The LGBTQIA+ community is here and queer all year, but Pride Month is a great time to spotlight LGBTQIA+ musicians and the impact their art, experiences, and ideas have on the classical music world. Classical Queery, hosted by YourClassical’s Mya Temanson, illustrates how classical music can uplift queer voices and how queer experiences can transform the classical music scene.

Artistic director of One Voice Mixed Chorus, Kimberly Waigwa (they/them), brings Classical Queery to a close this week with questions of community, intersectionality, and solidarity.

Waigwa’s career is built on a commitment to community, racial justice, and queer advocacy. They have served in educational roles at the likes of Temple University and the Choir School of Delaware. Several ensembles, including the Phoenix Women’s Chorus and Desert Voices Mixed Chorus, have come under their direction before they became the artistic director of Minnesota-based One Voice Mixed Chorus in 2023.

Below, Waigwa answers questions about what community and intersectionality means to them. You can also hear what members of One Voice Mixed Chorus have to say about making music in the LGBTQ+ community.

Programming is supported by Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

Additional queeries for the curious listener:

What is One Voice Mixed Chorus?

How does your experience as a queer, POC musician inform your work?

Why is it important to highlight the intersections between marginalized communities?

Why is making music with others in the LGBTQ+ community so important?

Music by One Voice Mixed Chorus

“The Lavender Song” — As part of its July 2024 GALA performance, One Voice Mixed Chorus sang this gay anthem from 1920s Germany.

“Time,” from One Voice Mixed Chorus’ concert, Time & (Trans)formation, in January 2024.

To commemorate the fifth anniversary of the murder of George Floyd, One Voice Mixed Chorus gave a concert titled Weather: Stand the Storm in May 2025. “Lift Every Voice and Sing” includes opening material and a collaborative performance between One Voice Mixed Chorus, Singing City, VocalEssence’s Singers of This Age, Elevation of Elevate Vocal Arts, and singing members of Brass Solidarity.

“Way Over in Beulah Lan’” — This is from One Voice’s solo set at Weather: Stand the Storm, an arrangement by Stacey V. Gibbs (he/him) of a traditional spiritual.

The String Queens are a woman-powered string trio based out of Washington D.C. who have made a difference in their community and in the classical music arena through their non-traditional programming and performances. Find out more in the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.

On the latest episode of Extra Eclectic, guest host Jake Armerding shares selections by American composers in observance of Independence Day. Featured artists include Jessie Montgomery, Derrick Skye, Aaron Jay Kernis, John Adams and more. Listen now!

Playlist

In Liquid Days
Philip Glass
Michael Riesman
Philip Glass Ensemble
Sony 39564

Never Has Been Yet
Joseph C. PhillipsJr.
Lara Downes, piano
Pentatone 7200

American Mirror, Pt. I
Derrick Skye
Salastina Music Society
Orenda 0053

American Mirror, Pt. II
Derrick Skye
Salastina Music Society

Let Freedom Ring
Shara Nova
Dianne Berkur Menaker
Brooklyn Youth Chorus
New Amsterdam 105

Carrot Revolution
Gabriella Smith
Aizuri Quartet
New Amsterdam 104

Barcarolle No. 3
Ned Rorem
Ruskin Cooper, piano
Centaur 2584

Hymn for Everyone
Jessie Montgomery
Riccardo Muti
Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Grace
Aaron Jay Kernis
Matt Haimovitz, cello
Pentatone 7161

Shaker Loops
John Adams
Christopher Warren-Green
London Chamber Orchestra
EMI 6627

again (after ecclesiastes)
David Lang
Daniel Reuss
Cappella Amsterdam
PentaTone 7001

On the latest episode of ‘New Classical Tracks,’ British pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason releases her debut solo recording featuring ‘fantasies’ for the piano, including music by Florence Price and Alexander Scriabin. Listen now with host Julie Amacher!

This week on Saturday Cinema, join guest host Bonnie North for a show dedicated to beloved movie musicals, from Showboat to Wicked and beyond. Listen now!

Playlist

Cabaret: Willkommen
Composer: John Kander/Fred Ebb
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Soloists: Joel Grey, vocals
MCA 40027

Show Boat Medley
Composer: Jerome Kern
Conductor: Carl Davis
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
EMI 4573

My Fair Lady: I’ve Grown Accustomed to Her Face
Composer: Frederick Loewe
Orchestra/Ensemble: Original Broadway Cast
Sony 89997

Gershwin in Hollywood Overture
Composer: George Gershwin
Conductor: John Mauceri
Orchestra/Ensemble: Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Philips 434274

South Pacific Medley
Composer: Richard Rodgers
Conductor: Erich Kunzel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Telarc 80278

Into the Woods: No One Is Alone
Composer: Stephen Sondheim
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Pops Orchestra
Sony 45567

Gigi: Medley
Composer: Frederick Loewe
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Pops Orchestra
Philips 438070

Wicked: Defying Gravity
Composer: Stephen Schwartz
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Soloists: Cynthia Erivo, vocals
Universal 7511218

A Little Night Music: Night Waltz
Composer: Stephen Sondheim
Conductor: John Mauceri
Orchestra/Ensemble: Hollywood Bowl Orchestra
Philips 438685

West Side Story: Symphonic Dances
Composer: Leonard Bernstein
Conductor: Paavo Jarvi
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra
EMI 6626

This week on a shortened Friday Favorites: a couple of movie classics, including Bernard Hermann from Hitchcock’s North by Northwest and Joe Hisaishi’s Merry-go-round of Life. Also, two recordings by the Minnesota Orchestra: a chunk of Mahler’s Symphony No. 3 and Copland’s Appalachian Spring. Listen now with host Tom Crann! 

