WCRB-FM (Lowell, MA)
VerifiedRadio
WCRB (99.5 FM) is a non-commercial radio station licensed to Lowell, Massachusetts and based in the Brighton area of Boston, which serves the Greater Boston area. It broadcasts a classical music format; it existed as a commercial station from the early 1950s until December 2009, and as a listener-supported station since then, having then been acquired by the WGBH Educational Foundation. Programming is also simulcast on the second HD Radio channel of WGBH, allowing WCRB to reach some portions of the Boston area that cannot receive 99.5, as well as WJMF in Smithfield, Rhode Island (serving nearby Providence), the second HD Radio channel of WCAI in Woods Hole, and W242AA (96.3) in Kendall Square, Cambridge (designed to serve Beacon Hill, Boston). Source
Actions
Media Outlet details
| Scope | Local |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Country | United States of America |
Similarweb UVM
|
Request pricing |
Comscore UVM
|
Request pricing |
| Radio Media Market | Boston |
| Radio Format | Classical |
Recent Articles
Search ArticlesAlec Baldwin on Copland's "Lincoln Portrait" with the BSO at Tanglewood
In the Boston Symphony Orchestra's first concert of the 2026 Tanglewood season, actor Alec Baldwin is the narrator in Aaron Copland's Lincoln Portrait. Two days before the July 5th performance, Baldwin talked with CRB's Brian McCreath about preparing to read Lincoln's words, their resonance for today's world, and his own deep love of classical - and especially orchestral - music. To hear the interview, use the player above, and read the transcript below.
Boreyko Conducts Mozart and Scriabin, with Kissin
Saturday, April 25, 2026 8:00 PM In his first appearance with the BSO since 2015, star pianist Evgeny Kissin performs two contrasting concertos: Mozart’s charming and poignant Concerto No. 12, and Scriabin’s rhapsodic Piano Concerto. Andrey Boreyko leads this sparkling, Russian-leaning program, opening with Rimsky-Korsakov’s brilliantly colorful Russian Easter Overture and featuring three atmospheric tone poems by Anatoly Liadov from the early 20th century.
Mälkki, the Jussens, and a BSO World Premiere
Saturday, April 18, 2026 8:00 PM Dutch duo-pianists Lucas and Arthur Jussen perform a BSO-commissioned piece written for them by American composer and Grawemeyer Award-winner Andrew Norman. Finnish conductor Susanna Mälkki also leads the BSO in Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances and Ravel’s beloved Mother Goose suite.
The Boston Symphony Orchestra's 2026-2027 Season
Even as the BSO grapples with its long-term future strategy, at a glance, the orchestra’s 146th season reveals an approach to programming based on one of the orchestra’s most recent successes. In January of 2025, Music Director Andris Nelsons conducted all nine of Beethoven’s symphonies in four consecutive programs in the space of 17 days.
Mao Fujita’s BSO Debut
Saturday, April 4, 2026 8:00 PM Andris Nelsons and the BSO welcome Tokyo-born rising star Mao Fujita as the soloist in Mozart’s lively and delightful Piano Concerto No. 21. The program also includes the U.S. premiere of Outi Tarkiainen’s Day Night Day, a BSO co-commission inspired by traditional melodies from the composer’s native Lapland, and Sibelius’s rarely heard Symphony No. 1.
Blomstedt Conducts an All-Brahms Program with the BSO
Saturday, March 7, 2026 8:00 PM Nonagenarian Swedish conductor Herbert Blomstedt returns to Symphony Hall to lead an All-Brahms program, including two choral masterpieces, Nänie and Schicksalslied (Song of Destiny), sung by the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, and and his Fourth Symphony.
Adès Conducts Music of the Natural World, with Hadelich
Saturday, February 28, 2026 8:00 PM Artists throughout history have responded to nature through their art. The Boston Symphony Orchestra performs Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6, Pastoral, his joyous response to a day spent in the countryside. Before that, 2025-26 BSO Artist-in-Residence Augustin Hadelich performs Thomas Adès’ kaleidoscopic violin concerto Concentric Paths, and the concert opens with Adès' Aquifer.
Esa-Pekka Salonen, the BSO and Bruckner’s “Romantic”
Saturday, February 14, 2026 8:00 PM Conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen returns to lead the BSO for the first time since 2012 with the highly anticipated American premiere of his own Horn Concerto, a BSO co-commission composed for Stefan Dohr, principal horn of the Berlin Philharmonic. The concerto draws on material from Anton Bruckner’s soaring, brass-friendly Symphony No. 4, Romantic.
Anna Handler Leads the BSO in Mozart and Tchaikovsky
Anna Handler interview transcript INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPT (lightly edited for clarity): Brian McCreath I'm Brian McCreath at Symphony Hall with Anna Handler, who is conducting her second subscription series of concerts this week. Anna, it's great to see you again, great to hear you leading the orchestra once again on the podium. Anna Handler Thank you so much for having me. It's always a big honor and great opportunity to learn.
Carlos Simon’s “Good News Mass,” with Wilkins and the BSO
Saturday, January 31, 2026 8:00 PM BSO Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads the Boston premiere of Good News Mass, a new co-commission by Composer Chair Carlos Simon that includes narration by librettist and spoken word artist Marc Bamuthi Joseph and vocal contributions by tenor Zebulon Ellis, gospel choruses, and others. Simon’s mass is paired with another work of faith by contemporary composer David Lang.