Poster A woman sits at a grand piano in a dark long-sleeved shirt and glasses credit Mara Arteaga
Composer Gabriela Ortiz is Performance Today's 2026 Woman of the Year.
Mara Arteaga
Extra Eclectic

International and domestic music

Extra Eclectic - June 29, 2026

The first hour of this episode of Extra Eclectic highlights international composers and cross-cultural collaborations, including Mexican composer Gabriela Ortiz’ Six Pieces for Violeta — honoring Chilean singer and musician Violeta Parra — as well as works by Shane Shanahan, Arooj Aftab and Johann Johannsson. In the second hour, host Steve Seel begins our tribute to contemporary American classical music as we look forward to the Fourth of July holiday next weekend, including works by Caroline Shaw, Sarah Kirkland Snider, Nico Muhly and more. Listen now!

Playlist

Englaborn
Composer: Johann Johannsson
Soloists: Alice Sara Ott, piano
DG 4867514

Audacity
Composer: Shane Shanahan
Soloists: Ariana Kim, violin
Saffron Soul 519061

Our Friend Adam
Composer: Ryan Brown
Orchestra/Ensemble: SOLI Chamber Ensemble
Soloists: D.J. Sparr, electric guitar
SOLI Sound Works 3038

Six Pieces for Violeta
Composer: Gabriela Ortiz
Conductor: Gustavo Dudamel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Soloists: Joanne Pearce Martin, piano
Platoon 2026

Udhero Na
Composer: Arooj Aftab
Soloists: Ashley Jackson, harp
London/Decca 4879986

The Book of Never: Names of things I once believed...
Composer: Aaron Helgeson
Conductor: Donald Nally
Orchestra/Ensemble: The Crossing
Navona 6871

Goiza Larrunen
Composer: Bryce Dessner
Soloists: Marielle Labeque, piano
DG 4848960

Breathturn: Part 1
Composer: John Zorn
Soloists: Mika Stoltzman, marimba
Avie 2807

Forward Into Light
Composer: Sarah Kirkland Snider
Conductor: Andrew Cyr
Orchestra/Ensemble: Metropolis Ensemble
New Amsterdam

The Light After
Composer: Caroline Shaw/Andrew Yee
Soloists: Caroline Shaw, vocals
Platoon 30842

Watermark
Composer: Caroline Shaw
Conductor: Malin Broman
Orchestra/Ensemble: Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Soloists: Jonathan Biss, piano
Orchid 100433

Recordare, Domine
Composer: Nico Muhly
Orchestra/Ensemble: Tallis Scholars
Linn 790

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

International and domestic music

International and domestic music

This episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’ highlights international composers and cross-cultural collaborations with works by Gabriela Ortiz, Johann Johannsson and more. In the second hour, host Steve Seel begins a tribute to contemporary American classical music ahead of the Fourth of July holiday. Listen now!

1:58:59
Music for the summer solstice

Music for the summer solstice

Host Steve Seel features contemporary classical sounds for summer on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ including Jonathan Bailey Holland’s ‘Halcyon Sun,’ Peteris Vasks’ ‘Music for a Summer Evening,’ and the late Michael Tilson Thomas’ ‘Sunset Soliloquy.’ Listen now!

1:58:59
Cross-cultural collaborations

Cross-cultural collaborations

On this episode of Extra Eclectic, Steve Seel brings us examples of composers and performers reaching across cultural lines, including Terry Riley’s ‘The Cusp of Magic,’ Dan Visconti’s ‘Native Tongues’ and more. Listen now!

1:58:58
Extra-musical elements

Extra-musical elements

On this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ we hear works featuring unorthodox instruments and compositional approaches, including Echo Collective’s ‘Unknown Gates’ and Molly Joyce’s ‘It Has Not Taken Long for You to Break.’ Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
Rounds, canons and reflections

Rounds, canons and reflections

“Row, row, row your boat,” “Frere Jacques”: rounds are familiar to us all. Make a round a little more complex, and you might get a canon or a fugue. On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, host Steve Seel explores a host of such works. Listen now!

1:58:59
Feathered friends

Feathered friends

Get your binoculars out for this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic’! Host Steve Seel brings us two hours of new classical works about birds, including Jennifer Higdon’s ‘An Exaltation of Larks,’ John Luther Adams’ ‘Strange Birds Passing’ and Jocelyn Morlock’s ‘Oiseaux Bleus et Sauvages.’ Listen now!

1:58:59
A spring meditation

A spring meditation

With spring in full bloom, Steve Seel brings us a bounty of “green sounds” in the first hour of this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ from Jeffrey Mumford’s ‘verdant cycles of deepening spring’ to Clint Needham’s String Quartet No. 1 (‘Shades of Green’). Listen now!

1:58:59
Beats, Bach and Beethoven

Beats, Bach and Beethoven

Composers have quoted, borrowed from, and paid tribute to earlier composers for centuries, and Steve Seel brings us some contemporary examples on this episode of ‘Extra Eclectic.’ Featured composers include Caroline Shaw, Greg Saunier and Curt Sydnor. Listen now!

1:58:59
May the fourth

May the fourth

This annual “Star Wars Day” provides the inspiration for the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ with works about space and stars. Steve Seel also pays tribute to composer Michael Harrison, who died on April 17, with a performance of his ‘Just Constellations.’ Listen now!

1:58:58
Earth, teach me quiet

Earth, teach me quiet

On the latest episode of ‘Extra Eclectic,’ we consider the planet we call home from several different vantage points with music by Eriks Esenvalds, Martin Bresnick, Reena Esmail and more. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

1:58:59
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