, at 10 PM
Saturday, Oct. 16, at 3 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Saturday, Oct. 16, at 4 PM
Thursday, Oct. 21, at 7 PM

This documentary profiles Cuban writer José Lezama Lima considered one of the most influential figures in Latin American literature.

Walk Together Children: The 150th Anniversary of The Fisk Jubilee Singers

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sunday, Oct. 10, at 1 PM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 10, at 6 PM
Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 9 PM

Dr. Paul T. Kwami and his current students pay tribute to the original nine members of the Fisk Jubilee Singers and reflect on their roles as students and preservers of this rich legacy. By exploring the personal stories of the trailblazers who paved the way for future generations of this world-renowned ensemble, they invite viewers to learn the significance of the Negro spirituals and their values in today’s culture. A dual concert event celebrating the 150th Anniversary of the Fisk Jubilee Singers, the film is also a call to action for the bright future ahead for Fisk University and all of Nashville.

Walter Tevis: A Writer’s Gambit

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Monday, Oct. 11, at 5 PM
Sunday, Oct. 17, at midnight

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sunday, Oct. 17, at 2 PM

Explore the complex life and brilliant career of Kentucky writer Walter Tevis. His novels including “The Hustler,” “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and “The Color of Money” were all adapted into major motion pictures. His 1983 novel “The Queen’s Gambit” was adapted for one of the most popular and critically acclaimed television series of the past decade.