Meet Melanie Renate, our new overnight classical host

As our new overnight classical host, you might hear a familiar voice on Minnesota Public Radio/American Public Media. Melanie Renate has previously worked with YourClassicalMPR as a board operator and co-host on YourClassical Adventures. Now she takes her talents overnight.

“Becoming a host and producer is a blending of so many things that bring me joy,” she says. “I’ve been given the opportunity to combine my love of people and my knack for storytelling with my passion for wellness and building community.”

Melanie was born in California and raised in Minnesota. At 14, a class project led her to the world of radio broadcasting, where she worked as an on-air personality until 24.

This passion for music was never lost, even when life took its familiar twists and turns. After nearly a decade on-air, she left broadcasting to focus on caring for adults with disabilities and work with AmeriCorps.

“While in AmeriCorps, I discovered public radio,” she said. “That is when I knew I wanted to contribute to this lifetime by combining my love for community building with my passion for music and storytelling.

“Classical music, in its many forms, is a powerful medium. I feel like it can connect us to the deepest parts of ourselves. During my time as a caregiver for adults with disabilities, the variety of musical tastes I witnessed daily demonstrates how much music can truly uplift people.

“Minnesota has been home since I was 9, so I knew I could find a way to do that at MPR. Before officially making the twin cities my home, I did a stint in Los Angeles and took classes at the Groundlings Theater,” she said. “As it turns out, my knack for witty banter doesn’t translate to skillful improv, but I learned how to make mistakes and, most importantly, how to pick myself up and recover from them. I finally landed at MPR in 2017 and spent quite a few years caring for and interacting with our members, listeners and volunteers before taking the overnight classical host role.” 

Among her favorite composers, she cites the music of Max Richter, especially his work On the Nature of Daylight.

When she’s not on-air, she is uplifting others as a certified health and wellness coach, passionate yogi and mental-health advocate. Renate has developed a deep appreciation for sound wave therapy and other ways music can aid in overall wellness.

“I’ve truly never felt so ready to dive into a new chapter than I do now,” she says. “I am simply over the moon to be presenting Music Through the Night.”