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Salon Sessions (Birthday and Retirement Edition): Awilda Rivera

Awilda Rivera and Sheila Anderson

WBGO Evening Jazz Host Awilda Rivera has been filling our airwaves with great music for the last 18 years. Today Rivera celebrates her birthday, and tomorrow we'll celebrate her final show as Evening Jazz Host with a star-studded live broadcast. Rivera is retiring from her post as host of weekday evening on WBGO, but will continue as host of the Latin Jazz Cruise.

Sheila Anderson and Rivera have shared a long-time camaraderie - apparent if you've heard the pair asking for your support during a WBGO pledge drive. On this edition of Salon Sessions, the two go back all the way to Rivera's first introduction to WBGO (as a volunteer in 1983!), and her history in broadcasting since.

Sheila E. Anderson—affectionately known as the "Queen of Hang"—is a respected broadcaster, author, producer, moderator, emcee, and cultural advocate whose decades of work have helped shape and sustain the jazz community. While much attention is deservedly focused on the artists themselves, Anderson has dedicated her career to creating platforms that celebrate their stories, preserve jazz history, and connect audiences with the music. A visionary who has consistently created opportunities beyond traditional media, she has become one of jazz's most influential communicators.<br/>