http://minnesota.publicradio.org/about/people/mpr_people_display.php?aut_id=96 en-us Copyright 2009 Minnesota Public Radio Mon, 23 Nov 2009 09:06:45 -0600 http://minnesota.publicradio.org/standard/images/mpr003/logo_mpr.gif http://minnesota.publicradio.org/?refid=0 New musicians from the SPCO, Sumni Chang and David Huckaby, perform in the studio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/23/spco_fresh_faces/?refid=0 Mon, 23 Nov 2009 06:00:00 -0600 MPR's John Birge talks with John Fanning and Jean Stillwell who are the principals in Dominick Argento's "Casanova's Homecoming," a production of the Minnesota Opera. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/18/casanova/?refid=0 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 Dawn Upshaw returns in her role as Artistic Partner of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. She sings some signature music by Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov and a world premiere by film composer Alberto Iglesias. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/11/04/dawn_upshaw_iglesias_spco/?refid=0 Fri, 06 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0600 British conductor Simon Halsey joins VocalEssence for a British Invasion of the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 8 pm. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/22/vocalessence-simon-halsey/?refid=0 Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500 The St. Cloud Symphony Orchestra calls its first concert of the 2009-2010 season "New Beginnings." It's the first concert of a new season, featuring the "New World" Symphony and the debut of the orchestra's new conductor, Andrew Altenbach. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/20/andrew-altenbach-st-cloud-symphony-orchestra/?refid=0 Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500 Courtney Lewis is getting ready for his first gigs in his new post as Assistant Conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. He looks back and looks ahead in a conversation with John Birge. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/15/courtney_lewis/?refid=0 Thu, 15 Oct 2009 11:33:14 -0500 As Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Marin Alsop is the first woman to lead a major American orchestra. She also spent twelve years with the Colorado Symphony, and six years as principal guest conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in England. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/10/05/marin_alsop/?refid=0 Mon, 05 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0500 It's a memorial to love, light and angels. Dominick Argento's "Evensong" will have its Midwest premiere this weekend by VocalEssence. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/09/23/argento_vocalessence/?refid=0 Wed, 23 Sep 2009 05:02:03 -0500 The Rose Ensemble is an acclaimed vocal group based in the Twin Cities that is mostly known for its arrangements of early classical music. A new documentary produced by Twin Cities Public Television goes behind the scenes to present the ensemble in a new light. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/05/29/rose_ensemble/?refid=0 Thu, 28 May 2009 00:00:00 -0500 VocalEssence and other regional choral groups gather for a performance of a new piece by Dominick Argento and other works. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/30/argento_brunelle/?refid=0 Wed, 29 Apr 2009 17:35:00 -0500 VocalEssence and the St. Olaf Choir perform the Berlioz Te Deum at the Cathedral of St. Paul. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/04/07/vocalessence_light/?refid=0 Tue, 07 Apr 2009 07:01:02 -0500 Eric Whitacre is a phenomenon. He couldn't read music when he started college, but within a few years he was composing music that was performed and recorded by professional choirs around the world. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/03/20/eric_whitacre/?refid=0 Thu, 19 Mar 2009 16:00:00 -0500 The New York-based Fireworks Ensemble performs music in the studio from their genre-breaking repertoire. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/02/18/fireworks_ensemble/?refid=0 Wed, 18 Feb 2009 08:30:00 -0600 VocalEssence performs it's Inauguration Day concert at St. John's Smith Square in London live on Classical Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2009/02/18/vocalessence_london/?refid=0 Tue, 17 Feb 2009 00:00:00 -0600 Christmas Eve is a time for tradition, and we continue what has become a holiday tradition for Minnesota Public Radio by featuring a new Christmas carol written by composer Abbie Betinis. