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On the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ our celebration of Black History Month continues with an hour of Black composers honoring the trailblazers who inspired them. In the second hour, host Steve Seel presents a Valentine's Day collage of the many different experiences of love. Listen now!


Extra Eclectic - Feb. 14, 2024

Extra Eclectic

Matthew Murphy

History and Hearts

Julie Amacher's desire to introduce others to great music is what led her to radio. She began her professional broadcast career at a station in Sun Prairie, Wis. She went from rock 'n' roll to the Rocky Mountains, where she found her niche in public radio at KUNC in Greeley, Colo. Julie spent 13 years at KUNC, where she managed the announcers and their eclectic music format. During that time, she earned four national awards for best announcer. She joined Minnesota Public Radio in 1997 as an on-air host and also produces New Classical Tracks, a weekly podcast critiquing a new release each week. It airs locally at 7:15 a.m. Wednesdays and 5:15 p.m. Fridays.


Julie Amacher

On the latest episode of ‘New Classical Tracks,’ conductor Osmo Vanska and the Minnesota Orchestra present their recording of Gustav Mahler's epic Symphony No. 8 ('Symphony of a Thousand'). Find out more!


New Classical Tracks (Extended Interview) - Osmo Vanska

New Classical Tracks - February 14, 2024

Minnesota Orchestra standing outside Orchestra Hall

Minnesota Orchestra: Mahler's Symphony of a Thousand

New Classical Tracks® 

Travis Anderson

Osmo Vanska and Minnesota Orchestra present Mahler's 'Symphony of a Thousand'

Valerie Kahler grew up in a musical family and started playing cello and piano in 3rd grade.  She began her radio career in 1989 as a volunteer at KNAU (now Arizona Public Radio) in Flagstaff, Arizona.  She worked there as a classical host and music director for more than a decade before moving to Minnesota to work for MPR.   In addition to classical music, other passions include sewing, singing and cooking.  She shares her life with her partner, John, an artist.


Valerie Kahler

For the 100th anniversary of George Gershwin’s ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ Valerie Kahler delves into the fascinating history of this great work and shares an array of performers who interpreted it. Listen now to 'Blue Centennial': Celebrating a Century of Gershwin’s 'Rhapsody'!


Blue Centennial: Celebrating a Century of Gershwin’s 'Rhapsody'

'Blue Centennial': Celebrating a Century of Gershwin’s 'Rhapsody'

Lynne has been at this radio thing since 1984 when she fell into an historic job at KFAC AM and FM, the commercial classical station in Los Angeles.  She was the first woman staff announcer in the station's history, and it was such big news back then, it made the LA newspapers and national radio publications.  She is thrilled women in radio is no longer newsworthy.


Lynne Warfel

Get ready to celebrate Valentine’s Day with Lynne Warfel in the latest episode of ‘Saturday Cinema,’ featuring two hours of the greatest love themes from movies, including selections from ‘Ghost,’ ‘Brokeback Mountain’ and ‘My Fair Lady.’ Listen now!


Saturday Cinema - Feb. 10, 2024

Saturday Cinema

Love at the movies

Vernon Neal is the host of the podcast ‘Rhapsody in Black,’ where we turn up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music.


Host/Producer

Vernon Neal

Find out how a chance meeting with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. helped give composer and conductor Paul Freeman the resolve to make classical music more inclusive and diverse on the latest episode of the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast. Listen now.


Where we turn up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music, with host Vernon Neal.

Rhapsody in Black - Dr. MLK Meets Paul Freeman

Maestro Freeman recalls meeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Rhapsody in Black - Paul Freeman meets MLK

Rhapsody in Black

Ken Paul

Paul Freeman meets MLK

We begin our celebration of Black History Month on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ with two hours devoted to the music of Black 20th- and 21st-century composers, including Carlos Simon, Jessie Montgomery and Nkeiru Okoye. Listen now with host Steve Seel!


Extra Eclectic - Feb. 7, 2024

Courtesy of the Colour of Music Festival

Black History Month begins

Harpist Ashley Jackson’s program ‘Take Me to the Water’ is an immersive audio experience that touches on themes from African mythology, the antebellum spiritual tradition and water’s transportive, transmogrifying nature. Listen now with host Vernon Neal!


Take Me to the Water

Ashley Jackson and Known MPLS - Take Me To The Water

Ashley Jackson - Take Me To The Water

Harpist Ashley Jackson explores African mythology and spiritual tradition in 'Take Me to the Water'

Longtime music host and performer Andrea Blain presents classical music programming including national specials, opera and other live broadcasts and holiday programs. She also is part of a team that works on content and scripting for ‘Rhapsody in Black’ and has voiced several episodes of YourClassical Storytime.


Andrea Blain

In the Minnesota Opera’s latest production, ‘The Elixir of Love,’ Nemorino, a young villager, uses a zesty elixir to try and win the heart of the beautiful Adina. Listen as host Bonnie North speaks to members of the cast about this exciting production and access on-demand audio from the concert now!


Minnesota Opera stage director Daniel Ellis and principal conductor Christopher Franklin speak to host Bonnie North about the  latest production, 'The Elixir of Love'

Minnesota Opera - The Elixir of Love Conductor/Director Interview

Vanessa Becerra and Andrew Stenson speak to host Bonnie North about the Minnesota Opera's latest production, 'The Elixir of Love'

Minnesota Opera - The Elixir of Love Cast Interview

Minnesota Opera

Provided

Listen: Explore Minnesota Opera's 'The Elixir of Love' with its cast

Steve Seel is the host of YourClassical’s weekly SymphonyCast and the trailblazing music show Extra Eclectic. He possesses a broad knowledge of many musical genres, having hosted radio programs ranging from classical to jazz and even avant-garde music at radio stations around the country. Steve began his love affair with public radio at 24 working whatever shifts he could at his hometown station of WUSF-FM in Tampa, Florida, and from there worked his way to snowy Buffalo, New York, and its renowned classical station WNED-FM, where he hosted middays and the weekly experimental-music show Present Tense.  In 2005, Steve became one of the founding voices on Minnesota Public Radio's eclectic station, the Current. While there, he hosted afternoons and mornings, and conducted in-depth interviews with pop music luminaries ranging from Brian Eno to David Byrne to Tori Amos. Steve is a basement composer obsessed with all things both minimalist and slow, and might actually be incapable of writing anything that exceeds 75 beats-per-minute.


Steve Seel

On the latest episode of ‘SymphonyCast,’ with host Steve Seel, we head to Seoul, South Korea, for a concert by the country’s premiere classical ensemble, the KBS Symphony Orchestra, playing an all-French program under the direction of Pietari Inkinen. Listen now!


SymphonyCast® 

KBS Symphony Orchestra

Ward Jacobson has enjoyed a radio career spanning over two decades as a morning show host and sportscaster, as well as producer/host of an interview program where he chatted with authors, musicians, politicians and newsmakers. He is also a past winner of the prestigious Marconi Award. Jacobson's love of classical music stems from a childhood influenced by his bass-baritone father and piano-teaching mother. While still a college student in Nebraska, he began singing with the Abendmusik Chorus and took part in concert tours to venues as varied as Englands Lincoln Cathedral, the Vatican, Salzburg Cathedral, Auschwitz and Moscow. When not singing, he works to develop his guitar-strumming repertoire.


Ward Jacobson

Join guest host Ward Jacobson for two full hours of your favorite film music on the latest episode of ‘Saturday Cinema,’ in which we celebrate February birthdays with music from the films of Clark Gable, John Ford, Jack Lemmon, Lana Turner and more. Listen now.


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