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Michel Martin

Olivia Hampton

Ana Perez

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with Alicia Graf Mack about how she's reshaping Juilliard's prestigious Dance Division to make it more relevant than ever.


West African dance and hip-hop play a key role in a revamped Juilliard track

Steve Seel is the morning host on YourClassical from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. on weekdays, and host of YourClassical’s weekly SymphonyCast. Until the fall of 2026, he was also host of the trailblazing music show Extra Eclectic. He 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 Seel

On this episode of ‘SymphonyCast,’ with host Steve Seel, we head to the Lakes Area Music Festival in Brainerd, Minnesota. Conductor Christian Rife leads a summer-night-themed concert, featuring music by Hector Berlioz with soprano Julia Bullock, as well as Brahms’ Symphony No. 2.


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SymphonyCast® 

Lakes Area Music Festival

Jodi Gustafson

This Easter, as always, the 'Messiah' oratorio is in full play. But do you want to venture beyond Handel's masterpiece? Then check out our picks for 10 other great works for Holy Week.


The King's Singers: Gesualdo, Tenebrae Responsories for Maundy Thursday

François Couperin - Première Leçon de Ténèbres

Arvo Pärt: Passio / St. John Passion / Johannespassionen

Marie-Nicole Lemieux: Stabat Mater by Vivaldi

Were You There

Sicut cervus

Lamentations for Holy Saturday: No. 1

Lamentations for Holy Saturday: No. 2

Lamentations for Holy Saturday: No. 3

Rimsky-Korsakov - Russian Easter Festival Overture, Op. 36 (1888), played on period instruments

Mahler - Symphony No. 2 'Auferstehung' - Mariss Jansons | Concertgebouworkest

Bach - Easter Oratorio: Kommt, eilet und laufet BWV 249 - Van Veldhoven | Netherlands Bach Society

Choral Stream

10 great works for Holy Week besides Handel's 'Messiah'

Saturday Cinema - March 23, 2024

Lynne has been at this radio thing since 1984 when she fell into an historic job at KFAC AM and FM, the commercial classical station in Los Angeles.  She was the first woman staff announcer in the station's history, and it was such big news back then, it made the LA newspapers and national radio publications.  She is thrilled women in radio is no longer newsworthy.


Lynne Warfel

Join host Lynne Warfel on the latest episode of ‘Saturday Cinema,’ celebrating the famous film folks born in March! Hear music from films featuring David Niven, Ron Howard, Liza Minelli, Shirley Jones and more. 


Saturday Cinema

March birthdays

Buxtehude Festival Chorale and Orchestra: Psalm 103

Steve Staruch can be heard on Classical Minnesota Public Radio on Monday mornings and at other times during the week. Prior to joining the staff of MPR in 2004, Steve presented a variety of radio programs on WCAL in Northfield, Minn., where he created an immensely popular call-in program, and on WXXI in Rochester, New York. Outside radio, Steve also enjoys work as a freelance tenor and violist. Steve and his wife, Naomi, enjoy traveling, gardening and hosting dinner parties.


Steve Staruch

Celebrate Holy Week with the North American premiere of a choral and orchestra setting of ‘Psalm 103,’ by Johann Schelle, recorded by the Buxtehude Festival Chorale and Orchestra, led by Brian A. Schmidt. Listen now.


Celebrate Holy Week with the premiere of Johann Schelle's 'Psalm 103'

There was a full diapason of joyful sounds on this week’s ‘Friday Favorites.’ To mark both the first Friday of spring and the 339th anniversary of Johann Sebastian Bach’s birthday, YourClassical listeners pulled out the stops!


Theme & Variations

Celebrating spring and Bach

Extra Eclectic - March 20, 2024

Women’s History Month is an opportunity to women who are creating our musical present and future! On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel brings another program of female composers, including Gabriela Montero, Andrea Tarrodi and Allison Loggins-Hull.




Extra Eclectic

Women are composing the future

New Classical Tracks (extended interview) - Vikingur Olafsson

New Classical Tracks - Vikingur Olafsson

Julie Amacher's desire to introduce others to great music is what led her to radio. She began her professional broadcast career at a station in Sun Prairie, Wis. She went from rock 'n' roll to the Rocky Mountains, where she found her niche in public radio at KUNC in Greeley, Colo. Julie spent 13 years at KUNC, where she managed the announcers and their eclectic music format. During that time, she earned four national awards for best announcer. She joined Minnesota Public Radio in 1997 as an on-air host and also produces New Classical Tracks, a weekly podcast sharing behind-the-scenes stories about a new release each week. It airs locally at 7:15 a.m. and 5 p.m. Wednesdays and at 9 a.m. on Saturdays.


Julie Amacher

On the latest episode of ‘New Classical Tracks,’ Icelandic pianist Víkingur Ólafsson explores, performs and becomes J.S. Bach’s 'Goldberg Variations' on his latest album. Find out more!


Vikingur Olafsson - Aria and Variation No. 25 from Goldberg Variations

New Classical Tracks® 

Vikingur Olafsson becomes the 'Goldberg Variations' on his latest album

Minneapolis’ Augsburg/Mirandola Chamber Collective recently had the privilege of recording with British vocal powerhouse Voces8 and its Voces8 U.S. Scholars, a stupendous event captured by YourClassical MPR. Listen now as they perform the breathtaking “The Day Sky” and the majestic “Hail, Gladdening Light.”


Augsburg/Mirandola Chamber Collective, Voces8 and Voces8 Scholars

Voces8, Voces8 U.S. Scholars and Augsburg/Mirandola Chamber Collective: Hail, Gladdening Light

Videos

Augsburg/Mirandola Chamber Collective joins choral forces with Voces8 and Voces8 Scholars 

On this episode of ‘SymphonyCast,’ with host Steve Seel, the San Francisco Symphony is led by music director laureate Michael Tilson Thomas in Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, (‘Titan’). The program opens as pianist Yuja Wang plays Liszt’s Piano Concerto No. 1.


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