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/12/24/a_carol_writing_tradition_continues/?refid=0 Wed, 24 Dec 2008 17:00:00 -0600 "A haunted landscape" is how Osvaldo Golijov describes the Schubert songs he arranged for soprano Dawn Upshaw and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. The composer and singer stopped by Minnesota Public Radio, listened to the original versions of the songs and explained how they made them their own. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/25/upshawgolijov/?refid=0 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 15:10:01 -0500 The Twin Cities choral group VocalEssence will celebrate its 40th anniversary season in 2008-09 with a tour of England and a collaboration with six of Minnesota's most prestigious professional and community choirs. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/17/vocalessencenewseason/?refid=0 Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:00:00 -0500 Composer Ricky Ian Gordon is becoming a regular presence in the Twin Cities classical music and theater scene. He's back in town for a production of his music-theater-dance work, "Orpheus and Euridice." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/17/orpheuseuridice/?refid=0 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 15:18:04 -0500 Dawn Upshaw's soprano voice graces a wide range of music, from Elizabethan songs to French chansons to Broadway tunes to cutting-edge contemporary opera. Her taste in listening is similarly wide ranging. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/04/04/upshawbirge/?refid=0 Fri, 04 Apr 2008 14:29:35 -0500 Sarah-Maud Sivertsen died Jan. 12 at age 100. Were it not for Sarah-Maud Sivertsen, there would be no Minnesota Public Radio. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/03/05/sivertsontribute/?refid=0 Wed, 05 Mar 2008 10:00:00 -0600 This week the Minnesota Opera presents the American premiere of a work that's three centuries old. "The Fortunes of King Croesus" was an immensely popular work in early 18th century Hamburg, but the opera and its composer are mostly forgotten today. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/03/03/kingcroesus/?refid=0 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 00:00:00 -0600 Three locally-based singers are off to New York City this weekend for the next step in what has been described as the "American Idol" of the opera world. The three men talked with Minnesota Public Radio classical host John Birge. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/02/12/metauditions/?refid=0 Fri, 15 Feb 2008 00:00:00 -0600 A stripped-down, touring Broadway production of Stephen Sondheim's musical "Sweeney Todd" is in Minneapolis through this weekend. The show's two stars, David Hess and Judy Kaye, stopped by Minnesota Public Radio and talked with host John Birge about the challenges of starring in a dark, emotionally-draining production while also playing the trumpet and tuba. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/02/07/broadwaysweeneytodd/?refid=0 Thu, 07 Feb 2008 16:12:20 -0600 The Minnesota Opera's production of "Romeo and Juliet" is something of a homecoming for its two stars. Soprano Ellie Dehn grew up in Anoka and tenor James Valenti was a member of the Minnesota Opera's Resident Artists Program. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/30/romeoandjuliet/?refid=0 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:46 -0600 Young, British trumpeter Alison Balsom is looking forward to her first appearance on "A Prairie Home Companion." She's ready to share her dazzling brass technique with the denizens of Lake Wobegon, but admits to some trepidation about making her stage debut as an actor. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2008/01/18/balsom/?refid=0 Sun, 20 Jan 2008 00:00:00 -0600 For the past seven years, Abbie Betinis has been carrying on the family tradition of composing Christmas carols as a holiday greeting. Her new carol is the jaunty "Run, Toboggan, Run." Since 2001 she's been writing carols and sending them out as her annual holiday greeting. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/20/betinis07/?refid=0 Fri, 21 Dec 2007 03:07:00 -0600 The Twin Cities' Summit Hill Brass Quintet has a new CD for the holidays, "Christmas up North." The group stopped by Minnesota Public Radio's studios for a chat with host John Birge, and to play new arrangements of Christmas music from the CD. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/19/summithillbrass/?refid=0 Thu, 20 Dec 2007 15:00:04 -0600 Since 1998, VocalEssence and the American Composers Forum have sponsored the Welcome Christmas! Carol Contest. This year composers were invited to write carols for chorus and the bell-like sounds of the celesta. Two winners talked with MPR's John Birge about the challenge of writing new music for Christmas. