Before Bach's Birthday Bash - March 18, 2023

Building upon a curiosity which began in his teens, Michael Barone has been involved with the pipe organ for more than 40 years. As host and senior executive producer of Pipedreams, produced and distributed by American Public Media, he is recognized nationally for his outstanding contributions to the world of organ music.  Pipedreams began in 1982 and remains the only nationally distributed weekly radio program exploring the art of the pipe organ. Michael's talent and commitment have been recognized with numerous awards, including the American Guild of Organists President's Award in 1996, the Distinguished Service Award of the Organ Historical Society in 1997 and the 2001 ASCAP-Deems Taylor Award. In November 2002 he was selected for induction to the Minnesota Music Hall of Fame.  He also hosts broadcasts of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and The New Releases on Minnesota Public Radio.


Michael Barone

Before Bach's Birthday Bash, which was held March 18 with ‘Pipedreams’ host Michael Barone, celebrated the works of composer J.S. Bach with five hourlong concerts at venues in Minneapolis. Relive the first hour now with our archived livestream video and broadcast audio.


Before Bach's Birthday Bash: Relive this annual celebration of a great composer

March Listener Requests Part One

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

This week’s episode of Saturday Cinema, with host Lynne Warfel, is one of two listener request shows this month and features listeners’ favorite tracks from 'Phantom Thread,' 'Spartacus,' 'My Neighbor Totoro' and more. Listen now!


March Listener Requests, Part 1

Listen to the Story

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Ari Shapiro

Sarah Handel

Matt Ozug

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks to Kirsten Holmes and Jevon Skipper from the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, D.C., about their role in a recent Tiny Desk — with Bono and The Edge.


Meet the D.C. teen choir that joined Bono and The Edge at the Tiny Desk

Olivia Hampton

Sacha Pfeiffer

Two musical worlds collide as jazz pianist Dan Tepfer finds inspiration, and room for improvisation, in J.S. Bach's Two-Part Inventions.


Josh Goleman/Courtesy of the artist

For pianist Dan Tepfer, improvisation is the mother of Bach's Inventions

YC Story - Julia Reczek

Julia grew up dancing ballet to classical music, but it wasn’t until high school that her love for classical music truly blossomed. 


Nihal Demirci Erenay/Unsplash

The overture to Julia Reczek's journey through classical music

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

Rhapsody in Black - March 16, 2023

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

Founded in 1995 by Everett McCorvey, the American Spiritual Ensemble teaches about the history and traditions of enslaved people in America through the power of music. Find out more in the latest episode of the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast. 


MPR Photo / Nate Ryan

Everett McCorvey and the American Spiritual Ensemble keep our heritage alive

Extra Eclectic - March 15, 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

A new CD of the complete string quartets of Steve Reich inspires Extra Eclectic host Steve Seel to bring us a full hour of the great 20th-century minimalist composers. As part of the program, Seel shares clips from his interview with Steve Reich about the new recording. In the second hour, it's the opposite of minimalism, as we hear modern composers embracing romanticism.

 


Photo: Wonge Bergmann

Steve Reich: The soul of minimalism

New Classical Tracks - Benjamin Grosvenor (Extended)

New Classical Tracks - Benjamin Grosvenor

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

In this week’s New Classical Tracks, British pianist Benjamin Grosvenor talks about his latest recording, ‘Schumann & Brahms,’ which explores the fascinating relationship among Robert Schumann, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms. 


Andrej Grilc

Pianist Benjamin Grosvenor explores the relationship among Romantic composers

Extra Eclectic - Steve Seel interviews composer Steve Reich

Extra Eclectic - Steve Seel interviews Steve Reich

Composer Steve Reich's contributions to contemporary classical music are incalculable, yet he says he never would have written one of the core forms of classical music — a string quartet — if he hadn't been asked to by the esteemed Kronos Quartet. In the wake of a recent recording of Reich’s complete string quartets, Extra Eclectic host Steve Seel speaks with the composer about his unlikely history with the form and his unusual approach to it.


Jeffrey Herman

Steve Reich's string quartets are like no others

St. Patrick's Day - Classical Playlist

Looking for the perfect soundtrack for St. Patrick's Day? Our specially selected classical playlist will add an Irish flair to your festivities and take you on a musical journey to the Emerald Isle.


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