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Notes from the Fires: One year after the fires, all we know for sure is what we already knew: people and music are good.

Community On Demand Notes from the Fires

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John Rabe here. Since March, my job has been to tell you what the Palisades and Eaton fires did to the classical music community, and how it responded. Wednesday, January 7, 2026, is the first anniversary of the fires, so this broadcast is the final episode of Notes from the Fires.

Most news stories have some resolution by the first anniversary, but with the fires, we’re still in limbo. Most of my guests are still out of their homes. So it might not be years until we know the true fate of the affected cities and their residents.

But we do know a few things for sure.

We’re seen how given the chance, normal everyday people will step up, with extreme generosity. We’ve seen how deeply integrated the classical music community is here, and how important these people are to our lives. And over and over, we heard how the same music that keeps you going, calms you down, and brings you joy every day on Classical California … does the same thing for victims of the fires.

Thanks for listening.

Community On Demand Notes from the Fires

Written by:

John Rabe

Published on 01.05.2026

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