Listen to the Story

{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"text":"","type":"text"}]}]}

Tom Vitale

Chick Corea loved to collaborate. His former bandmates are honoring his memory with two star-studded concerts.


Jordan Strauss/Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP

How the late jazz great Chick Corea is being remembered — in concert

Camilo Garzón

Alex Ariff

Jazz Night profiles drummer, composer, educator, & 2022 NEA Jazz Master Billy Hart. Hear stories from his upbringing, words from his mentees, & a performance from Hart's quartet live at Dizzy's Club.


Jonathan Chimene

Jabali, Drummer Billy Hart – Master Teacher, Forever Student, and NEA Jazz Master

Hope Springs Eternal

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 rhapsody on themes of spring, peace, birds and more awaits on this week’s episode of Extra Eclectic, with host Steve Seel.


Annie Spratt / Unsplash

Hope springs eternal

New Classical Tracks - The Claremont Trio (Extended)

New Classical Tracks - The Claremont Trio

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, violinist Emily Bruskin of the Claremont Trio shares how much fun the musicians had celebrating 20 years of music making with their new album, ‘Queen of Hearts.’ 


Courtesy of artist

Claremont Trio celebrates 20 years of music making

Classical FeatureDominic Argento: “You promised me, my dearest life” from I HATE AND I LOVE and “The Pond” from WALDEN POND.

Dale Warland - Dominic Argento

Morten Lauridsen: “O Magnum Mysterium”  

Dale Warland - Morten Lauridsen

Samuel Barber: “Mary Hynes” and “The Coolin” from  REINCARNATIONS

Dale Warland - Samuel Barber

Stephen Paulus: “Pilgrim’s Hymn” from THE THREE HERMITS

Dale Warland - Stephen Paulus

Herbert Howells: ”Requiem I” and “Requiem II” from REQUIEM  American Choral Catalogue (ACC) 120

Dale Warland - Herbert Howells

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

Happy 90th birthday to choral legend Dale Warland! In the 34-year existence of his Dale Warland Singers, he and the ensemble commissioned 270 works and released 29 recordings. Listen now as he introduces some of his favorite performances.


Courtesy of the artist

Dale Warland picks his favorite choral pieces to mark his 90th birthday

Minnesota Opera - Barber of Seville with host Gabi Glass

Minnesota Opera - Barber of Seville

Gioachino Rossini’s beloved and irresistible rom-com Barber of Seville is a cut above. Listen to Minnesota Opera’s performance of the opera, featuring the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, on YourClassical MPR with host Gabi Glass.


Provided

Listen: Minnesota Opera performs Rossini's 'Barber of Seville'

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

Rhapsody in Black - William Grant Still

Composer William Grant Still is the record holder for many firsts in the Black classical world. His ‘Afro-American Symphony’ was the first to be performed by a major orchestra. Find out more about his achievements in the latest episode of the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.


Hulton Archive/Getty Images

William Grant Still, the dean of African American composers

Music can unite us in grief

Composer John Adams expresses grief through a beautiful piece, “Put Your Loving Arms Around Me.” Listen to that and more on this week’s episode of Extra Eclectic, with host Steve Seel.


Külli Kittus / Unsplash

Jeffrey Yelverton is a digital producer of classical music for Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media. He supports the digital portfolio of MPR/APM by creating original content and providing production support for YourClassical Storytime, New Classical Tracks and various seasonal events.


Digital Producer, Classical

Jeffrey Yelverton

More than a month into Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, dozens of violinists have united for a video performance of the Ukrainian folk song “Verbovaya Doschechka” to raise support for Ukraine. Not surprisingly, the video already has gone viral. Watch now.


Illia Bondarenko

Watch: Ukrainian violinists respond to war with viral video

New Classical Tracks - Matt Haimovitz (Extended)

New Classical Tracks - Matt Haimovitz

In this week’s New Classical Tracks, cellist Matt Haimovitz continues his large-scale commissioning project of contemporary composers with his second recording in the six-album series titled, ‘Primavera II: The Rabbits.’ 


Listen

Stories