Extra Eclectic for Aug. 16, 2023

Some of today's most celebrated women composers are in the spotlight on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ including Missy Mazzoli, Reena Esmail and Vivian Fung. In the second hour of the show, host Steve Seel presents a snowy tableau with wintry works by Michael Fine, Angel Lam and others.

It's American sounds on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ in honor of Thanksgiving. Host Steve Seel also pays tribute to the starry skies that herald the winter season, with star-themed pieces by John Luther Adams, Robert Morris and Stanley Grill. Listen now.

Saxophones are the focus in the first hour of ‘Extra Eclectic’ this week, as host Steve Seel features music by John Adams, Michael Daugherty, Marc Mellits and more. Hour 2 gets a bit chilly, with music that evokes both northern climates and autumnal atmospheres. Listen now.

On the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel features a new recording of music by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer George Walker. We also hear works by Scott Wollschleger, Derek Bermel and Anna Clyne. Listen now.

Hannah Kendall's ‘The Spark Catchers’ is an evocative interpretation of a poem about women who worked in match factories in the 1800s, tasked with dousing stray sparks that might accidentally ignite an inferno. Listen as Steve Seel plays that works and more on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic.’

Guest host Scott Blankenship sits in for Steve Seel on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic.’

On the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel plays music in honor of our migrating avian friends — from Norman Dello Joio's ‘Exaltation of Larks’ to Jennifer Bellor's ‘Skylark Lullaby.’ He also pays tribute to jazz iconoclast Carla Bley, who died Tuesday at 87. Listen now!

Fall is slowly creeping in, and host Steve Seel brings us some modern classical works in an autumnal mode on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic.’  

As our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month continues, this edition of ‘Extra Eclectic’ showcases contemporary classical works from South America. We hear music by Venezuelan composer Gabriela Montero, Argentine composer Osvaldo Golijov, Brazilian composer Marcelo Zarvos and Gabriela Lena Frank. Listen now with guest host Bonnie North.

This week on ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel features a concerto for orchestra, but not Bela Bartok’s famous example, which features each section of the orchestra. Instead, we hear acclaimed American composer Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto for Orchestra.