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/12/11/vocakessencecarols/?refid=0 Tue, 11 Dec 2007 14:04:10 -0600 After three whirlwind years with the Canadian Brass, Bernhard Scully has returned to his birthplace as the new principal horn of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. He spoke with MPR classical host John Birge. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/11/27/bernhardscully/?refid=0 Thu, 29 Nov 2007 01:00:18 -0600 Mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux is back in the Twin Cities for the Minnesota Opera's production of Rossini "The Italian Girl in Algiers." The Alaskan native stopped by Minnesota Public Radio to sing a couple Neapolitan songs. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/11/07/genauxvivica/?refid=0 Fri, 09 Nov 2007 03:00:00 -0600 The bizarre secrets and infidelities of the guests on the Jerry Springer TV show are confessed through song in the Minneapolis Musical Theatre production of "Jerry Springer - The Opera." http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/10/17/springeropera/?refid=0 Wed, 17 Oct 2007 13:56:28 -0500 One of Twin Cities pianist Roderick Phipps-Kettlewell's most important influences is the sound of the human voice. During a visit to Minnesota Public Radio, he spoke with classical music host John Birge and demonstrated how he makes the piano sing. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/24/kettelwell/?refid=0 Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:21:12 -0500 The story behind the creation of Verdi's opera, "A Masked Ball," is just about as interesting as the drama on stage. Verdi expert Philip Gossett says the political climate of 19th century Europe made government censors nervous about an opera based on the assassination of a king. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/21/mnoperaverdi/?refid=0 Fri, 21 Sep 2007 17:10:12 -0500 A new Twin Cities Public Television documentary of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra's recent European tour is an intimate look at the people behind the music. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/09/14/spco_documentary/?refid=0 Fri, 14 Sep 2007 17:11:40 -0500 The Twin Cities' Metropolitan Ballet company is staging Agnes de Mille's original choreography to Aaron Copland's "Rodeo." Paul Sutherland worked with the legendary choreographer for many years and is teaching the dancers to act like cowboys. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/06/20/rodeo/?refid=0 Wed, 20 Jun 2007 03:00:00 -0500 At the time mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux was growing up in Alaska, she wasn't much of an opera fan. When her mother tuned in the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts, she'd turn on the vacuum cleaner to drown out the sound. Now Genaux performs in operas and recitals around the world including, this weekend, the St. Paul Summer Song Festival. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/06/08/vivicagenaux/?refid=0 Fri, 08 Jun 2007 03:00:00 -0500 In its current productions, Theatre de la Jeune Lune uses operatic music by Mozart to tell subversive stories with a political point of view. Although the narratives are different, the two productions maintain the integrity of Mozart's music, as the cast demonstrates in our studios. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/05/16/jeunelunefigaro/?refid=0 Wed, 16 May 2007 03:00:00 -0500 The Minnesota Opera has cast a man to play the part of a male character in Mozart's "Marriage of Figaro." What's the big deal about that, you ask? Well, Mozart set the character's part in a high vocal register; it's traditionally sung by a woman. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/05/01/cortezmitchell/?refid=0 Tue, 01 May 2007 03:00:00 -0500 VocalEssence is celebrating the wide-ranging creative output of composer William Bolcom with the two-week festival "Illuminating Bolcom." Artistic Director Philip Brunelle describes Bolcom as the quintessential American composer. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/04/24/bolcomfeature/?refid=0 Tue, 24 Apr 2007 16:00:00 -0500 For its debut as Skylark Opera, the former North Star Opera company is staging Kurt Weill's 1949 musical tragedy, "Lost in the Stars," which is set in South Africa. In a Minnesota Public Radio studio session, members of the cast sing selections and discuss the musical's contemporary relevance. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/03/23/skylark/?refid=0 Fri, 23 Mar 2007 03:00:00 -0500 It's been more than 35 years since her Metropolitan Opera debut, but mezzo-soprano Frederica von Stade says she's still learning how to use her voice. Von Stade is in the Twin Cities for a Schubert Club recital with her friend and colleague, bass Samuel Ramey. