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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.


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Violinist Natalie Hodges on dealing with performance anxiety

Classical Feature - Friday Oct. 27, 2023

Steve Staruch can be heard on Classical Minnesota Public Radio from 3 to 7 p.m. weekdays, including hosting Music with Minnesotans, Regional Spotlight and Friday Favorites. 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, N.Y. 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!



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.


Public domain

Justin Holland and his guitar 

'My Journey, Yours: A Cantus Immigration Special'

‘My Journey, Yours’ is a program performed by Cantus that explores the courage of those who leave their homes in search of a brighter future and how they adapt to their new homeland. Listen now and join us in celebrating National Immigrants Day on Saturday, Oct. 28.


Kerwin Elias/Unsplash

New Classical Tracks (Extended Interview) - Awadagin Pratt

New Classical Tracks - Awadagin Pratt

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 this week’s episode of New Classical Tracks, pianist Awadagin Pratt, string ensemble A Far Cry and vocal ensemble Roomful of Teeth collaborate in ‘Stillpoint,’ an album featuring six newly commissioned works inspired by five lines from a poem by T.S. Eliot. Find out more!


Rob Davidson

Pianist Awadagin Pratt, A Far Cry and Roomful of Teeth collaborate in 'Stillpoint'

Jeff Lunden

When the composer/lyricist died in 2021 at age 91, he left behind a partly finished show called Here We Are. But his collaborators say Sondheim loved a puzzle — and he left them all the pieces.


Emilio Madrid/Here We Are

The task? Finish Stephen Sondheim's last musical. No pressure.

Olivia Hampton

On Philanthropy, the artist's 14th studio album, Volker Bertelmann, also known as Hauschka, returns to his signature prepared piano sound in music he hopes will strengthen connections between people.


Hannes Caspar/Pitch Perfect PR

Nina Ditscheid/Pitch Perfect PR

Hauschka's prepared piano is a layered canvas of sounds in new album

Extra Eclectic - Oct. 18, 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

On the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel plays music in honor of our migrating avian friends — from Norman Dello Joio's ‘Exaltation of Larks’ to Jennifer Bellor's ‘Skylark Lullaby.’ He also pays tribute to jazz iconoclast Carla Bley, who died Tuesday at 87. Listen now!


Anuj Yadav/Unsplash 

Taking flight

New Classical Tracks (Extended Interview) - October 18, 2023

New Classical Tracks - Plinio Fernandes

On this week’s episode of New Classical Tracks, Brazilian guitarist Plinio Fernandes combines Bach and Brazilian music with help from composer Sergio Assad on his new album, ‘Bacheando.’ Find out more!


Guitarist Plinio Fernandes combines Bach and Brazilian music on 'Bacheando'

Anastasia Tsioulcas

A new live stage show features actor John Malkovich transformed into some of the meanest music critics ever — in real reviews skewering the work of great composers like Beethoven, Brahms and Chopin.


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