http://minnesota.publicradio.org/about/people/mpr_people_display.php?aut_id=30143 en-us Copyright 2009 Minnesota Public Radio Tue, 24 Nov 2009 03:56:32 -0600 http://minnesota.publicradio.org/standard/images/mpr003/logo_mpr.gif http://minnesota.publicradio.org/?refid=0 It's a group of lutenists meeting together to discuss -- well actually play --very important things. It's the 'Lute Summit' this Saturday at Hamline University. Hear several pieces and an interview with Alison Young. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/18/lute_summit/?refid=0 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 Osmo Vanska is the subject of a new book. The pictures are a feast for the eyes, tracing the maestro's story from his early years playing clarinet to leading -- and building -- one of the finest orchestras in the world. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/01/osmo_vanska_orchestra_builder/?refid=0 Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:00:00 -0600 Choosing a piano teacher can be a bit like finding the right lawyer, plumber or hairdresser -- professional experience is important, as well as a good fit. North Dakota Piano Teacher of the Year, Sharon Westbrook, shares her thoughts on finding that best "fit." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/29/piano_teacher_sharon_westbrook/?refid=0 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 Twenty-something Michael Israelievitch has just been named Principal Timpani of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. It was a grueling (but thorough!) audition and he feels ready to take on his new role. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/24/michael-israelievitch-spco/?refid=0 Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:49:37 -0600 Leonidas Kavakos performed with the Minnesota Orchestra at Carnegie Hall last spring - depending on the kindness of Jorja Fleezanis and a loan of her violin when his instrument suddenly failed. He still managed to wow the audience receiving a standing ovation and he'll wow us tonight at the Ordway. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/22/leonidas_kavakos_bach/?refid=0 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 13:25:19 -0500 If you were to list the 10 greatest things from all of humanity, on that list would probably be a piece or two by Beethoven. He was a god; he was a cranky and difficult man; he was an inveterate optimist. Who was the real Beethoven? A new film by Phil Grabsky aims to find out with the help of some of the greatest Beethoven artists. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/17/in-search-of-beethoven/?refid=0 Sat, 17 Oct 2009 05:42:44 -0500 Thomas Hampson is known as the Ambassador of American music. He began his 'Song of America' tour at Winona's Beethoven Festival in July of 2009. Listen to this captivating music with Thomas Hampson himself as host. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/16/thomas_hampson_song_america_part4/?refid=0 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:16:22 -0500 Baritone Thomas Hampson began his Song of America tour at Winona's Beethoven Festival in July of 2009. Listen to this captivating music with Thomas Hampson himself as host. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/16/thomas_hampson_song_america_part3/?refid=0 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 10:11:03 -0500 Thomas Hampson sang at the Beethoven Festival in Winona, Minnesota to begin his 'Song of America' tour. Hear Part Two in the series with Hampson as host. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/16/thomas_hampson_song_america_part2/?refid=0 Fri, 16 Oct 2009 09:23:08 -0500 The newest public classical radio station - New York City's WQXR began their new life with a live broadcast of Orpheus Chamber Orchestra from Carnegie Hall. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/08/orpheus_wqxr_broadcast/?refid=0 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 13:55:06 -0500 He had to practice in hide-outs during the war, but now Serbian guitarist Petar Jankovic enjoys a varied career of teaching and playing in the United States, including a performance of one of the most beloved guitar concertos this Sunday in Bemidji: Rodrigo's 'Concierto de Aranjuez.' http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/08/petar_jankovic_rodrigo_aranjuez/?refid=0 Thu, 08 Oct 2009 12:14:18 -0500 It's the story of Faust in the hands of Stravinsky - a soldier trading his violin for wealth and power. Steven Epp plays all of the roles with violinist Stephanie Arado as the soldiers' "soul" in this unique theater performance. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/07/soldiers-tale-bakken-steven-epp/?refid=0 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 15:08:18 -0500 Russian pianist Kirill Gerstein plays Shostakovich this weekend with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. His musical education included classical studies as well as jazz at the Berklee School, and his music is infused with both a Russian sensibility and a jazz spontaneity. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/07/kirill-gerstein-saint-paul-chamber-orchestra/?refid=0 Wed, 07 Oct 2009 11:35:02 -0500 When the Oslo Chamber Choir tours Minnesota this weekend, they will have an action-packed four days with nary a break. Friday in Moorhead, Saturday in Minneapolis, Sunday in St. Cloud and Monday in Northfield. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/23/oslo_chamber_choir/?refid=0 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:17:45 -0500 Their name means "three with spirit" and Trio Con Brio Copenhagen lives up to their name by giving their very life to their music. You can listen to them play Ravel and Smetana in MPR's Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio and Beethoven's "Ghost" Trio from last season's Music in the Park Series as they make their way to St. Cloud for a mini-residency. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/18/trio_con_brio/?refid=0 Fri, 18 Sep 2009 16:27:16 -0500 Michael Kaiser is president of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. He's on an "Arts in Crisis" tour of all 50 states and Puerto Rico. Listen to his Q&A with Minnesota arts groups. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/17/arts_in_crisis/?refid=0 Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:23:58 -0500 Earlier this year at the Twin Cities airport, representatives of the Schubert Club and the New York Philharmonic met for a brief moment to exchange a packet of letters written by Gustav Mahler to his handpicked concertmaster, when Mahler served as the Philharmonic's director in the early 1900s. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/05/mahler_letters/?refid=0 Sat, 05 Sep 2009 12:19:28 -0500 Hitler's unwitting gift to America: a gathering of Europe's great musicians in Southern California. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/02/windfall_musicians/?refid=0 Wed, 02 Sep 2009 16:27:52 -0500 Lynn Harrell is the featured soloist in a concerto for cello and orchestra by Stephen Paulus. Grand Teton Music Festival Music Director Donald Runnicles conducted the premieres in Wyoming this August. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/23/paulus_cello_concerto_harrell/?refid=0 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 12:00:01 -0500 Composer Stephen Paulus may have a young-looking mug, but Monday, August 24th, he turns 60. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/19/stephen_paulus_sixty/?refid=0 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 13:44:21 -0500 Thomas Hampson has been called the "Ambassador of American Song." He chose the Bluff Country of Minnesota to begin his Song of America tour, singing a recital at the Beethoven Festival in Winona. Now you can hear the music with Hampson himself as host. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/14/thomas_hampson_song_america_part1/?refid=0 Fri, 14 Aug 2009 11:40:38 -0500 The organ is not unknown in the jazz world, but few jazz organists use their feet to play the bass line. Barbara Dennerlein is one of a kind, in that she plays it all. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/08/07/barbara_dennerlein/?refid=0 Wed, 12 Aug 2009 00:00:34 -0500 He was against the Iraq war, but his own son enlisted in the Air Force. Baritone Stephen Swanson felt angry, frustrated and helpless, so he expressed himself the best way he could, in song. Swanson brings his recital of the varied human emotions of war to the Minnesota Fringe Festival. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/30/fringe_2009_war_song/?refid=0 Thu, 30 Jul 2009 11:13:17 -0500 What makes a kid want to practice piano? For Andrew Staupe, it took some time to realize you can only win big competitions and have a career if you put in the effort. He has, and at age 24 already has a blossoming career. He'll perform this Friday with the Minnesota Orchestra. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/29/sommerfest_2009_3/?refid=0 Wed, 29 Jul 2009 10:00:59 -0500 Andrew Litton has served as the music director of Sommerfest for six seasons. He conducts from the keyboard an English rarity and an American classic. You can listen to the concert live this Friday on Classical MPR. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/16/sommerfest_2009_2/?refid=0 Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Andrew Litton is on the podium of the Minnesota Orchestra's Sommerfest for his seventh season, beginning the series in its traditional vein with Johann Strauss. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/07/15/sommerfest_2009_1/?refid=0 Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:43:17 -0500 Twenty-four pianists -- culled from a herd of pianists by playing the best on a "replicating piano" -- will converge in St. Paul for the fourth Minnesota International Piano-e-Competition. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/26/piano_e_competition/?refid=0 Fri, 26 Jun 2009 11:40:20 -0500 This week, archaeologists in southern Germany discovered the earliest known instrument -- a 35,000-year-old flute made out of a vulture bone. You can hear a modern silver flute -- played with the same techniques as that old bone flute -- with the Dorian Wind Quintet in concert last January in St. Paul. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/24/dorian_quintet/?refid=0 Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:48:31 -0500 The Minneapolis-based ensemble Cantus has been recognized with one of the highest honors for vocal music. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/19/cantus_prize/?refid=0 Fri, 19 Jun 2009 09:15:28 -0500 It's Father's Day this Sunday, and we thought we'd celebrate with selections by fathers and their musical progeny. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/18/gabriel_kahane/?refid=0 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 15:18:20 -0500 You will be enchanted listening to this concert recorded at last season's Beethoven Festival in Winona. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/18/kings_singers_concert_2008/?refid=0 Thu, 18 Jun 2009 08:48:21 -0500 The White Pine Festival, coming up next Wednesday in several towns along the St. Croix River Valley, celebrates the convergence of music, painting and poetry. The Miro Quartet is performing a new work in collaboration with poet Matthea Harvey. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/11/white_pine_festival/?refid=0 Thu, 11 Jun 2009 13:44:37 -0500 Singing in a choir is not only good for your health, it's also healthy for the community. A recent study from Chorus America gives a big pat on the back to choral singers, while a new documentary puts the spotlight on the choral Mecca of Minnesota. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/04/never_stop_singing/?refid=0 Thu, 04 Jun 2009 10:44:19 -0500 For 26 years, he's been associated with the "orchestra of voices," as singer, arranger, conductor, and the driving force in creating their signature sound. Now, Joseph Jennings will step down and let the next generation take over. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/06/03/joseph_jennings_retirement/?refid=0 Wed, 03 Jun 2009 09:57:03 -0500 Minnesota Orchestra oboist Basil Reeve has been playing with the local Twin Cities chamber music group Musical Offering since the early 1970s. He'll end his tenure this weekend on a high note, by presenting the premiere of a work by James Bolle. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/27/basil_reeve_musical_offering/?refid=0 Wed, 27 May 2009 17:18:22 -0500 The New Zealand String Quartet plays an unusual work that includes an array of Maori instruments. Richard Nunns, the authority on "nga taonga puoro" (traditional Maori musical instruments) joined them in this performance. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/27/hineputehue/?refid=0 Wed, 27 May 2009 17:00:13 -0500 St. Mark's Cathedral in Minneapolis gives the world premiere of a student composition by Ralph Vaughan Williams. It's a piece he wrote for his Cambridge composition degree 115 years ago. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/27/vaughan_williams_vexilla_regis/?refid=0 Wed, 27 May 2009 11:08:53 -0500 For this Memorial Day, the premiere of Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Dominick Argento's memorial for his wife and muse of 51 years, soprano Carolyn Bailey Argento. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/25/argento_memorial/?refid=0 Fri, 22 May 2009 13:46:00 -0500 The three H's tonight at the Minnesota Orchestra: Haydn, Hanson and a new work by Jennifer Higdon. Grammy-award nominee Jennifer Koh plays an unusual concerto for violin, orchestra and chorus "Singing Rooms" tonight on the Minnesota Orchestra Broadcast. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/22/jennifers_koh_higdon/?refid=0 Fri, 22 May 2009 00:00:00 -0500 The Schubert Club Bruce P. Carlson Student Scholarship Competition winners. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/24/schubert_club_winners/?refid=0 Sun, 26 Apr 2009 12:08:36 -0500 Unless you're an opera buff, the name Eric Owens may not be entirely familiar to you. But it's only a matter of time before this up-and-coming young singer becomes a household name. Owens performs in St. Paul tonight, and he spoke with MPR classical music host Alison Young. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/21/eric_owens/?refid=0 Wed, 22 Apr 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Fortepianist Kristian Bezuidenhout shares his insights on playing Mozart with fresh energy in his new disc with violinist Petra Mullejans. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/01/bezuidenhout/?refid=0 Wed, 01 Apr 2009 12:42:27 -0500 The Twin Cities Metropolitan Symphony mourns Bill Holm's death with a new work for mezzo-soprano and orchestra. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/03/27/tartaglia_bill_holm/?refid=0 Fri, 27 Mar 2009 14:35:54 -0500 Classical MPR's Alison Young chats with flutist Lisa Beznosiuk. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/02/23/lisa_beznosiuk/?refid=0 Mon, 23 Feb 2009 10:53:17 -0600 Having just finished three years as a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Artistic Partner, pianist and conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard reflects back on music making with such a willing group, from introducing new music and truly "partnering" in the complete cycle of Beethoven piano concertos. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/02/13/classical_aimard/?refid=0 Fri, 13 Feb 2009 13:13:00 -0600 Her students often complain, "It sounded better at home!" So flutist Linda Chatterton attached that name to a seminar she offers on how to get one's playing out of the practice room and on to the concert stage. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/11/20/classical_chatterton/?refid=0 Thu, 20 Nov 2008 00:00:00 -0600 In an interesting twist of an old story, Julia Roberts' "Pretty Woman" watched her own life story unfold on the opera stage, in a production of "La Traviata: the Woman who Strayed." Duluth Festival Opera uses the Hollywood connection in a new production set in 1930s Hollywood. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/06/26/classical/?refid=0 Thu, 26 Jun 2008 14:34:28 -0500 Rolf Smedvig wants you to instantly recognize his ensemble the first time you hear it. He spoke with classical music host Alison Young about Empire Brass, a group with a special sound molded through the discipline of the Boston Symphony and a youthful energy and excitement. