The State of Things

Blackbeard Rendered Musically

WUNC | By Amber Nimocks,

Published September 20, 2011 at 11:50 AM EDT

Composer and violinist Mark O'Connor's newest piece of music recounts the story of the pirate Blackbeard's most famous conquest, the frigate Queen Anne's Revenge. O'Connor was commissioned to create a new overture for the Greensboro Symphony Orchestra, which will debut the piece on Thursday as part of the 17 Days Festival.

The State of Things

Amber Nimocks

Amber Nimocks came to The State of Things in January 2009. She is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a survivor of 15 years in the newspaper business. As a reporter and editor, her posts have included such exotic locales as her hometown of Fayetteville, Robeson County, Wilmington, Raleigh and Fort Worth, Texas.

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Frank Stasio

Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.

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