This activity is made possible in part by the 

Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund

This activity is made possible in part by the Minnesota Legacy Amendment's Arts & Cultural Heritage Fund.


Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment logo

Clean Water, Land and Legacy Amendment

{"type":"doc","content":[{"type":"paragraph","content":[{"text":"","type":"text"}]}]}

Patrick Dupre Quigley

Patrick Dupre Quigley, founder of the Miami-based professional vocal chamber ensemble Seraphic Fire, offers the first installment in a series on arts entrepreneurship. This week, Patrick describes the reasons one should and should not become an arts entrepreneur.


Choral Stream

Becoming an Arts Entrepreneur

Becoming an Arts Entrepreneur - or, Don't Quit Your Day Job

Stephen Thompson

Watch the singer and rapper perform "Skeleton Key" and "The Good Fight" with the VocalEssence choir.


Dessa: Something Old And Something New, Suitable For Choir

Abbie Betinis, 'Peace With Me Now'

Abbie Betinis, 'We'll Dress This House'

John Birge interviews Abbie Betinis about her 2014 Christmas Carol

John Birge has been hosting, producing and performing classical music for more than 25 years. Since 1997, he has been hosting on Minnesota Public Radio's Classical Music Service. He played French horn for the Cincinnati Symphony and Pops Orchestra and performed with them on their centennial tour of Europe in 1995. He was trained at the Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, Eastman School of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.


John Birge

Composer Abbie Betinis continues a family tradition begun in 1922 by her great-grandfather by writing a new carol every year. For the 14th consecutive year, Betinis premieres this year's carol on Classical MPR. Her new carol is called 'Peace with Me Now'.


World Premiere: Abbie Betinis's 2014 Christmas Carol

World Premiere: Abbie Betinis's Christmas Carol for 2014

Tesfa Wondemagegnehu

Starting Dec. 12, Classical MPR's Tesfa reveals a choral special as he counts his way to Christmas Eve. Check this page each day at 11:45 a.m. to hear the day's feature, and listen to the Choral Stream.


12 Days of Choral Christmas

Light and Gold: The Music of Eric Whitacre (Christmas)

Eric Whitacre is the most popular choral composer today, and his works are beloved by choirs throughout the world. In this one-hour programs, he introduces the music with co-host Brian Newhouse and describes the often-colorful backstory of how each piece came to be.


Light and Gold: The Music of Eric Whitacre

Jay Gabler

Friday's excursion to Northfield was, for me, an entry to a new world: a world of those Lutheran traditions that I'd heard Garrison Keillor talk about but I'd rarely experienced firsthand.


2012 St. Olaf Christmas: Mass Choirs and Orchestra

My first St. Olaf Christmas Festival

Alison Young

For Sarah Stevens, who graduates in 2015, and for Martha Kunau, who graduated in the 1990s, the St. Olaf Christmas Festival is a tradition and experience that leaves a lasting impression -- whether or not one ever attended the college.


St. Olaf Christmas Festival leaves lasting impressions

Alzheimer's patients connect with others through singing

Cathy Wurzer is the host of Morning Edition for MPR News. She is also the co-host of Almanac, a weekly public affairs program produced by Twin Cities Public Television for Minnesota's statewide public television network. Wurzer has won four Emmy Awards for her work on Almanac. Prior to her return to radio, she was an anchor and reporter for WCCO-TV, the CBS affiliate in Minneapolis. She has also been a talk show host for WCCO-AM radio, a producer for KMSP-TV, and political reporter for KSTP-AM radio. She holds degrees in broadcast journalism and urban studies from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Wurzer was a trustee for the UW-River Falls Foundation and a member and past president of the Society for Professional Journalists Minnesota chapter. She is the author of "Tales of the Road: Highway 61." In her spare time, Cathy rides, trains and shows horses, fly fishes for trout, and loves clay sculpture and creating mosaics.


Cathy Wurzer

Phil Picardi is a newscaster for MPR News, and occasionally fills in as Morning Edition host when Cathy Wurzer is away.  He also produces the MPR News Update, a daily podcast summarizing the top stories of the day.  His duties include compiling, writing and delivering newscasts, and writing news banner headlines and news stories for air later in the day.  He's been in broadcasting for 25-plus years, doing public radio news in Missouri, Virginia, Wisconsin, and now, for the past decade, here in Minnesota. Phil grew up in St. Louis, MO and graduated from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.  He reads non-fiction and knows all kinds of obscure facts about the American Civil War.  He also watches way too much football.  Phil likes most musical genres but cannot carry a tune or remember lyrics.


Phil Picardi

Giving Voice Chorus gives Alzheimer's patients and their caretakers a chance to thrive. Those suffering from Alzheimer's often retain the ability to sing. MPR News' Cathy Wurzer and Phil Picardi provide this story on the Giving Voice Chorus.


Alzheimer's patients connect with others through song

Philip Brunelle and VocalEssence join us for the annual exploration of Christmas carols that some folks might like to forget.

Christmas carols: The good, bad and ugly

MPR News Staff

Philip Brunelle and VocalEssence joined MPR News' The Daily Circuit for the annual exploration of Christmas carols that some folks might like to forget.


Luke Taylor

As Christmas 1914 approached, opposing armies famously put their differences aside and shared common celebrations. It's a story that's been preserved in many ways, including in the stage show, 'All Is Calm', a co-production of Theater Latte Da and Cantus. Learn more and enter for a chance to win tickets to the show.