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/28/vonstade/?refid=0 Wed, 28 Feb 2007 03:00:00 -0600 Composer Hannibal Lokumbe says being in the presence of civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks has affected everything he does. Lokumbe's oratorio honoring Parks is the centerpiece of the annual "Witness" concert by the Twin Cities choral group VocalEssence. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/21/dearmrsparks/?refid=0 Thu, 22 Feb 2007 01:00:00 -0600 The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra's newest "artistic partner" is a French pianist who's also collaborating with the Berlin Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall. Pierre-Laurent Aimard is making his debut in his newest role with the SPCO this week. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/02/16/aimard/?refid=0 Fri, 16 Feb 2007 12:31:23 -0600 The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is taking four junior high school students along on its European tour. They earned their places on the trip by promising to share their experiences when they come back home. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2007/01/19/spcokids/?refid=0 Fri, 19 Jan 2007 10:51:42 -0600 St. Paul composer Abbie Betinis has written her sixth annual Christmas carol. She is carrying on a family tradition begun in 1922 by her great-grandfather. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/12/18/betiniscarol/?refid=0 Mon, 18 Dec 2006 08:00:00 -0600 Ted Libbey's new "NPR Listener's Encyclopedia of Classical Music" offers a way into the often intimidating world of classical music via online interaction. In a conversation with John Birge, Libbey discusses the 11 years it took to create the book and how he decided what to include. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/12/12/libbeybook/?refid=0 Fri, 15 Dec 2006 08:00:00 -0600 Pulitzer Prize-winning Newsweek columnist Anna Quindlen has written a new novel. "Rise and Shine" is the story of two sisters in New York City. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/10/13/quindlen/?refid=0 Fri, 13 Oct 2006 16:23:56 -0500 Before they left for last weekend's semi-final round in the Metropolitan Opera National Finals, three area singers visited our studios for some music and conversation with Minnesota Public Radio's John Birge. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2006/03/21/met_opera_competition/?refid=0 Tue, 21 Mar 2006 16:37:48 -0600 The Schubert Club Museum in downtown St. Paul has a special letter on display -- a letter Mozart wrote to his wife Constanze in 1790. The letter is intimate and affectionate, addressing Constanze as "Dearest Little Wife of my Heart." http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2006/01/26_gehrkek_mozartletter/?refid=0 Thu, 26 Jan 2006 18:00:00 -0600 When writer Anne Lamott became a mother, she captured the joys and messes of motherhood in her best-selling book called "Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year." Now Anne Lamott's son is fifteen, and motherhood is still on her mind in a new book of essays called "Plan B: Further Thoughts on Faith." On Mother's Day weekend she talked with Minnesota Public Radio's John Birge. http://news.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/2005/05/06_birgej_lamott/?refid=0 Sat, 07 May 2005 01:00:00 -0500 It has been seven years since violinist Gil Shaham and pianist Orli Shaham released their acclaimed CD "Dvořák for Two." Now their "sibling harmony" returns in a new album by this brother/sister duo, in music by Prokofiev. MPR's John Birge caught up with the siblings just before they set off on a seven-city tour which includes stops at Philadelphia's Kimmel Center, Washington's Kennedy Center, and New York's Carnegie Hall. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2004/11/04_birgej_shaham/?refid=0 Fri, 05 Nov 2004 14:00:00 -0600 John Birge chats with virtuosos Chang and Silverstein about first collaboration together with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. http://minnesota.publicradio.org/display/web/2004/04/23_chang_jbirge/?refid=0 Fri, 23 Apr 2004 12:00:00 -0500 A remarkable era of music performance and education at Luther College will come to an end next year when Weston Noble, internationally acclaimed music educator and choral conductor, retires after a 56-year career at the college. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0403_noble/?refid=0 Thu, 25 Mar 2004 09:00:00 -0600 Amy and Sara became the first American Piano Duo to win the Absolute First Prize in the 14th Concorso Pianistico Internazionale, held in Rome, Italy in October, 2003. Amy and Sara are also the youngest First Prize winners in the history of the National Federation of Music Ellis Competition for Duo-Pianists. In addition to winning the First Prize, Amy and Sara were awarded the Lucile Parrish Ward Award for the best performance of American music. