Poster Steve Seel
Steve Seel
MPR

SymphonyCast®

With Steve Seel

Buffalo Philharmonic

Buffalo Philharmonic

On this week’s episode of SymphonyCast, host Julie Amacher features the Buffalo Philharmonic recorded live in Buffalo in 2020 and 2021 as part of the BPO OnDemand series, streamed to audiences during the height of the pandemic.  

Los Angeles Philharmonic

Los Angeles Philharmonic

On this week’s episode of SymphonyCast, host Julie Amacher features the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Conductor Gustavo Dudamel leads Mahler’s heavenly Fourth Symphony and the world premiere of Steven Mackey’s trumpet concerto, ‘Shivaree.’

WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne

WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne

On this week’s episode of SymphonyCast, host Julie Amacher features the WDR Symphony Orchestra, Cologne. Conductor Cristian Măcelaru leads the orchestra and we will hear violinist Daniel Hope then end with a premiere by Dan Dediu.

Buffalo Philharmonic

Buffalo Philharmonic

On this week’s episode of SymphonyCast, host Julie Amacher features the Buffalo Philharmonic. The Orchestra celebrates iconic American composers Barber, Gershwin, and Bernstein for this concert.

Lakes Area Music Festival

Lakes Area Music Festival

In this week’s episode of SymphonyCast with host Julie Amacher, conductor Christian Reif explores feelings of the intangible spirit of a region, its people or both in this program — with Bedrich Smetana’s tribute to his homeland, ‘The Moldau,’ and Finnish nationalist Jean Sibelius’ Symphony No. 2.

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra

Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra

On this week’s episode of SymphonyCast, guest host Steve Seel features the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra. For this concert, principal guest conductor Karina Canellakis is on the podium with violinist Nicola Benedetti to create sensations for your ears.      

A Far Cry chamber orchestra

A Far Cry chamber orchestra

This week’s SymphonyCast episode features two concerts in one! First, we’ll hear a celebration of the strength of women. Then A Far Cry chamber orchestra performs its signature work, Tchaikovsky’s ‘Serenade for Strings.’

Minnesota Orchestra

Minnesota Orchestra

The Minnesota Orchestra welcomes Nathalie Stutzmann back to the podium for a program that is rich with heart and soul. First, we’ll hear George Walker’s ‘Lyric for Strings.’ Then, violinist Tobias Feldmann joins the orchestra to play Prokofiev’s imaginative and exciting Second Violin Concerto, followed by Tchaikovsky’s tender and beautiful Sixth Symphony.

The Orchestra Now

The Orchestra Now

The Orchestra Now (TŌN) begins its seventh season with William L. Dawson’s distinctive and emotionally charged ‘Negro Folk Symphony.’ The composer said he wanted listeners to know that it was "unmistakably not the work of a white man." Also on the program is Shostakovich’s enormous and patriotic ‘Leningrad Symphony,’ written largely after he had fled the city (now known as St. Petersburg) following the German invasion during World War II.

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra

The Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra welcomes violinist Leila Josefiwicz to the stage for the world-premiere performance of Matthias Pintscher’s third violin concerto, ‘Assonanza.’ Plus, the orchestra shares a perennial favorite – Sergei Rachmaninoff’s ‘Symphonic Dances.’

About SymphonyCast®

The Show

SymphonyCast®, with host Steve Seel, is a two-hour weekly radio program featuring a full-length concert by a major orchestra. Material is drawn from Europe’s premier symphony orchestras, along with U.S. orchestras such as the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Nashville Symphony and the Cleveland Orchestra.

Our Host

Steve Seel

Steve Seel 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.

The Team

Daniel Nass, Producer

Daniel Nass is the producer of SymphonyCast®. He is responsible for creating the sound of the show, including choosing music programming and conducting artist interviews. In his nonproducer life, he is an avid runner and an award-winning composer.

Michael Osborne, Technical Director

Michael "Ozzie" Osborne is the Technical Director for SymphonyCast®. He masters the live and recorded music recordings that are programmed for each SymphonyCast® show. He also enjoys photography, listening to music and bicycling.

Frequently Asked Questions

What was the name of the composer, performer or piece I heard on the show?

Complete playlist information is available for each show. Click on a specific episode to access a detailed playlist.

What is the theme music at the beginning of every SymphonyCast® episode?

It’s the opening trumpet fanfare from Steve Heitzeg’s Nobel Symphony.

Can I buy a recording of music I heard on your show?

It’s possible, but not likely. Many of the performances that you hear on SymphonyCast® are not available for purchase because they were played at a live concert. In some cases, the musicians have recorded that same music for a commercial CD. If so, album title and recording label information will be available in the episode playlist.

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