For a while in the 1960s and '70s, if a story moved fast, directors wanted it to move to the propulsive rhythms of Argentine composer Lalo Schifrin.

Schifrin died on Thursday at the age of 93, his son, William, told NPR.

"He really was such a genius at combining rhythm, texture, instrumentation and melody in such a powerful and unique way," Daniel Pemberton, an English composer and songwriter who works in film and television and composed the scores for the film Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, wrote on X.

Schifrin scored episodes for more than a hundred films and TV shows, and provided theme music for quite a few, including Starsky & Hutch, Mannix, and most notably, for a tense TV spy series that launched an even tenser film spy series.

Mission: Impossible always got underway with a flaring match, a lit fuse, and the words "this tape will self-destruct in five seconds." But it was the flute glissando and the distinctly Latin beat that got things moving. Has there ever been a thriller theme more instantly recognizable?

A childhood steeped in opera, tango and jazz

Schifrin grew up in Buenos Aires, surrounded by music. His father played violin in the Teatro Colon Opera, so young Lalo's early piano training was classical. But he also played with tango-great Astor Piazzolla, represented Argentina in an international jazz festival in Paris, and started a 16-piece jazz band while still in his 20s.

An encounter with Dizzy Gillespie resulted in Schifrin writing a piece called "Gillespiana," and not long after that, Gillespie brought him to the U.S. as his arranger. From there, Hollywood beckoned.

After scoring all those action scenes in TV shows, Schifrin was hired for the Steve McQueen movie thriller Bullitt — oddly, to score everything except the big car chase for which the film is famous. Schifrin builds the tension to a thrumming frenzy beforehand. And then, when McQueen snaps on his seat belt and guns his engine, the only music you hear for about seven minutes is the squeal of wheels.

Scoring Sensurround, horror and martial arts

But he got to score plenty of other movie chases — in pretty much everything that fellow jazz-buff Clint Eastwood did for a while, including Dirty Harry. And in a less frenzied vein, he scored Paul Newman's stint in prison in Cool Hand Luke.

He also provided the thrum for Rollercoaster's Sensurround, a movie theater sound system popularized in the 1970s that used low-frequency sound waves to physically vibrate the audience. Developed by MCA and Cerwin-Vega, it was famously used in the film "Earthquake" to simulate the sensation of an earthquake.as well as bringing tension to the apparitions in The Amityville Horror frenzy to the killer ants in the documentary The Hellstrom Chronicle. And somewhat to his surprise, he was hired to score Bruce Lee's final film, Enter the Dragon, at the star's request.

Though Bruce Lee and the composer never met, Lalo Schifrin learned later that the reason he got the gig was that Lee had been running his martial arts practice sessions to the theme from Mission: Impossible.

Copyright 2025, NPR

The LGBTQIA+ community is here and queer all year, but Pride Month is a great time to spotlight LGBTQIA+ musicians and the impact their art, experiences, and ideas have on the classical music world. Classical Queery, hosted by YourClassical’s Mya Temanson, illustrates how classical music can uplift queer voices and how queer experiences can transform the classical music scene.

This week’s question, “Why should you care?” is answered by Martha Mockus (she/her) and Sonia Mantell (she/her).

Mockus is a former scholar of queer, feminist, and music studies and plays both the piano and the Javanese gamelan. She holds a Ph.D in Comparative Studies in Discourse and Society and is currently a department administrator for the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Minnesota. Mockus is also the author of Sounding Out: Lesbian Musicality and Pauline Oliveros.

Mantell has been a cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra since 2020 and before that was a member of Lyric Opera of Chicago. She studied at the New England Conservatory and the DePaul School of Music (scroll down in this post to watch and listen to a performance by Mantell).

Click on the player above to hear Mockus’ and Mantell’s responses to this week’s question, and explore further with the audio below.

Programming is supported by Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

Additional queeries for the curious listener:

Martha, why is it important that we’re having this conversation?

Sonia, why is queer joy important in a classical music setting?

Martha, what happens to classical music when we start asking these kinds of questions?

Music by Sonia Mantell

Marc Migó Sonata for violoncello and piano “Cerdanyenca”:
Sonia Mantell, cello; Anna Keiserman, piano

Check back in next week for the final installment of Classical Queery. Kimberly Waigwa, artistic director of One Voice Mixed Chorus, talks about the importance of intersectionality and the power of community. Members of One Voice Mixed Chorus join.

Pamela Z is a visionary artist who embraces new ideas about identity and technology in her music. Find out more in the ‘Rhapsody in Black’ podcast.

In 2016, pianist Jonathan Biss and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra launched Beethoven/5, commissioning five living composers to write new piano concertos, each inspired by one of Beethoven’s five concertos. We hear two of those works on this episode of Extra Eclectic: Sally Beamish’s Piano Concerto No. 3, (City Stanzas) and Timo Andres’ The Blind Banister. Steve Seel also brings us music by Arvo Pärt, Jennifer Higdon and Nico Muhly. Listen now!

Playlist

Smash
Jennifer Higdon
Third Sound Ensemble
Innova 990

Everything Lasts Forever: Bird Sing Love
Michael Kurth
Robert Spano, conductor
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
ASO Media 1011

Dream Machine
Charles Daniels
Borderlands Ensemble
New Focus 299

Piano Concerto No. 3 “City Stanzas”
Sally Beamish
Omer Meir Wellber, conductor
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Jonathan Biss, piano
Orchid 100339

Light is Calling
Michael Gordon
India Gailey, cello
Redshift 511

Dreaming
Anna Thorvaldsdottir
Daniel Bjarnason, conductor
Iceland Symphony Orchestra
Dorian 92213

Pari Intervallo (Parallel Intervals)
Arvo Part
Khatia Buniatishvili, piano
Sony 79577

The Blind Banister
Timo Andres
Pekka Kuusisto, conductor
Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Jonathan Biss, piano
Orchid 100375

Patterns: Similar
Nico Muhly
James McVinnie, organ
Pentatone 7404

Join YourClassical MPR for a truly unique and enchanting happy hour experience at Surdyk’s Liquor & Cheese Shop! We’re delighted to invite you to a special evening where you can stroll through the renovated store as you enjoy classical music and complimentary tastings of wine, sake, and innovative functional beverages at multiple tasting stations.

