Poster Composer Gabriela Ortiz
With a new album, prestigious residencies and a star conductor championing her music, Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz is finally getting the recognition she deserves.
Marta Arteaga
Extra Eclectic

Women at the forefront

Extra Eclectic - March 2, 2026

As Women’s History Month begins, Extra Eclectic celebrates how women represent the vanguard of contemporary classical music today — with two hours of stellar women composers, including selections from Caroline Shaw, Jennifer Higdon, Gabriela Ortiz, Anna Clyne, Reena Esmail, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Anna Thorvaldsdottir and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

Playlist

Heartbreaker
Missy Mazzoli
Michael Mizrahi, piano
New Amsterdam 75

Blueprint
Caroline Shaw
Aizuri Quartet
New Amsterdam 104

Viola Concerto
Jennifer Higdon
Giancarlo Guerrero, conductor
Nashville Symphony Orchestra
Roberto Diaz, viola
Naxos 559823

Revolucion diamantina: Todas
Gabriela Ortiz
Gustavo Dudamel, conductor
Los Angeles Phiharmonic Orchestra
LA Phil 2

Shorthand
Anna Clyne
The Knights
Avie 2555

Miniatures: A Piacere
Vivian Fung
Maia String Quartet
John Bruce Yeh, clarinet
Cedille 100

Daughter of the Waves
Sarah Kirkland Snider
yMusic
New Amsterdam 32

Cloud Atlas
Elena Ruehr
Gil Rose, conductor
Boston Modern Orchestra Project
Jennifer Kloetzel, cello
BMOP/sound 1039

The Light Is the Same
Reena Esmail
Imani Winds
Bright Shiny Things 1038

lumee’s dream (Nadia Sirota viola study)
Ellen Reid
Nadia Sirota, viola
London/Decca 2020

Reflections
Anna Thorvaldsdottir
International Contemporary Ensemble
Dorian 92227

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

Jazz influences

Jazz influences

A performance of Wynton Marsalis’ Concerto for Orchestra recorded at the 2026 BBC Proms offers a look at modern classical works inspired by jazz on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ which also showcases works by Jon Batiste, Earl Louis Stewart and Jeff Scott. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:59:00
A brass celebration

A brass celebration

Brass instruments are the focus on episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ in solo, duo and ensemble settings. Selections include Valerie Coleman’s ‘Fanfare for Uncommon Times,’ Olivier Messiaen’s ‘Apparition du Christ Glorieux’ and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

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Earth sounds

Earth sounds

The Earth is our one home, and on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ contemporary composers pay tribute in their music, including Erland Cooper, whose ‘Carve the Runes Then Be Content With Silence’ incorporates the Earth as a collaborator. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Moments and eternities

Moments and eternities

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ we hear considering both fleeting moments and the vastness of eternity, including Chris Rogerson’s ‘Thirty Thousand Days’ and Steve Reich’s ‘Proverb.’ Listen now with host Steve Seel!

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Questions and answers

Questions and answers

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1:58:58
Eternity and beyond

Eternity and beyond

While classical music can sometimes be about frivolous things, this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ is concerned strictly with ideas on a higher plane. Host Steve Seel brings us Olivia Belli’s ‘Limina Luminis,’ Arvo Pärt’s ‘Tabula Rasa’ and more. Listen now!

1:58:59
The American Vanguard

The American Vanguard

On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, host Steve Seel showcases the music of giants such as Philip Glass, Meredith Monk and Steve Reich: composers who introduced fresh thinking into the genre and opened the concert hall to new audiences. Listen now!

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Folk music inspirations

Folk music inspirations

We continue our month-long celebration of American music on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ by looking at how contemporary composers reference American folk idioms in their works, including bluegrass, hymns and lullabies. Selections include music by Daron Hagen, Jennifer Higdon and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:58
Elements of jazz

Elements of jazz

Steve Seel presents another week of purely American sounds on the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ and this time, it’s works written by musicians associated primarily with jazz. We hear works by Wynton Marsalis, Wayne Shorter, Thelonious Monk, Ornette Coleman, Pat Metheny and more.

1:58:58
An American Mirror

An American Mirror

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ host Steve Seel extends the 250th anniversary celebrations with two hours of works by contemporary American composers, including Derrick Skye, Jennifer Higdon, Jessie Montgomery, Shelley Washington, Curtis Stewart and more. Listen now!

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