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Radio Heartland

You can now listen to Classical and Choral Music on your iOS (iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad) or Android device.

Top Score

Top Score

In this podcast, host Emily Reese takes an in-depth listen to video game music and talks with the people who make it.

Latest Episode

Lennie Moore and Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm on Top Score
With so many World War II games on the market, it can be difficult to come up with a unique sound for the score. Lennie Moore talks about his music for Red Orchestra 2: Rising Storm on Top Score.
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Top Score Episode Archive

School Spotlight

School Spotlight

Do you -- or does a teacher you know -- have a great recording of a high school ensemble or choir that would sound terrific on Classical MPR? Send us a copy and we'll consider it for broadcast.

Submit Your Recording

MPR Classical Tshirt

  • Show your support for Classical Minnesota Public Radio by wearing our new Music for Living shirt design. The T-shirt is 100% cotton and features the recently updated classical MPR logo imprinted across the front.
Paul Anka

Flicks in Five: The Longest Day

A very young Paul Anka, who had a part in the big-budget movie, wrote the theme song.

  • Richard WagnerWagner at 200: Listen to the Complete Ring Cycle
    Immerse yourself in over 14 hours of Richard Wagner's masterpiece, Der Ring des Nibelungen, courtesy of Allegro Music. Find out more about Wagner, the operas and enter our giveaway to win the complete Ring Cycle box set.
  • Brasil Guitar DuoRegional Spotlight: Brasil Guitar Duo
    Their performances are golden as they play as one, and with rhythmic drive and a sensuous sound the Brasil Guitar Duo always have fans saying, "Wow!"
  • Jim WaldoMusic with Minnesotans: Jim Waldo
    Jim Waldo is a part time musician but it takes up much of his life. A founding member of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra and regular singer with Dale Warland, he'll share his deep, rich radio voice and also his deep love of music.
  • Quartetto di Cremona - Italian JourneyNew Classical Tracks: Italian Journey
    Italian composers like Puccini and Verdi are often best known as opera composers. This new disc from the Quartteto di Cremono shows what they could do in the realm of chamber music.
  • Richard WagnerA Wagner Bicentennial Celebration with Pipedreams
    Showcasing music by the foremost 19th century composer who did not write for the pipe organ, Richard Wagner (1813-1883).
  • Woody HermanMorning Glories: The clarinet takes center stage
    Every weekday morning at 10 a.m., the hosts at Classical MPR play a stand-out work based on the theme for the week. We call them Morning Glories.
More Classical Music features

Classical Notes - Classical Minnesota Public Radio's Blog

Classical Music and Video Game Music

Emily Reese

Posted May 16, by Emily Reese

My first love has always been classical music. Maybe cats. But probably classical music. A runner-up would be video games. I feel like I got pretty lucky once games started recording orchestral soundtracks. I remember the first time I heard...

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On the Air This Week

Rex Levang

Posted May 14, by Rex Levang

Highlights from May 14 to 21 Wednesday, noon hour: Music with Minnesotans: Jim Waldo, a founding member of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra. Thursday, 3 pm hour: Regional Spotlight: The Brasil Guitar Duo. Friday, 8 pm: Minnesota Orchestra: Osmo Vänskä leads...

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On the Air This Week

Rex Levang

Posted May 08, by Rex Levang

Highlights from May 7 to 14 Tuesday, 8 pm: Minnesota Varsity Showcase Artists Concert. Wednesday, noon hour: Music with Minnesotans: Hennepin County Judge Elizabeth Cutter. Thursday, 3 pm hour: Regional Spotlight: The Minnesota Sinfonia and pianist Inna Faliks play Mendelssohn....

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More posts

Showering with Beethoven, Headstands with Stravinsky

Piano Music from South America

Valery Gergiev, the Toothpick Maestro

Complete Archive »

2013 Minnesota Varsity

Introducing the 2013 Minnesota Varsity Showcase

Congratulations to the five Minnesota Varsity Showcase Artists who have been chosen to perform, and the two Showcase Composers who have been selected to have their works premiered, in a live broadcast concert at the Fitzgerald Theater!

Arts & Culture

Working women on television: a mixed bag at best

Television today teems with female characters holding jobs of the sort a young girl -- or boy -- might aspire to. But there's one problem: Almost none of the most high-profile characters have children.

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State of the Arts

Next Walker Performing Arts season takes collaborations to new heights

Season features international, national and local performers

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Radio Highlights

  • Friday Favorites

    Each week host Steve Staruch presents four hours of classical music based on listener requests. Do you have a favorite work you'd like to share?
    Send a request
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  • Programming Highlights

    Highlights from May 14 to 21


    Wednesday, noon hour: Music with Minnesotans: Jim Waldo, a founding member of the Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra.
    Thursday, 3 pm hour: Regional Spotlight: The Brasil Guitar Duo.
    Friday, 8 pm: Minnesota Orchestra: Osmo Vänskä leads music of Prokofiev, Mozart, and Sibelius.
    Sunday, 6 am: Pipedreams: A Wagner Bicentennial Celebration.
    Sunday, noon: From the Top.
    Sunday, 1 pm: SymphonyCast: Chris Thile, mandolin, and the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra.
    Monday, 8 pm: Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra: C. P. E. Bach and Haydn (end of regular broadcast season).

Mormon Tabernacle Choir

June 20, 2013
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Classical Music Events

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Music for Living

  • You may have heard us exploring our new tagline "Music for Living" on air. The playful vignettes, produced by our own John Birge, feature everyday tasks and events… and how Classical MPR can connect with you during those times.

Music and Movies

  • Many 21st-century listeners' first — and sometimes — main exposure to classical composition is through movie scores. With this in mind, Classical MPR has developed programming that celebrates and explores the relationship between music and movies today and throughout the history of film.

Writers Almanac

  • Each day, The Writer's Almanac features Garrison Keillor recounting the highlights of this day in history and reading a short poem or two. The Writer's Almanac is produced by Prairie Home Productions and presented by American Public Media.
May. 18, 2013: The Writer's Almanac
Poem: "All that time" by May Swenson, and the literary and historical notes for Saturday, May 18, 2013.
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