YourClassical MPR host Vernon Neal will set the mood with a curated soundtrack before classical duo, The OK Factor, perform live! Known for their fresh approach to classical music, The OK Factor’s violinist Karla Peters and cellist Olivia Diercks create a warm, inviting experience with original compositions and classic arrangements.

Plus, make sure to stock up on beverages while you’re there! Surdyk’s Summer Sale will be in full swing with over 1,200 items on sale storewide. After the event ends, swing by Surdyk’s legendary cheese shop, or cap off the evening at its cozy restaurant and bar, Sidebar (reservations can be made here).

IMPORTANT EVENT DETAILS:

• AGE RESTRICTION: This event is 21+

• SEATING: This is a non-seated event, guests will be encouraged to walk throughout the store while listening to classical music and engaging in complimentary beverage tastings.

• DATE/TIME: Wednesday, July 23, 4 to 7 p.m.

• LOCATION: Surdyk’s Liquor & Cheese Shop (303 E Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN 55414)

• PARKING: Surdyk’s has a free parking lot that is first come, first served. Additional paid parking can be found on the street or in the Fire Barn Ramp directly across the street from the front of the store (entrances on both 2nd Street NE and University Avenue NE)

• ADMISSION: FREE with RSVP (fill out form below) - Please note: A limited number of RSVP spots are available. If they fill up, we'll update this page.

EVENT SCHEDULE:

• 4 p.m.: Event starts

• YourClassical MPR Host, Vernon Neal starts DJing (4 to 6 p.m.)

• Beverage Tastings throughout Surdyk’s begin (will be taking place throughout the duration of the event)

• 6 p.m.: The OK Factor begin live music performance

• 7 p.m.: Event Ends

Secure Your Spot!

This event is FREE to attend with RSVP! Don’t miss out – secure your spot today!  - Please note: THIS EVENT IS 21+. A limited number of RSVP spots are available. If they fill up, we'll update this page.

RSVP now:

On the latest episode of ‘New Classical Tracks,’ with host Julie Amacher, pianist Jonathan Biss talks about his Beethoven concerto project with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, including the latest release featuring a new concerto by Sally Beamish. Listen now!

If you believe classical music has a vibrant future, you know it’s important to nurture the next generation of creators. The Minnesota Orchestra’s Composer Institute, a residency for emerging composers, culminates in this concert featuring exciting new music played with rigor, conviction and heart by the orchestra. Listen to the concert now!

Program

Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Kevin Puts, host and Composer Institute director

KEVIN PUTS Heartland
BENJAMIN WEBSTER Autumn Movement
ELISE ARANCIO Bite Your Tongue for Orchestra and Tape
SOOMIN KIM star / ghost / mouth / sea
ANDREW FAULKENBERRY portrait through a prism

Previous concerts

Celebrate Juneteenth with the Minnesota Orchestra

In celebration and remembrance of Juneteenth, the annual commemoration of the emancipation of enslaved African Americans, the Minnesota Orchestra, alongside guests and members of the Twin Cities community, performed a program featuring music by African American composers. Listen to the concert now!

Program

Minnesota Orchestra
Jonathan Taylor Rush, conductor
Wordsmith, soloist
John Holiday, countertenor

JAMES P. JOHNSON Victory Stride
MARY D. WATKINS Soul of Remembrance from Five Movements in Color
MICHAEL ABELS Delights and Dances
JAMES LEE III Freedom’s Genuine Dawn
VALERIE COLEMAN Umoja
CARLOS SIMON “Ring Shout” from Four Black American Dances

Sondergard led the Minnesota Orchestra season finale alongside Bruce Liu

In this Minnesota Orchestra season finale concert, Carlos Simon’s music challenges us to explore our past to mourn, celebrate and take ownership. This time, the gateway is dance — with ties to American slavery, Reconstruction and Jim Crow. Then, Chopin Competition winner Bruce Liu performed Sergei Prokofiev’s dazzling Piano Concerto No. 3. The season concluded with Sergei Rachmaninoff’s rhythmic Symphonic Dances.

Program

Minnesota Orchestra
Thomas Søndergård, conductor
Bruce Liu, piano *

CARLOS SIMON Four Black American Dances
SERGEI PROKOFIEV Piano Concerto No. 3 *
SERGEI RACHMANINOFF Symphonic Dances

Fei Xie plays Jolivet with the Minnesota Orchestra and Cristian Macelaru

A message from Minnesota Orchestra: “This week’s performances are dedicated to our wonderful colleague, Arek Tesarczyk. Arek passed away last month after a long illness he faced with great dignity. Originally from Poland, Arek spent 11 years as Principal Cello of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra before joining us in 2004. He was humble, kind, ‘devastatingly funny,’ (according to Principal Cello Tony Ross) and was a rock in our cello section. Our thoughts and condolences go to Arek’s wife Claudia Chen and his children Viktor and Katia.”

On last week’s Minnesota Orchestra broadcast, Wynton Marsalis’ Blues Symphony takes the 12-bar blues and explodes it into a lyrical, kaleidoscopic history of American music. A frequent Marsalis collaborator, special guest Cristian Măcelaru has conducted the symphony in performances and a recording. Also on the program, listeners enjoyed what many consider to be the most difficult concerto in the bassoon repertoire, played by the orchestra’s beloved principal bassoon Fei Xie. Listen to the concert now!

