WEST WINDSOR, NJ – For the second time in four years, a host on WWFM The Classical Network, located on the campus of Mercer County Community College (MCCC), has been honored with a national award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) Foundation.

Jed Distler, The Classical Network’s artist-in-residence, has been named the 2017 recipient of the ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor/Virgil Thomson Radio Broadcast/Internet Award for his weekly program Between the Keys, a creative and imaginative look at various keyboard works and performances. In 2014 WWFM host David Osenberg won the award for the program Cadenza, which features interviews with world-renowned composers and musicians.

"I was quite surprised yet thrilled to learn of this award, considering that Between the Keys has only been on the air for about two-and-a-half years,” said Distler, a pianist, writer and composer who also hosts Piano Excursions on WWFM’s JazzOn2. “It makes me all the more grateful to be part of The Classical Network family, to have a forum to share my creative work, my passions and my obsessions."

Between the Keys launched in March 2015 with a program devoted to the music of J.S. Bach and has since surveyed a multitude of topics. Guests have included accomplished musicians Angela Hewitt, Lisa Yui, Donald Berman and Alberto Reyes, among many others. The program airs Tuesdays at 10 p.m. In recognition of the award, The Classical Network will air a rebroadcast of Between the Keys every Monday at noon through the months of October and November.

“We are absolutely delighted for Jed. He’s been a wonderful additional to the WWFM family of hosts, and we’re honored to have his presence on our network of stations,” said Alice Weiss, WWFM Program Director. “His knowledge, insights and creativity bring to his programs a fresh look into the world of classical piano, and beyond.”

This is Distler’s second ASCAP Foundation Deems Taylor award, having been honored with the Media Award as artistic director of the Composers Collaborative for its Serial Underground performance webcasts.

The awards were established in 1967 to honor the memory of composer, critic and commentator Deems Taylor, who died in 1966 after a distinguished career that included six years as president of ASCAP. In 2014 the awards were renamed to also honor the memory of Virgil Thomson, one of the leading American composers and critics of the 20th century and a former member of the ASCAP board of directors.

WWFM The Classical Network, operating from Mercer County Community College’s West Windsor Campus, is New Jersey’s only 24-hour classical music station. WWFM began broadcasting in 1982 and quickly grew into a full-time classical music network serving New Jersey, eastern Pennsylvania and portions of Delaware and Maryland. The station can be heard at 89.1 FM throughout Central New Jersey, in Philadelphia on 89.5 HD2, and worldwide via live streaming at www.wwfm.org. In the fall of 2008, the station launched JazzOn2, a 24-hour jazz station available on its HD channel 2. More information is available at (609) 587-8989 or info@wwfm.org.

WWFM The Classical Network

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