Voices of Spring: Choral Music from Classical MPR

VocalEssence

Choral music is a treasured part of Minnesota communities and Classical MPR recognizes that vital piece of our local culture. That’s why we’re excited to continue our support for our choral audiences with "Voices of Spring," our month-long April choral programming.

Vote for your favorite choral pieces!

What We're Doing

ON-AIR:

Tuesday nights, 8pm, beginning April 9: a spotlight choral concert

Including Choir of St. Thomas Church (recorded locally last fall here in MN); Choir of Clare College, Cambridge (recorded locally here in MN); Westminster Cathedral Choir, London (recorded in Collegeville); St Olaf College’s presentation of Britten’s War Requiem, a masterpiece of the 20th century choral repetoire and more.

Wednesday’s at noon: Music with Minnesotans:

Alison Young’s half-hour guest-hosted “theft of the dial” segment will draw on MN choral lovers.

Thursdays at 3pm: Regional Spotlight

Steve Staruch’s MN-based programming will spotlight MN’s resident choirs and outstanding visiting choirs.

Tuesday, April 30: Top-25 Choral Countdown

On-air hosts will have fun and count our listeners’ choral favorites down throughout the day!

Tuesday, April 30, 8pm: Benjamin Britten’s War Requiem

Arguably the greatest large-scale choral work of the 20th century, written as a declaration of peace in the years after WWII. Performance given by and recorded at St Olaf College, Northfield.

ONLINE:

Choral Stream:
An expanded playlist and additional social media and web promotion for the Stream.
Countdown:
April 8-21: Top-25 Choral piece voting and countdown, broadcast throughout the day on April 30
Choral Trivia Quiz

Test your knowledge of choral music, composers, and terminology.

Weekly:

Choral-themed online feautures and archive gems.

Energized engagement on Twitter and Facebook

Share your best #ChoralTruth on Twitter, and find more ongoing Choral music on our Choral Music Facebook page.

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The World's Finest Choirs

Classical MPR is bringing some of the world’s finest choirs to Minnesota. Upcoming concerts include:

  • Mormon Tabernacle Choir — Thursday, June 20, 2013, at 7:30 p.m.

    At Target Center
    Tickets go on sale to MPR Members Nov. 7, 2012; to the general public Nov. 23, 2012. Ticket Prices: $27, $41, $61, $81

  • Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir — Friday, November 22, 2013

    At the Cathedral of St. Paul.
    Featuring a new piece by Minnesota composer Edie Hill, commissioned by Classical MPR for the EPCC and its U.S. tour.

 On-Air

Live Concert Broadcasts

Choral Concerts produced by Classical MPR

Sound engineers from MPR will attend area choral concerts to make recordings that can reach new audiences through broadcast and online services.

Choral Stream

Music for Singing

We've created our 24/7 choral stream for one reason: we love this music. We want to share our favorites and some beautiful surprises with you. What'll you hear? A big range from Palestrina to Pärt, spirituals to Schubert, and new work by Whitacre, Lauridsen, Paulus, and more wonderful contemporaries. You'll discover great professional choirs, college choirs, amateur choirs, church choirs... anytime you want! Hit the Feedback link and tell us what you'd like to hear more of. We'll update the stream regularly, so chime in. And enjoy the music!

Listen Now

Choral features from Classical MPR

  • Under the Bridge with Cantus
    As part of our Voices of Spring choral music programming through the month of April, we're highlighting some of the more stunning performances from our archive. Here, vocal ensemble Cantus tests out the acoustics underneath the bridge by Lake of the Isles in Minneapolis.April 5, 2013
  • Reflections for Holy Week: Choral Music with Dale Warland
    It's something of a spiritual credo in the eastern Orthodox tradition,"Where there is beauty let us enjoy it!" Marking this season of re-birth, Dale Warland revisits several of the recordings and concert performances made with his Dale Warland Singers. An invitation to quiet contemplation and to the nourishment of the spirit, Classical MPR's Steve Staruch hosts this one hour special program at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.March 27, 2013
  • Regional Spotlight: Saint Thomas Choir from NYC
    Tune-in at 8 p.m. Tuesday, April 16th for a special treat. Sixteen men and three dozen boys are the Saint Thomas Choir from Saint Thomas Church in New York City, led by John Scot.March 16, 2013
  • Choral Truths
    This month, as part of our Voices of Spring programming, we're having a little fun with those who make the music. What are the Universal truths you know about those involved in the choral arts?
  • Cantus' Tiny desk concert
    It's a small desk, but it's no matter -- the 9 members of Cantus ably fit around it for an outstanding performance on a recent trip to NPR's Washington, D.C. headquarters.
  • On the Air This Week
    Highlights from Dec. 11 to Dec. 18 Tuesday, 7 pm: Welcome Christmas!, with VocalEssence. Wednesday, 12 noon: Music with Minnesotans: Actor and singer Dane Stauffer. Wednesday, 7 pm: Candles Burning Brightly. Thursday, 11 am: Cantus, live at Westminster Presbyterian Church....
  • A Night in Havana!
    A MESMERIZING premiere performance by the Cuban choir, Schola Cantorum Coralina!
  • Guillaume de Machaut, a primer
    Guillaume de Machaut was born sometime in the 13th century. No birthday means no celebration.... until today.



On Now

John Birge
Listen to the Stream
  • Eine kleine Bayreuth Nachtmusik 6:21 Arthur Kulling
    Bayreuth Festival Orchestra
    Arthur Kulling
    Buy Now
  • Keyboard Concerto No. 5: Largo 6:11 Johann Sebastian Bach
    Zurich Chamber Orchestra
    Howard Griffiths
    Sharon Isbin, guitar
    Buy Now
Playlist
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