Program

Minnesota Orchestra
Cristian Măcelaru, conductor
Fei Xie, bassoon *

WYNTON MARSALIS Selections from Blues Symphony
ANDRÉ JOLIVET Bassoon Concerto *
GEORGE ENESCU Symphony No. 1

‘Thomas Søndergård: Taken by the Sound’

Melissa Ousley joined Minnesota Orchestra music director Thomas Søndergård in his native Denmark last year to explore some of the most important places in his life. Join them as they walk through his memories, musical and otherwise, in this documentary short.

‘Celebrating a Century on the Airwaves’

On most Friday nights, no matter where you are in the state — or in the world, for that matter — you can look forward to tuning into YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio to hear a live concert. From a radio debut in 1923 under Bruno Walter to television transmissions in the 1950s and the ensemble’s unprecedented international broadcast from Havana in 2015, the orchestra has always been on the forefront of finding new ways to connect audiences with music.

Reflecting on 100 years of radio broadcast history, MPR host Melissa Ousley sat down with historian John Michel, technical director Michael Osborne and former broadcast host and current orchestra staffer Brian Newhouse for a spirited retelling of this vital history.

The performers are in New York City for the National High School Musical Theatre Awards, better known as the Jimmy Awards. Each year, the event brings the nominees to Broadway to put on a show – in just 10 days.

"It's hard," says Hayden Poe, nominated for his performance as Hermes in Dalton (Ga.) High School's production of Hadestown: Teen Edition. "We work our voices and we work our bodies, but the kindness and the love and the friendship gets us through."

The competition starts with about 150,000 students from schools across the nation. After regional competitions, a select few make it to New York to perform in the awards show at the Minskoff Theatre.

The top two awards of the night – best actor and best actress in a musical – are named after Broadway legend Jimmy Nederlander. For the past 16 years students have competed for the chance to bring home a Jimmy of their own.

For a little over a week, the students rehearse at The Juilliard School in preparation. Jayden Vega, a rising senior from Tampa, Fla., nominated for his leading role in Urinetown, says the schedule is grueling.

"We have breakfast at 7:30, our first rehearsal starts at 8:30 and we end at 8:30 [p.m.], and from then we meet with our pods – like our little family for this week," he says. "We're working long days, but it's so worth it."

On Tuesday, the students gathered in Times Square. As they climbed the red steps in the center of the square, the nominees rushed to a giant billboard, where a carousel of their head shots was on a loop.

"It's such a dream," said Vega, getting emotional. "I'm so happy to experience it with the people around me."

He and the other nominees waited to have their picture taken when their image appeared on the billboard, handing their phones off to a newfound friend while they struck a pose in front of the huge screen, accompanied by squeals and celebrations.

For some students, it was all a bit overwhelming.

"Seeing myself up there is unlike anything else in the world," said Natalie Sierk, of Des Moines, Iowa. "How can I possibly be a part of something so huge? It's such an honor."

Sierk was nominated for her high school's production of 9 to 5, and said she still could not believe the company she found herself in.

Several shows on Broadway right now have at least one former Jimmy nominee in the cast. Jasmine Amy Rogers and Julia Knitel, both former nominees, were up for Tony Awards this year. Two-time Tony nominee Eva Noblezada is starring in Cabaret. Singer Renee Rapp is another distinguished alum.

Watching what the students do after their time at the Jimmys is the best part of her job, says Rachel Reiner, the program's executive director: "It is such an honor to be a part of their journey and to see them grow and develop in the week that they're with us, and then launch their careers."

Josh Groban will host this year's ceremony Monday at 7:30pm. The awards will be livestreamed on the Jimmy Awards website.

Copyright 2025, NPR

This week on Saturday Cinema, host Lynne Warfel plays two hours of listeners’ requests for music from their favorite films and TV shows, including My Fair Lady, Jumanji and Braveheart. Listen now!

Playlist

Bridge of Spies: Sunlit Silence
Composer: Thomas Newman
Conductor: Thomas Newman
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Hollywood 2280802

Tarantula: Selections
Composer: Henry Mancini
Conductor: Masatoshi Mitsumoto
Orchestra/Ensemble: Krakow Radio & Television Orchestra
Monstrous 1951

Gaily Gaily: The Tango I Saved For You
Composer: Henry Mancini
Orchestra/Ensemble: Prague Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra
Primary Wave 500609

Strangers on a Train: Short Suite
Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
Conductor: Paul Bateman
Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Silva 1101

Logan’s Run: End of the City
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Conductor: Jerry Goldsmith
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Warner 10410158

Medicine Man: The Trees
Composer: Jerry Goldsmith
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Varese Sarabande 66460

The Cider House Rules: End Credits
Composer: Rachel Portman
Conductor: David Snell
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra

A Summer Place
Composer: Max Steiner
Conductor: Erich Kunzel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Telarc 80168

Star Wars: The Phantom Menace: Duel of the Fates
Composer: John Williams
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Sony 61816

My Fair Lady: I Could Have Danced All Night
Composer: Frederick Loewe
Conductor: Franz Allers
Orchestra/Ensemble: Original Broadway Cast
Sony 89997

Jaws: Main Theme
Composer: John Williams
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Sony 62788

Star Wars: The Last Jedi: Finale
Composer: John Williams
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Walt Disney 2714602

Platoon: Theme
Composer: Georges Delerue
Conductor: Georges Delerue
Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Scottish Orchestra
Varese Sarabande 66225

Willow: Escape from the Tavern
Composer: James Horner
Conductor: James Horner
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
Virgin 90939

Braveheart: Freedom
Composer: James Horner
Conductor: James Horner
Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
London/Decca 448295

Jumanji: Suite
Composer: James Horner
Conductor: Erich Kunzel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Telarc 80437

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Main Title
Composer: James Horner
Conductor: Erich Kunzel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Telarc 80146

On the latest episode of Friday Favorites:

Remembering Alfred Brendel with some Schubert. Check.

