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Tom Huizenga

In one of its very final performances ever, the durable and beloved string quartet says farewell with music by Beethoven, Walker and Ravel.


Emerson String Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert

YouTube

Emerson String Quartet performs a farewell Tiny Desk Concert

Listen to the Story

Anastasia Tsioulcas

An opera about civil rights leader Malcolm X opens Friday — nearly 40 years after X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X premiered. The creative team says its message feels more relevant than ever.


X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X: “You want the story, but you don’t want to know”

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X: Malcolm and Elijah Duet

X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X: Louise’s Aria

Zenith Richards/Courtesy of the Metropolitan Opera

Malcolm X arrives — finally — at New York's Metropolitan Opera

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

Rhapsody in Black - Jonathan Bailey

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

Composer and educator Jonathan Bailey Holland’s mission is to reshape the way music history is taught and understood, and to help every student feel like they’re part of the conversation. Find out more in the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.


Rhapsody in Black - Jonathon Bailey

Forged Sanctuaries: String Quartet No. 2 by Jonathan Bailey Holland

Rhapsody in Black

Provided

Composer Jonathan Bailey Holland aims to reshape how music is taught and understood

Extra Eclectic - Nov. 01, 2023

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

Hannah Kendall's ‘The Spark Catchers’ is an evocative interpretation of a poem about women who worked in match factories in the 1800s, tasked with dousing stray sparks that might accidentally ignite an inferno. Listen as Steve Seel plays that works and more on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic.’


Extra Eclectic

Hannah Kendall's 'Spark Catchers' describes fire

New Classical Tracks (Extended Interview) - James Newton Howard

New Classical Tracks - James Newton Howard

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 sharing behind-the-scenes stories about a new release each week. It airs locally at 7:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesdays and at 9 a.m. on Saturdays.


Julie Amacher

On this week’s episode of New Classical Tracks, composer James Newton Howard reimagines the music from director M. Night Shyamalan’s movies on ‘Night After Night,’ an album featuring Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Hilary Hahn and Maya Beiser. Find out more!


James Newton Howard – Night After Night: Music from the movies of M. Night Shyamalan [Album Trailer]

New Classical Tracks® 

James Newton Howard reimagines music from M. Night Shyamalan's movies on 'Night After Night'

YourClassical Storytime - Something from Nothing: The Story of Fry Bread

Fry bread takes only a few ingredients to make, and it brings a lot of people together. Find out why it has special meaning for Native Americans in ‘Something From Nothing: The Story of Fry Bread,’ the latest episode of YourClassical Storytime — featuring narration and music by composer Connor Chee, and illustrations by Raul Villanueva.


YourClassical Storytime: Something From Nothing - The Story of Fry Bread

YourClassical Storytime

Raul Villanueva for MPR

'Something From Nothing: The Story of Fry Bread'

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

Minnesota Opera’s new production, ‘Cruzar la Cara de la Luna,’ explores the intertwined lives of a Mexican American family on both sides of the border. Listen as host Andrea Blain speaks to members of the cast about this exciting new production.


Cruzar la Cara de la Luna Minnesota Opera

Minnesota Opera

Explore Minnesota Opera's 'Cruzar la Cara de la Luna' with its performers

Vic Vela

‘Back from Broken’ is a podcast that looks at what it takes to come back from life's struggles. In one episode, host Vic Vela spoke with author Natalie Hodges about dealing with performance anxiety.


Violinist Natalie Hodges on dealing with performance anxiety

Classical Feature - Friday Oct. 27, 2023

Steve Staruch can be heard on Classical Minnesota Public Radio on Monday mornings and at other times during the week. Prior to joining the staff of MPR in 2004, Steve presented a variety of radio programs on WCAL in Northfield, Minn., where he created an immensely popular call-in program, and on WXXI in Rochester, New York. Outside radio, Steve also enjoys work as a freelance tenor and violist. Steve and his wife, Naomi, enjoy traveling, gardening and hosting dinner parties.


Steve Staruch

Tynia Major, an assistant producer at YourClassical MPR, shared co-hosting duties Friday with Steve Staruch. She shared her passion for hip-hop and classical music while co-presenting the creepy and colorful requests for the Halloween edition of ‘Friday Favorites.’ Listen now!



Theme & Variations

Scaring up fun for Halloween

An ecstatic exploration of classical music that’s aesthetically and uncompromisingly Black.

Rhapsody in Black - Justin Holland and his guitar

Justin Holland is not the first name that people think of when asked about the classical guitar. It might come as a surprise that one of the best guitar virtuosos of the 19th century was a free black Oberlin College graduate. Find out more in the latest episode of the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.
