Good to Know

Birge took the plunge behind the microphone and has been connecting the dots for YourClassical MPR listeners for 29 years – including 21 as morning show host. Listen to his last regular shift, which took place on Aug. 28, as well as his “exit interview” with host Tom Crann.

As the largest gift the organization has ever received, artistic and executive director Scott Lykins says it will be used “to pave the way to a sustainable future.”

YourClassical Programming at the Minnesota State Fair 2026

Shortly after Matt Haimovitz took a teaching position at the University of Minnesota, the Twin Cities became the target of the ICE surge. Haimovitz teamed up with his U of M colleagues and students to meet the moment musically.

You voted for your favorite composers, listen as host Tom Crann reveals the results on YourClassical’s American Composers Countdown!

A 1976 interview by MPR’s Dennis Rooney features the “Dean of American Music” reflecting on music and composers ahead of three Bicentennial performances at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis.

For decades, an Israel-based father-son team have been recovering and repairing violins played by Jewish musicians that survived the Holocaust. Through June, those violins are touring the state.

Thomas led the San Francisco Symphony from 1995 to 2020, helping to establish its reputation as a world-class orchestra. In 2021, he was diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, a type of brain cancer.

Concert band is a large part of classical music, yet many composers don't get the recognition they deserve for contributing to the genre. Here are 10 band composers you should know — besides the March King, John Philip Sousa.

This National Poetry Month, join host Andrea Blain for ‘Words and Music of Black America,’ a special featuring music with texts by Black poets. Listen now!