A celebratory anthem for Grandma’s Marathon in Duluth. Check

Some string music for mom who doesn’t like high-pitched violins. Check.

The signature aria from the great Pavarotti, and so much more! Listen now with host Tom Crann! 

The LGBTQIA+ community is here and queer all year, but Pride Month is a great time to spotlight LGBTQIA+ musicians and the impact their art, experiences, and ideas have on the classical music world. Classical Queery, hosted by YourClassical’s Mya Temanson, illustrates how classical music can uplift queer voices and how queer experiences can transform the classical music scene.

This week’s question, “How can you support the work of trans artists?” is answered by Mari Esabel Valverde (she/her).

Valverde is an award-winning composer from Texas who is currently based in Minnesota. She is a graduate of St. Olaf College and the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. Her work has taken her across the country, composing for the likes of the American Choral Directors Association, Boston Choral Ensemble, Cantus, and more (scroll down in this post to listen to some of Valverde’s works).

More than anything, Valverde foregrounds the voices and stories of marginalized people in her music. “I see the value of my work reflected whenever I go anywhere and make music with people,” she says.

Click on the player above to hear Valverde’s response to this week’s question, and explore further with the audio below.

Programming is supported by Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

Additional queeries for the curious listener:

When it comes to centering the voices of trans and BIPOC poets in your music, how does your experience as a trans woman of color inform you?

How can the classical music community better support the work of artists from marginalized communities?

Why are stories of trans joy important?

Music by Mari Esabel Valverde

When Thunder Comes (2016) performed by the St. Olaf Choir

Cantares (2013) performed by Polyphony: Voices of New Mexico

The Lady and the Tiger (2016) performed by Matthew Valverde, Ksenia Leletkina, and Tiffany Valvo

her first snow (2008) performed by the Lirica Chamber Ensemble

Check back in next week for another queery: “Why should you care?” Scholar Martha Mockus returns, joined by Sonia Mantell, a cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra.

In 2021, Terence Blanchard became the first Black composer to have an opera staged at the Metropolitan Opera in New York. Whether it’s performing or composing jazz, film music and opera, Blanchard does it exceptionally well, receiving awards and nominations for his work at every turn. Find out more in the latest episode of the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.

Iconoclastic and massively influential American composer Terry Riley celebrates his 90th birthday on June 24, and we honor him this week on Extra Eclectic by devoting the entire first hour to a cross-section of his output. Longtime Riley collaborators Kronos Quartet perform Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector, pianist Sarah Cahill plays his Be Kind to One Another rag, and Riley plays his mesmerizing piano piece The Philosopher's Hand. In the second hour, Steve Seel prepares us for the start of summer with a set of still, “humid” works, including Ingram Marshall’s Entrada and Don’t Bother They’re Here by the duo Stars of the Lid.

Playlist

The Harp of New Albion: Cadence of the Wind
Terry Riley
John Schneider, guitar
Bridge 9132

Sunrise of the Planetary Dream Collector
Terry Riley
Kronos Quartet
Gramavision 187014

Cantos Desiertos: Quijote
Terry Riley
Alexandra Hawley, flute
Naxos 559146

The Philosopher’s Hand
Terry Riley
Terry Riley, piano
Nonesuch 79639

June Buddhas: 216th-B Chorus
Terry Riley
Dennis Russell Davies, conductor
Brooklyn Philharmonic Orchestra
MusicMasters 67089

The Lake
Terry Riley/Gyan Riley
Terry Riley, piano, melodica, electronics
Org 2142

Be Kind to One Another (Rag)
Terry Riley
Sarah Cahill, piano
Other Minds 1022

Duet
Steve Reich
Daniel Hope, conductor
Basel Chamber Orchestra
Daniel Hope, violin
DG 4795305

Entrada
Ingram Marshall
Maia Quartet
New Albion 92

Passacaglia
Douwe Eisenga
Piccola Accademia degli Specchi
Zefir 9627

The Maze of Longing
Peter Garland
Carson Cooman, organ
Cold Blue 70

Don’t Bother They’re Here
Adam Wiltzie/Brian McBride
Stars of the Lid
Kranky 100

Night Peace
John Luther Adams
Atlanta Singers
New Albion 61

On the latest episode of ‘New Classical Tracks,’ Irish violinist Lynda O’Connor releases her debut solo recording featuring Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’ alongside Ailbhe McDonagh’s recently composed ‘The Irish Four Seasons.’ Listen now with host Julie Amacher!

Alfred Brendel, the thoughtful Austrian pianist who focused on the classics, has died. A statement from his representative said that Brendel passed peacefully on Tuesday morning at his home in London, surrounded by his family. He was 94.

Praised by The Boston Globe as "one of the defining performers of our age," Brendel was best known as a performer who fused a keen intelligence with musical clarity. Other players were flashier; other players were, perhaps, more outwardly passionate. But Brendel had legions of ardent admirers.

Even Brendel himself confessed to documentary filmmaker Mark Kidel, who profiled him in 2000, that he found his success something of a mystery. "My career is atypical," Brendel said. "I have not been a child prodigy. My parents were not musicians — there was no music in the house. I have a good memory, but not a phenomenal one. I'm not a good sight reader. I'm completely at a loss to explain why I made it!"

Brendel was widely praised for his cerebral, lucid piano playing. But Tim Page, a Pulitzer Prize-winning music critic, says his playing wasn't for everyone's tastes.

