Listen

What is a piece of classical music that makes you feel good whenever you hear it? Share it with YourClassical MPR.

Anthony McGill is the principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic, the first Black musician to hold a principal chair in the orchestra’s history. He has used the platform to promote racial equity in classical music. Find out more on the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Pianist Alice Sara Ott recently returned to Iceland to record the music of Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson. The resulting record features some of Jóhannsson’s orchestral works reimagined for solo piano, including some of his film scores. Listen now with host Julie Amacher.

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Artistic Partner Gábor Takács-Nagy returns for another consecutive season finale leading the orchestra in a program that touches on many of its 2025-26 season themes, including the idea of music and art as hope and light. Listen to the concert now!

A self-described "folkie to the bone," Giddens sings and plays banjo and fiddle in this interview. Her latest album, Hope Is the Thing with Feathers, takes its name from an Emily Dickinson poem.

On the latest episode of ‘Saturday Cinema,’ host Lynne Warfel celebrates famous folks born in September, including Mitzi Gaynor, Robert Wise, Walter Pidgeon, Deborah Kerr and Lauren Bacall. Listen now!

Jeff Scott’s 2024 Grammy-nominated oratorio is full of inspiration from Johann Sebastian Bach and jazz legend John Coltrane. ‘Passion for Bach and Coltrane’ with the Imani Winds is an innovative and surprising confluence of classical and jazz. Listen now with host Toyin Spellman-Diaz in celebration of Coltrane’s 100th anniversary!

Randall Goosby has been playing violin since he was seven, including studying with legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, and the trajectory of his career shows no signs of slowing down. Find out more in the latest episode of the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

Concert Master Steven Copes and the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra join pianist and composer Stephen Prutsman for a new project that takes works by Russian composer Sergei Prokofiev and reimagines them for chamber orchestra. Listen now with host Julie Amacher.

This summer, the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) wowed audiences during its New Zealand and Australia tour. Listen to the ensemble’s send-off concert — recorded at Orchestra Hall and hosted by Steve Staruch — from this past June.