Minnesota's own Parker Quartet are one of the most celebrated classical ensembles of their generation. Today, they returned to Minnesota Public Radio's studios for a performance and interview with Emily Reese.


The Parker Quartet perform at Classical MPR and discuss their upcoming concert

Legendary animator Chuck Jones would have turned 100 today. In celebration, enjoy one of his most enduring shorts, the Bugs Bunny-does-Wagner parody "What's Opera, Doc?"


What's Opera, Doc? 100 years of Chuck Jones

Although cellist Joe Johnson may have spent the last few years playing for a far-flung range of ensembles such as the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, the Santa Fe Opera and the Honolulu Symphony, he honed his remarkable talent with over a decade in the Twin Cities classical music community. He recently returned to the Twin Cities to record a CD of Rachmaninoff and Shostakovich cello sonatas at Hamline University's Sundin Music Hall, where he will perform on Friday night.


Cellist Joe Johnson returns for Twin Cities performance

Classical MPR is proud to announce that violinist Chad Hoopes will be our 2011-2012 Artist-in-Residence. Hoopes has racked up a remarkable resume, having performed with the Minnesota Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony and more. He's also appeared at several European festivals and received substantial media attention. It's an impressive list of accomplishments and accolades for anyone -- and it's made even more astonishing by the fact that Hoopes is 17.


Introducing Chad Hoopes

The Bad Plus are a Minneapolis jazz trio who are perhaps best known for their instrumental covers of rock songs, which earned them the honor of being called "as badass as highbrow gets" by Rolling Stone. However, later this month, the group will swing decidedly more towards the "highbrow" end of that balancing act, as they debut their reinterpretation of Stravinsky's legendary ballet "The Rite of Spring" at the Loring Theater in Minneapolis.


Peter Valelly

Recent Contributions