"Some people found him dry," Page notes. "Some people found him perhaps a little bit over-scholastic. But there are others who really felt that this was a really first-class musical brain, working on some of the great music in the repertory."

Alfred Brendel was born in Wiesenberg, in what is now the Czech Republic, on Jan. 5, 1931. He had a peripatetic childhood, spending his early years in what was then Yugoslavia as well as Austria, as the family followed his father around to jobs as an architectural engineer, a businessman, a resort hotel manager and director of a local cinema.

While Brendel had some formal training — including a few years at the conservatory in Graz, Austria — he was largely self-taught. After an appearance in London in the 1970s, his international star began to rise.

Brendel was best known for his interpretations of the standard classical repertoire. Regarding Mozart, he said many players shied away from the composer — either because they didn't see his work's complexity and found it too easy, or did see the complexity and found it too difficult.

"When you play the sonatas," he told NPR in 2004, "you are all alone. And there are relatively few notes that you have to play. And every single one of these notes lays bare. It is a delicate balance between poise and seemingly casual delivery, which is necessary."

He was the first pianist to record the complete piano works of Beethoven, with three separate cycles of the 32 sonatas. "Because I am not one of the pianists who learns a piece, plays it and discards it," he told NPR, "I feel that one should keep in touch with those pieces which are really worth playing and live with them through a lifetime."

Brendel also wrote volumes of poetry and essays on music. He was known for his wit — a lecture he gave at Cambridge, England, in 1984 was titled "Does Classical Music Have to Be Entirely Serious?" — which extended to a fondness for Dadaist art and a collection of kitsch objects.

Just weeks before his 78th birthday, Brendel retired from public performance, giving his last concert at the gilded Musikverein in Vienna, playing a youthful yet enigmatic piano concerto by Mozart and a solo piece by Liszt, another of his favorite composers. Still, he remained busy, writing, painting and lecturing for years to come.

Copyright 2025, NPR

This week on Saturday Cinema, join host Lynne Warfel to celebrate dads, grandpas, uncles and other father figures interwoven with films about the African American experience. Selections include music from Up, Black Panther, Mrs. Doubtfire and more. Listen now!

Playlist

The Color Purple: Theme
Composer: Quincy Jones
Conductor: David Newman
Orchestra/Ensemble: Varese Sarabande Symphony Orchestra
Soloists: Belinda Broughton, violin
Varese Sarabande 6151155

Field of Dreams: The Place Where Dreams Come True
Composer: James Horner
Conductor: James Horner
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
RCA 3060

To Kill a Mockingbird: Main Title
Composer: Elmer Bernstein
Conductor: Erich Kunzel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Telarc 80708

On Golden Pond: Main Theme
Composer: Dave Grusin
Conductor: Erich Kunzel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Soloists: William Tritt, piano
Telarc 80474

Amistad: Cinque’s Theme
Composer: John Williams
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Dreamworks 50035

Amistad: Dry Your Tears Afrika
Composer: John Williams
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Dreamworks 50035

The Lion King: King of Pride Rock
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Conductor: Nick Glennie-Smith
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Walt Disney 608587

Hidden Figures: Katherine
Composer: Hans Zimmer/Pharrell Williams/Benjamin Wallfisch
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Columbia 88985404782

Hidden Figures: Lift Off
Composer: Hans Zimmer/Pharrell Williams/Benjamin Wallfisch
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Columbia 88985404782

Hidden Figures: Hidden Figures
Composer: Hans Zimmer/Pharrell Williams/Benjamin Wallfisch
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Columbia 88985404782

How to Train Your Dragon: This is Berk
Composer: John Powell
Conductor: Gavin Greenaway
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Varese Sarabande 67012

The Godfather: Suite
Composer: Nino Rota
Conductor: Vincent Fanuele
Orchestra/Ensemble: Galway Pops Orchestra
Soloists: James Galway, flute
RCA 61326

12 Years a Slave: Washington; Solomon
Composer: Hans Zimmer
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Sony 857

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade: Scherzo for Motorcycle
Composer: John Williams
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic
DG 4861706

Mrs. Doubtfire: Main Title
Composer: Howard Shore
Conductor: Howard Shore
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Arista 11015

Yentl: Papa, Can You Hear Me?
Composer: Alan Bergman/Marilyn Bergman/Michel Legrand
Soloists: Barbra Streisand, vocals
Columbia 39152

Black Panther: United Nations/End Credits
Composer: Ludwig Goransson
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Hollywood 2018

The Kid Fantasy
Composer: Charlie Chaplin
Soloists: Philippe Quint, violin
Warner 585381

Father of the Bride: Main Title
Composer: Alan Silvestri
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Varese Sarabande 66460

Up: Carl Goes Up
Composer: Michael Giacchino
Conductor: Tim Simonec
Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
Walt Disney 1372702

A River Runs Through It: Main Theme
Composer: Mark Isham
Conductor: Erich Kunzel
Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
Telarc 80440

The Empire Strikes Back: Imperial March
Composer: John Williams
Conductor: John Williams
Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic
DG 4861706

On the latest episode of Friday Favorites, ahead of Father’s Day, host Tom Crann shares music that two listeners say reminds them of lakes and loons and Dad. Additionally, hear a birthday celebration for Edvard Grieg, Schubert on an extinct instrument he’d have recognized, and Philip Glass’ Mad Rush inspired by the Dalai Lama for your Friday rush hour. Add a dash of Nana Mouskouri, and more and that’s Friday Favorites. Listen now! 

Anne Akiko Meyers is on a mission to bring new music to the world. This spring alone, the violinist has released three albums in as many months featuring new works she commissioned.

Meyers, 55, started playing the violin at age four. She has collaborated with some of today's most prominent composers like Arvo Pärt, Jennifer Higdon, Arturo Márquez and Wynton Marsalis. "I get so moved by their music," she says. "I'm here to tell the stories of these composers… These giants, these genius minds."

