Rich Capparela has been a witty friend and a thoughtful guide to generations of classical radio listeners in Southern California. He first joined KUSC in 1980 and returned to KUSC many times between working at radio stations KMZT-FM and KFAC-FM. He retired from his weekday shift at KUSC in 2016, but the station was lucky to have him stick around first on Fridays (from the beach in his Santa Monica studio!), and then on Classical California All-Night, and on weekends.
Rich is a unique radio presence who’s contributed immensely to Classical California and our listeners for decades. We are grateful, and our listeners are too. As another chapter in Rich’s time with Classical California closes, we wanted to share these messages:
Rich has been a part of my listening experience for nearly forty years. Please let him know that I wish him the best, and will always remember him fondly. - Jan
Rich Capparela is erudite, informative, funny, and knowledgeable, and I enjoyed every moment I listened to him. He will be greatly missed. - Lawrence
I want to let Rich Capparela know how very much I will miss hearing him on KUSC. I have always especially enjoyed him--his rich voice, the clarity of his pronunciation, his knowledge, and his steady enthusiasm for the music he presented. He will be very greatly missed! - Emily
Rich is my favorite "friend" on KUSC. I love his quirky sense of humor combined with significant knowledge about the music and composers. Thank you, Mr. Capparela for the decades that I have had the pleasure to listen to your velvet voice and very enjoyable discussions. - Sarah
Rich, thank you for many hours of beautiful music and I will miss recognizing your voice on air. - Ingrid
I have listened to Rich for the past few decades and he has always been a pleasure in difficult times and in happy ones. He is so knowledgeable and shares what he knows with grace and humor. Good luck dear Rich. You are a treasure! - Marsha
My daughter and I listened to Rich especially on Fridays with KUSC At The Beach since she was 3 years old. Good Luck with your new adventures! Thanks for all of the memories! - Thomas
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You will continue to hear Rich host Pacific Symphony concerts on Classical California, something he’s done since 1995. Join us next summer for SoCal Saturday Night: Pacific Symphony hosted by Rich Capparela.