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/10/cms_empire_brass/?refid=0 Sat, 12 Apr 2008 00:00:00 -0500 Monteverdi's "The Coronation of Poppea" is a story from ancient Rome with a big helping of intrigue, deceit, decadence and some unsavory characters. It's seldom staged because of its large cast, but it presents plenty of opportunities for the young singers of the University of Minnesota Opera Theatre. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/10/poppea/?refid=0 Thu, 10 Apr 2008 15:12:17 -0500 He's got rhythm and he's got music, what more could University of Minnesota flute professor Immanuel Davis ask for? How about a new jazz-inspired flute sonata. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/03/28/classical_davis/?refid=0 Fri, 28 Mar 2008 13:37:06 -0500 Harpist Kathy Kienzle and flutist Michele Frisch met playing music for singers, and as the Bell' Alma Duo try to capture the fluidity of singers in their performances. The two have just released a new CD of music from the French Opera repertoire. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/02/01/bellalma/?refid=0 Sat, 02 Feb 2008 14:05:55 -0600 Music at once impressionistic, transcendent and deeply personal was written by 20th century French composer Maurice Durufle, a man who whose gloomy constitution had nothing to do with the music he made. His secrets, his life and the magic of his music are revealed in a new book by a Minnesota organist. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/25/cms_durufle/?refid=0 Fri, 25 Jan 2008 10:01:52 -0600 Tremolos and quarter-tones are the exotic mix in a Lily Afshar recital. She plays music by composers most of us have never heard of and creates sounds that hearken back to Sheherezade and the Arabian Nights. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/18/classical/?refid=0 Sat, 19 Jan 2008 10:00:00 -0600 Minnesota Orchestra principal flutist Adam Kuenzel pushes the technical and sonic possibilities in the premiere of a new concerto by Stanislaw Skrowaczewski. Kuenzel spoke with host Alison Young and demonstrated both the beauty and wildness of Skrowaczewski's "Fantasia for Flute and Orchestra." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/19/kuenzelflutepremiere/?refid=0 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 13:19:20 -0500 Tony Hoagland writes free verse, without a rhyming scheme or a formal structure, but that doesn't mean his poems are without music. As if to prove the point, he's in Stillwater this weekend to participate in the first-ever White Pine Festival, which explores the relationship between music and poetry. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/06/22/tonyhoagland/?refid=0 Sat, 23 Jun 2007 03:00:00 -0500 The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and one of its key collaborators will be in California this weekend to make their debuts at the 61st annual Ojai Music Festival. In a conversation with Minnesota Public Radio's Alison Young, Pierre-Laurent Aimard says he expects Ojai to be a musical adventure for him and his colleagues. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/06/07/aimardonojai/?refid=0 Thu, 07 Jun 2007 11:00:00 -0500 During her 22 years on the throne, Christina of Sweden enticed musicians and composers from around Europe to 17th-century Stockholm. During a visit to Minnesota Public Radio, the Rose Ensemble performed selections from an upcoming concert series exploring music from Queen Christina's court. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/04/28/rosesession/?refid=0 Sat, 28 Apr 2007 03:00:00 -0500 Austrian pianist Ingolf Wunder earned his American debut in an audition over the World Wide Web. It takes place Sunday at Macalester College in St. Paul. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/04/14/ingolfwunder/?refid=0 Sat, 14 Apr 2007 03:00:00 -0500 Violinist Joseph Silverstein, one of the most celebrated concertmasters in history, celebrated his 75th birthday last week. He maintains an active schedule, which brought him to the Twin Cities this past weekend. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/28/silverstein/?refid=0 Wed, 28 Mar 2007 15:25:43 -0500 English flutist William Bennett says he wanted to be a singer, but his teachers told him at an early age that he didn't have much of a natural voice. So the flute became his voice and his playing has set a new standard for the instrument. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/27/williambennett/?refid=0 Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:56:50 -0500 Composer and musical satirist Peter Schickele is the guest of honor as the Fargo-Moorhead Symphony celebrates its 75th anniversary weekend. Schickele says his success as a composer owes a lot to lessons he learned as a teenage bassoon player in that orchestra. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/09/schickele/?refid=0 Fri, 09 Mar 2007 14:15:00 -0600 William Holab took literally thousands of notes, musical and dramatic directions and turned them into useable parts and scores for "The Grapes of Wrath." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/10/grapesparts/?refid=0 Sat, 10 Feb 2007 22:15:19 -0600 In mastering the one-keyed, wooden Baroque flute, Barthold Kuijken has become more than familar with the peculiarities of the instrument. He stopped by Minnesota Public Radio to play a suite of dances and talk with host Alison Young. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/02/bartholdkuijken/?refid=0 Fri, 02 Feb 2007 18:00:00 -0600 Iraqi-born musician Rahim AlHaj shares the experiences of his home through an ancient instrument called the oud. He says he's looking forward to the day when Iraq is full of music again. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/12/07/rahimalhaj/?refid=0 Thu, 07 Dec 2006 16:05:00 -0600