Meyers is quick to admit she tends to shy away from more atonal music. "It just feels like I have to eat a whole plate of dry kale to get through it. It just doesn't do anything for me," she says. "I've watched [audience] reaction to a lot of this kind of music, and it just looks painful. And I think that's what scares a lot of audiences away, too." Instead, Meyers is drawn to more expressive and lush textures, which can be heard on all three of her new albums.

Requesting a new piece from a composer, Meyers says, requires patience, "There are definitely some composers who are just like, 'No, no' and 'talk to the hand,' and it's five years, 10 years, and I try again and still they say no. And then you just realize, okay, the timing is not right. So we'll just move on."

One thing that helps Meyers in all her endeavors is one very special violin, which she brought to NPR's Culver City, Calif. studios on a recent visit. The instrument was made in 1741 by the Italian luthier Giuseppe Guarneri — known by his nickname del Gesù.

"The power and the resonance of this instrument is pretty much unparalleled," Meyers tells Morning Edition host A Martínez. The Vieuxtemps Guarneri del Gesù is considered to be one of the finest-sounding violins currently in existence and was valued at an estimated $16 million in 2012, when an anonymous buyer purchased it then later gifted it to Meyers on a lifetime loan.

Meyers remembers the first time she played the "Vieuxtemps," so named after its most famous owner — 19th century Belgian virtuoso and composer Henri Vieuxtemps. "The second I put my bow to the string, it was like the heavens parted," she says. "The G string is so rich, and the E string is so cathedral-like in its resonance."

The violinist has recorded numerous albums with the instrument. In April, she released her 43rd, a recording of Michael Daugherty's Blue Electra. Inspired by the life and mysterious disappearance of aviation pioneer Amelia Earhart, the violin concerto also honors her legacy as a professor, writer and advocate for women's rights.

Meyers says she gets goosebumps when playing the piece, channeling "the freedom that Earhart felt when she was in the air." The work ends with the orchestra mimicking the plane's engine. At one point, it sounds like Earhart is falling from the sky, a nod to her 1937 disappearance while flying her Lockheed 10-E Electra over the Pacific Ocean.

In May, Meyers released recording premieres of works by Eric Whitacre and Ola Gjeilo, as well as a requiem by jazz pianist Billy Childs. The latter work is based on a text by Persian poet Rumi and composed in honor of Childs' mother, Mable Brown Childs, who is portrayed by the violin in the music. "I play his mother's voice," Meyers says, joking: "I told him to clean his room a lot."

A short piece by Philip Glass is the star of Meyers' latest release, out Friday. She premiered New Chaconne last year, after composer and violinist met in New York.

It's an usually joyous chaconne, filled with Glass' signature arpeggiated lines that seem to continuously advance forward until the whole thing comes to an abrupt stop. A harp, played by Emmanuel Ceysson, provides the bass line. The work is paired with Glass' Violin Concerto No. 1, recorded with the Los Angeles Philharmonic led by Gustavo Dudamel.

"When it was sent to me, I just couldn't believe it," Meyers says, "This is for the canon of violin literature, and it will live on forever."

And through her relentless commissioning and recording, Meyers is helping to push new works into the canon, inspiring future generations.

The broadcast version of this story was edited and produced by Olivia Hampton, who edited the online version, with production and editing support from Tom Huizenga.

Copyright 2025, NPR

The LGBTQIA+ community is here and queer all year, but Pride Month is a great time to spotlight LGBTQIA+ musicians and the impact their art, experiences, and ideas have on the classical music world. Classical Queery, hosted by YourClassical’s Mya Temanson, illustrates how classical music can uplift queer voices and how queer experiences can transform the classical music scene.

This week’s question, “What are Queer Spaces?”, is answered by Catherine Himmerich (she/her) and Danica Rumney (she/her). Brian Dowdy (he/him) contributes to some additional queeries below.

Himmerich is the concertmaster for the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra, an orchestra founded in 1993 with the goal of creating a space for gay and lesbian musicians to gather and make music. Together, Himmerich and Dowdy, the artistic director of the MPO, have worked to further the original mission, broadening the definition of inclusivity and diversity.

For Pride Month, the Minnesota Philharmonic Orchestra will present Love Letters at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, June 27, at St. Mark’s Episcopal Cathedral. Tickets are available on the MPO website.

Having been raised by two classical musicians, Rumney knows the world of classical music like the back of her hand. She will complete her Masters in Music Therapy at the University of Minnesota this fall. Her explorations of musical expression and sexuality have in many ways informed one another, which now inform her practice as a budding music therapist.

Click on the player above to hear Himmerich’s and Rumney’s responses to this week’s question, and explore further with the audio below.

Programming is supported by Hennepin Avenue United Methodist Church

Additional queeries for the curious listener:

Brian, what can audiences look forward to at the MPO’s upcoming Pride concert?

How does classical music transform in a queer space?

Danica, you grew up in a deeply musical family. Are music spaces naturally set up to be safer spaces than others?

Check back in next week for another queery: “How can you support the work of trans artists?” Composer and singer Mari Esabel Valverde shares her story.

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee is conscious of how the work of Black singers in the past have helped him succeed in his career, and he intends to do the same for upcoming young singers. Find out more in the latest episode of the 'Rhapsody in Black' podcast.

Contemporary composers with Middle Eastern roots provide a lively and evocative tapestry on this week’s episode of Extra Eclectic. We hear French-Lebanese composer Layale Chaker’s “Ya Fajr” from her Mkhammas Suite, Iranian composer Reza Vali’s Calligraphy No. 16, “Isfahan,” and the Syrian musician Mevan Younes playing a work on the buzuq, a long-necked string instrument common in Kurdish and Lebanese music. Listen now with host Steve Seel!

