Royal Concertgebouw
Love it or hate it, Ravel's Bolero has always been a magnet for an opinion. At its premier a woman yelled out that the composer must be insane! To which he replied "Aha! She understood the piece." Listen for yourself.
Steve Seel
MPR
SymphonyCast®
With Steve Seel
Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra
In this special New Year's Eve concert, we'll meet Kerson Q Xun Leong. A young superstar who won the Menuhin Competition when he was 13.
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
The new music director of the Philly Orchestra takes his other orchestra out for a spin for a performance of this holiday classic: The Nutcracker.
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
It's the almost-a-symphony! Brahms was so gun-shy about writing a "Symphony" that he wrote one and called it a piano concerto instead.
Los Angeles Philharmonic
Have you seen Robin Ticciati? If you didn't know better you might think it was a younger Dudamel. And, you would be kind of right. But... didn't Dudamel just turn 30?
Orpheus Chamber Orchestra
In many ways, this is the quintessential NY chamber music experience. The conductor-less Orpheus Chamber Orchestra blazing a Brahms-ian trail with Gil Shaham.
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
This week's SPCO concert is fantastic and features a piece that has it all: Korngold's violin concerto.
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
Nothing is worse than having your life determined by people who show up unprepared, and that's exactly what happened to Rachmaninov. At the first performance of his first symphony, the conductor showed up drunk and the orchestra hadn't practiced. In the words of Homer Simpson, "D'oh!"
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
The CSO hits it out of the park with this epic work — kudos to Burgos who led the enormous ensemble while injured.
Dallas Symphony Orchestra
From the roster of the pretty people comes David Fray. An animated pianist who plays a mean, and compelling Mozart piano concerto.
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.
How do I leave a comment?
Use our contact form to send us your thoughts.