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

Harry Bicket conducts the SPCO

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Alison Young

Harry Bicket is described as a "Baroque Specialist" - a title he says he doesn't mind, though it hardly describes the depth of his expertise which is far deeper than merely the 18th century. Bicket leads the SPCO this weekend in a fascinating coming-together of music from both Baroque and modern times.


The SPCO

Richard Haughton

Harry Bicket goes for Baroque and beyond

Gil Shaham talks about his first recording on Canary Classics

Gil Shaham describes his Stradivarius violin "The Countess Polignac"

Violinist Gil Shaham solos with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra this weekend playing Mendelssohn and a lesser known work - though equally splendid - by Haydn. Tune in to Classical MPR on Saturday at 8 p.m. for the live broadcast hosted by Alison Young.


Gil Shaham talks about his first recording on Canary Classics "The Faure Album"

Christian Steiner

The SPCO live broadcasts begin this Saturday

Layton James Leaves SPCO

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

Layton James

John Birge talks with Layton "Skip" James on leaving the SPCO.


Photo by Ann Marsden

Layton James Leaves the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra

Julia Bogorad - Claude Debussy; Syrinx

Steve Staruch can be heard on Classical Minnesota Public Radio on Monday mornings and at other times during the week. Prior to joining the staff of MPR in 2004, Steve presented a variety of radio programs on WCAL in Northfield, Minn., where he created an immensely popular call-in program, and on WXXI in Rochester, New York. Outside radio, Steve also enjoys work as a freelance tenor and violist. Steve and his wife, Naomi, enjoy traveling, gardening and hosting dinner parties.


Steve Staruch

Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra Principal Flutist Julia Bogorad-Kogan plays a haunting melody by Debussy for a warm late Spring afternoon.


Regional Spotlight™

Photo courtesy: The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

Regional Spotlight: Julia Bogorad-Kogan

Playing (Less) Hurt

Performance injury causes and prevention

Ariane Giles, harpist with Dr. Jonathan Reynolds

Julia Bogorad discusses flute postures and performance aids

Peter Kogan on timpanist stretches and shoulder surgery

Reed Tetzloff on gravity-based piano technique

Janet Horvath's "strings are too high!"

Janet Horvath and Jonathan Reynolds on comfortable violin playing

Janet counts the drum beats in Bolero

On being a trooper

"No pain, no gain!"

Principal flute, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.


Julia Bogorad-Kogan

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Ariane Giles

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Reed Tetzloff

Peter Kogan

Janet Horvath's groundbreaking book "Playing (Less) Hurt" is a bible for performing musicians. It has a new publisher in Hal Leonard, and includes new content. Horvath, along with Rehabilitation Specialist Jonathan Reynolds, answer your questions and concerns in an online chat on Thursday.


Photo courtesy: Hal Leonard

'Playing (Less) Hurt'

Leslie Shank - Camille Saint-Saens, Violin Sonata No. 1

Violinist Leslie Shank gives an impassioned performance of Saint-Saens first violin sonata.


Regional Spotlight: Leslie Shank

Roberto On Robert

Roberto Abbado

Conductor Roberto Abbado talks with MPR's John Birge


Sylvia Lelli

Roberto on Robert: Abbado conducts Schumann with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra

Brandenburg Concerto No. 5, BWV 1050, Johann Sebastian Bach - SPCO - 12.13.09

We're celebrating Bach's birthday week today with his keyboard music, some of the most revolutionary stuff in its time. Listen online to Skip James and his Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra friends in Bach's Brandenburg No. 5.


"Brandenburg Concerto No. 5 in D, BWV 1050," Johann Sebastian Bach, SPCO, 12.13.09

Photo courtesy of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra

The indestructible keyboard music of Bach

GTCYS concerto winners 2010

A full-time Post Secondary Enrollment Options student at the University of Minnesota, oboist Sophia Parente will graduate from Wayzata High School in 2010. She studies oboe with John Snow and plays in the Wind Ensemble at the U of M and in the Symphony orchestras of Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies and Minnesota Youth Symphonies. Sophia has spent the last two summers studying music at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan. Next year she plans to major in oboe performance as a college freshman.


Sophia Parente

Cellist Michael Wu began playing in fourth grade. He has studied with Peter Howard, retired principal cellist of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. Michael was a winner of the Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies Concerto Competition in 2007. He has also been a winner of the MacPhail Concerto Competition and prize-recipient at the Young People's Symphony Concert Association, the Mary West Solo competition, and the Minnetonka Young Artist Competition. Now a senior at Edina High School, Michael is a member of the Quiz Bowl team and the co-captain of the Knowledge Masters team. He also loves foil fencing and has, as a member of the Minnesota Sword Club Varsity Team, won or medaled in various state and Midwest fencing competitions.


Michael Wu

Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies shines the light on the musical stars of tomorrow in a special concert this Sunday. We invited the soloists - Sophia Parente and Michael Wu to perform at MPR.


Megen Balda

Young Soloists in the Spotlight

Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 2: Maestoso

Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 2: Larghetto

Chopin, Piano Concerto No. 2: Allegro vivace

Chopin turns 200 on Monday. Celebrate early with a performance of Chopin's second piano concerto from a recent performance with Christian Zacharias and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