Playlist

Mkhammas Suite: Ya Fajr
Layale Chaker
Sarafand
Layale Chaker, violin
In a Circle 11

Piano Miniature No. 12
Mohammed Fairouz
Nicholas Phillips, piano
New Focus 144

Lamma bada yatathanna/El helwa di
Arab-Andalusian Muwashshah/Sayed Darwish
Karim Sulayman, tenor
Pentatone 7031

Calligraphy No. 16 “Isfahan”
Reza Vali
Fawzi Haimor, conductor
Wurttemberg Philharmonic Reutlingen
Naxos 579150

I would I were a bird
Anonymous
Jean-Guihen Queyras, cello
Harmonia Mundi 902242

Tous des oiseaux: David's Dream
Eleni Karaindrou
Argyro Seira, conductor
String Orchestra
ECM 2634

Unknown Gates
Margaret Hermant/Neil Leiter/Gary De Cart
Echo Collective
7K! 24

Nights
Shamsi Karimov
Mevan Younes, buzuk
Dreyer Gaido 21131

Traveling North
Danielle Eva Schwob
Nathalie Joachim, flute
Innova 64

Night Ferry
Anna Clyne
Andrew Litton, conductor
BBC Symphony Orchestra
Avie 2434

Last Hour Story
Julia Kent
Julia Kent, cello
Leaf 106

Gymnopedie
James Sutcliffe
Howard Hanson, conductor
Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra
Mercury 434347

Congratulations to the two winners of our 2025 Karin Larson YourClassical Prize!

Agnes Barthel, an organist from Duluth, Minnesota, is the winner in our Preprofessional Musician category. 

Anna Pitsavas Wakely, a violinist from Northfield, Minnesota, is the winner in our Emerging Artist category. 

Each of them receives a cash prize, a recording session at MPR and the opportunity to perform for the MPR board of directors. You can see their winning entries below. Thank you to everyone who voted for their favorite performer in this year’s Prize.

Congratulations Agnes and Anna!   

Preprofessional Musician: Agnes Barthel

How does your video celebrate women in classical music? “Cecilia McDowall is a contemporary composer whose music brings fresh energy and beauty to the organ repertoire. ‘Church Bells beyond the stars’ showcases her distinctive, lyrical style and captures the shimmering resonance of church bells through flowing, cascading passages. Inspired by a poem by George Herbert, the piece evokes both grandeur and serenity, demonstrating the organ’s ability to create vivid, atmospheric soundscapes. Through works like this, McDowall helps keep the organ vibrant and relevant in the modern classical world; something that is deeply inspirational for young organists like myself. By choosing this piece, I hope to honor her contributions and help bring greater recognition to female composers who have often been overlooked. I also want to help inspire other young musicians, especially young girls, to explore music by women composers, and discover the powerful role we play in shaping the future of classical music.”

What would winning this prize mean to you? “Winning this prize would mean a great deal to me as a young organist who is passionate about this incredible instrument. I am especially committed to promoting music by women composers, and it would be an honor to help bring greater recognition to these works in the organ world, and beyond. Most of all, I think it would be a powerful way to show that the pipe organ is not just a historic or ‘dying’ instrument, but very much alive and full of exciting possibilities for the future. This prize would encourage me to continue learning, performing, and encouraging other young people to explore the organ, as we try to create space for new voices, perspectives, and a new generation of musicians in the current world of classical music.”

Emerging Artist: Anna Pitsavas Wakely

How does your video celebrate women in classical music? “Spanish composer, Pablo de Sarasate, composed ‘Ziguernerweisen’ after becoming acquainted with gypsy ways… their song, their music style, their culture, their dance, and their customs. The female gypsy performers, whose prime instrument was always the violin, tantalized audiences with their passionate storytelling and dynamic lyricism. These underrepresented women, who had experienced much suffering and exile, poured their voices and lives into their performances, captivating composers throughout much of history. ‘Zigeurnerweisen’ celebrates these nationless mothers and daughters whose musical traditions continue to inspire classical music enthusiasts to our present day.”

What would winning this prize mean to you? “As a daughter of first-generation immigrant parents who have been a shining model of strength and beauty, and whose love of music has accompanied me from a very young age, I must say that being considered for such a prize would be but one token of my deepest appreciation for the sacrifices that they have made toward supporting my pursuit of classical music. It would be a tremendous gift that would go toward advancing my current commitments in music as well as my future goals in performance. I have come to find that the highly competitive world of performance can often be accompanied with criticism and skepticism. Earning such an esteemed prize would be a great accomplishment — a real recognition which has the potential to help foster the confidence to keep on playing! ”

On the latest episode of ‘New Classical Tracks,’ with host Julie Amacher, the Janoska ensemble gives Antonio Vivaldi’s ‘The Four Seasons’ a makeover in its signature style. Listen now!

Comedy and tragedy intertwine in this St. Paul Chamber Orchestra program of theatrical music including Ludwig van Beethoven’s dramatic Coriolan Overture and Felix Mendelssohn’s lighthearted music for William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Also on the program, Haydn’s Il Distratto Symphony repurposes music from a comedic play about a gentleman so absent-minded he nearly forgets his own wedding! Listen to the concert now.

Program

St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
Andrew Brady, creative lead
Cassie Pilgrim, English horn *

LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN: Coriolan Overture
FELIX MENDELSSOHN: Nocturne and Scherzo from A Midsummer Night's Dream
JEAN SIBELIUS (ARR. JONATHAN POSTHUMA): “The Swan of Tuonela” No. 2 from Legends *
JOSEPH HAYDN: Symphony No. 60 (Il Distratto)

For more information regarding this concert, please visit the official website.