Q2, the new 24/7 music stream from New York public radio's WQXR dedicated to contemporary classical music, kicks off its first full festival, Maximum Reich: A Celebration of Steve Reich, from today through Wednesday, December 16. This weeklong immersion into Steve Reich's work will include a presentation of his recorded works, featuring his quarter century of recordings with Nonesuch; explorations of the influences both on and of Reich, including tributes from musicians and composers he has inspired, like Nico Muhly, Sonic Youth, and David Lang; recent videos and exclusive downloads; and interviews and music recordings from the archives of WNYC, the new owner of WQXR.

“Steve Reich embodies all that is Q2, which is why he was the obvious choice for our first deep dive into the life and work of a living composer,” said Limor Tomer, WNYC’s Executive Producer for Music. “He’s unquestionably of New York, yet globally relevant; embracing of diverse genres but stylistically coherent; innovative but within a continuum of centuries of musical breakthroughs; embraced by both downtown and uptown, in clubs and concert halls; and through the strength and immediacy of his individual voice, has re-charted the course of contemporary classical music.”
 
Maximum Reich will showcase Reich's long history with WNYC, dating back nearly 30 years. In 1981, Tim Page first interviewed the composer as part of the New, Old and Unexpected series. Since then, Reich has made a number of appearances on the station, including live performances and interviews on Soundcheck, New Sounds, New York & Company, and The Leonard Lopate Show.
 
Among the festival highlights will be recordings of all of Reich’s recorded works, many with personal introductions by the composer; exclusive rare performances and interviews from the WNYC archives; celebrity tributes; and an exclusive, time-limited download of Reich’s Dance Patterns from Nonesuch for the duration of the festival.
 
For more information and to listen to Maximum Reich, visit Q2live.org now through December 16. In addition, NPR Music will run the full stream and feature highlights from the festival, including select recordings of live performances and Steve Reich in his own words, all available at npr.org/music.