Poster Photo of a man leaning over a music score
Daron Hagen's 'Songbook' is featured in this episode of 'Extra Eclectic.'
Karen Pearson
Extra Eclectic

Folk music inspirations

Extra Eclectic - July 20, 2026

We continue our month-long celebration of American music on this episode of Extra Eclectic by looking this time at how contemporary composers mine American folk idioms in their works, including bluegrass, hymns and lullabies. Steve Seel features Robert Sirota’s American Pilgrimage (featuring a quote from Dvořák’s American Quartet — now that’s meta), as well as Jennifer Higdon’s Concerto 4-3, Daron Hagen’s Songbook, and even an arrangement of the Punch Brothers’ tune “Movement and Location” performed by the group Sybarite 5. Listen now!

Playlist

Kellam’s Reel/Rusty Gully
Composer: Nathan Koci/James Moore/Eleonore Oppenheim/Caroline Shaw
Orchestra/Ensemble: The Hands Free
New Amsterdam 100

Concerto 4-3: Roaring Smokies
Composer: Jennifer Higdon
Conductor: Xian Zhang
Orchestra/Ensemble: Philadelphia Orchestra
DG 35748

Stars in My Crown
Composer: John R. Sweney
Soloists: Caroline Shaw, vocals
Platoon 30842

Songbook
Composer: Daron Hagen
Conductor: JoAnn Falletta
Orchestra/Ensemble: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Soloists: Michael Ludwig, violin
Beau Fleuve 9495

The Cuckoo
Composer: Traditional
Soloists: Renee Fleming, vocals
Thirty Tigers 2026

Movement and Location
Composer: Punch Brothers
Orchestra/Ensemble: Sybarite5
Bright Shiny Things 191

Two Variations: ...alabaster cities...
Composer: Robert Sirota
Soloists: Min Kwon, piano
Delos 3629

Two Variations: ...God mend thine every flaw...
Composer: Robert Sirota
Soloists: Min Kwon, piano
Delos 3629

Shenandoah
Composer: Traditional
Soloists: Yo-Yo Ma, cello
Sony 82237

American Pilgrimage
Composer: Robert Sirota
Orchestra/Ensemble: American String Quartet
American String Quartet 2018

Peccadilloes
Composer: Paul Schoenfield
Soloists: James Tocco, piano
Naxos 559380

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

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Latest Extra Eclectic Episodes

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

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1:58:59
International and domestic music

International and domestic music

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1:58:59
Cross-cultural collaborations

Cross-cultural collaborations

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1:58:58
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Extra-musical elements

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1:58:59
Feathered friends

Feathered friends

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1:58:59
A spring meditation

A spring meditation

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