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0403_hamann/?refid=0 Wed, 17 Mar 2004 09:00:00 -0600 WITNESS honors the spirit of Undine Smith Moore (1904-1989), a trailblazing woman whose legacy has inspired generations of African American women composers. Listen to the concert. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0403_witness/?refid=0 Wed, 10 Mar 2004 09:00:00 -0600 How he found out about the Grammy for "Casa Guidi"; what the Grammy award means to him. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0402_argento/?refid=0 Thu, 12 Feb 2004 09:00:00 -0600 Interview with Minnesota Opera Artistic Director Dale Johnson; Interview with mezzo-soprano Vivica Genaux and tenor Bruce Ford http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0401_lucrezia/?refid=0 Mon, 12 Jan 2004 09:00:00 -0600 Joshua Bell speaks about what it means to be an artistic partner with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0401_jbell/?refid=0 Fri, 09 Jan 2004 09:00:00 -0600 Every Christmas season, VocalEssence and The American Composers Forum sponsor a competition for composers to write new carols. The winning entries are premiered in the annual Welcome Christmas! concert. Listen to the entire concert with host John Birge. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0312_welcome/?refid=0 Tue, 16 Dec 2003 09:00:00 -0600 The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and conductor Nicholas McGegan pay tribute to the great English composer Henry Purcell. November 22 is the Feast Day of St. Cecilia, the patron saint of music, and the SPCO will perform Ode to St. Cecilia Purcell composed in celebration of that day. Minnesota Public Radio's John Birge spoke with Nicholas McGegan about Purcell's life (and two amazing theories about his death), the tradition of St. Cecilia, and how to mix bowl of traditional St. Cecilia's Day punch that Nic says "could kill a donkey!" http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0311_mcgegan/?refid=0 Fri, 21 Nov 2003 09:00:00 -0600 Like your Thanksgiving Day feast, Giving Thanks combines traditional fare with unexpected delights. For Thanksgiving 2003, we've invited some wonderful guests to the program, including Wendy Wasserstein, Donald Hall, and highlights from the Broadway production of Thornton Wilder's Our Town. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0311_givingthanks/?refid=0 Sat, 01 Nov 2003 09:00:00 -0600 "I preach a theology of mess and failure and mistake and false starts," says Anne Lamott. MPR's John Birge talks to the author about the inauspicious characters of her novel Blue Shoe. She also reads from the book. http://www.mpr.org/books/features/lamott_blueshoe.shtml/?refid=0 Tue, 13 May 2003 09:00:00 -0500 LIKE YOUR THANKSGIVING FEAST, Giving Thanks combines traditional fare with unexpected delights. For Thanksgiving 2002, we've invited some wonderful guests to the program, including John Updike, Anne Lamott, and Donald Hall. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0211_givingthanks/?refid=0 Fri, 01 Nov 2002 09:00:00 -0600 LIKE YOUR THANKSGIVING FEAST, Giving Thanks combines traditional fare with unexpected delights. For Thanksgiving 2001, we've invited some wonderful guests to the program, including Patrick Stewart, Michael Feldman, W. S. Merwin, Katy Butler, Bill Holm, and Ellen Kushner. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0111_givingthanks/?refid=0 Thu, 01 Nov 2001 09:00:00 -0600 It's the most famous aria in the world. Everybody knows it - but not everybody knows what it's about. So we called in the experts from the Minnesota Opera's production of The Barber of Seville. Listen to baritone Ryan Taylor and conductor Emmanuel Plasson as they join MPR's John Birge to deconstruct Figaro. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0104_barberseville/?refid=0 Thu, 05 Apr 2001 09:00:00 -0500 Like your Thanksgiving Day feast, Giving Thanks combines traditional fare with unexpected delights. For Thanksgiving 2000, we've invited some wonderful new guests to the program, including Studs Terkel, Tom Bodett, Lynne Rossetto-Kasper, Donald Hall, Bill Holm, and Ellen Kushner In addition to Garrison Keillor and Bill Moyers, a rare recording of Charles Laughton returns to Giving Thanks. His spellbinding story connects his personal discovery of Chartres Cathedral with an excerpt from Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums and the 104th Psalm. It's a moving and powerful tale, giving thanks for the discovery that art connects us all to the creative spirit, offering a beautiful focus for the program and the day. http://music.minnesota.publicradio.org/features/0011_givingthanks/?refid=0 Wed, 01 Nov 2000 09:00:00 -0600