Poster Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider
Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider
Willy Somma
Extra Eclectic

Extra Eclectic: Women Define the Moment

Extra Eclectic for March 20, 2019

As recently as 20 years ago, the phrase "female composer" brought to mind a short-list of familiar names -- a handful of women who had managed to smash the gates of what had been a male-dominated fortress for centuries. While the contributions of the likes of Amy Beach, Joan Tower, and Libby Larsen have been immense toward putting cracks in the classical glass ceiling, the burgeoning number of women composers today have created an exponentially growing world of musical discovery - to the point when unfamiliar names are happily becoming the norm. Steve Seel samples a handful of them this week as our observation of Women's History Month continues.

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

Modern sounds for Halloween

Modern sounds for Halloween

With Halloween approaching in just a couple days, the sounds veer toward the spooky on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ featuring music by Michael Daugherty, Anna Clyne, Jakabs Jancevskis and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

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Classical meets jazz

Classical meets jazz

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ Steve Seel brings us a classical-jazz dialogue, including jazz harpist Brandee Younger’s ‘Essence of Ruby,’ Joel Puckett’s Trumpet Concerto and music by Thelonius Monk and Wynton Marsalis. Listen now!

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Recent discoveries and new favorites

Recent discoveries and new favorites

No, 2025 isn’t over, but that’s not stopping us from pausing to take stock of some of our favorite releases and discoveries of the year on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic.’ Host Steve Seel shares music by Reena Esmail, Shirley Thompson and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
Math meets music

Math meets music

We get mathematical on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ with John Cage’s ‘Four2,’ and we’ll hear Michael Gandolfi’s concerto for oboe, clarinet, bassoon and horn: ‘Imaginary Numbers.’ Listen now with host Steve Seel!

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Kevin Puts' new concerto

Kevin Puts' new concerto

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Dreaming Down Under

Dreaming Down Under

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1:58:59
Hispanic Heritage Month begins

Hispanic Heritage Month begins

On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, we begin our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month with works from Mexico, Venezuela, Argentina and Peru, including Gabriela Ortiz’ ‘Canto Abierto’ and Jimmy Lopez Bellido’s ‘Peru Negro.’ Listen now with host Steve Seel!

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The sounds of Iceland

The sounds of Iceland

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Outer and inner space

Outer and inner space

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A celebration of the earth

A celebration of the earth

We’re contemplating the importance and mystery of our planet on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ with two hours of Earth-themed works, including selections from the 2025 BBC Proms festival. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

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