This is the Classical APM Monthly. Classical updates are also included in the APM Weekly newsletter each Thursday. Forward-promote what listeners can anticipate on APM classical programs and on C24. Subscribe to the APM Weekly here.
Spring Fundraisers
Spring fundraisers are up and ready on Content Depot! Follow the links below:
New and Upcoming
Pipedreams celebrates Women’s History and International Women’s Day
This week’s Pipedreams program #2410, celebrates Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day and is devoted entirely to works by women composers…Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Gwyneth Walker, Sharon J. Willis, Barbara Dennerlein, Margie Griebling-Haigh, Margaret Sandresky, Theophania Cecil, Pamela Decker, Rachel Laurin, and Wang Jie, whose new score for organ and string quartet, “The Night When You See Again,” will be heard in its world premiere performance.
On Saturday, March 23rd, Michael Barone will co-host with Tyrone Whiting Philadelphia Orchestra’s Organ Day, a family-friendly event with lively performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra, Paul Jacobs, the Lucas Brown Trio, the Philadelphia Ballet, Dr. Jay Fluellen, John Walthausen, and much more. This event features the Fred J. Cooper Memorial Organ, the largest mechanical-action concert hall organ in the United States with 6,938 pipes, four blowers, 300 levels of memory, 111 stops, and a total weight of approximately 32 tons!
SymphonyCast
Coming up on SymphonyCast in March, listen for a dazzling program from the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra with Michael Tilson Thomas on the podium, including a Liszt piano concerto featuring Yuja Wang, and Mahler’s titanic symphonic debut. Later this spring, we’ll hear Andy Akiho and his steel pan concerto, Beneath Lighted Coffers, backed by the Oregon Symphony.
Performance Today
Performance Today’s 2024 class of Young Artists in Residence opened with Sarah Ma, a violinist recently graduated from the Oberlin Conservatory of Music. Sarah’s interview with Fred will air in March, with four more artists lined up to complete their residencies by June. The Young Artists in Residence program has hosted a number of young talents over the years and we are proud of its alumni. Most have gone on to successful music careers. Scroll through the pages here to see past and present Young Artists.
Performance Today will also choose their 2024 Classical Woman of the Year- the winner will be announced on air and online on March 29th.
Performance Today: Request for Music
If you have a strong partnership with your local orchestra, please encourage them to submit their concerts to us- If you have a contact who’d like to start (or continue) submitting to PT, please put them in touch with kslusher@mpr.org for guidelines and a submission account.
APM Presents: March Specials
Check out our special featuring harpist Ashley Jackson.
Take Me to the Water
Available now – March 31, 2024
For more upcoming specials visit our website.
Take Me to the Water—behind the scenes
“Take Me to the Water,” from American Public Media, explores the profound meaning of water across different cultures and different religions, led by Vernon Neal and harpist Ashley Jackson. The program explores water’s historical significance in Black culture, the symbolism in spirituals, and the ripple effect of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. It culminates in a powerful performance of “Take Me to the Water” by Ashley and Twin Cities youth choir, KNOWN MPLS.
Julie Amacher shared, “Vernon and I had a fabulous time getting to know Ashley during these recording sessions. She stretches the limits of her instrument in such a powerful, and beautiful way. Her playing is so fluid, which makes her style a perfect fit for this program. This is the first time we brought an artist into the studios to create a national special with them – creating content exclusively for us to share with stations.”
To learn more about the show, learn more about Ashley Jackson’s music, and watch videos of Ashley performing this music in our St. Paul studio, go to YourClassical.org.
Welcome Additions
- WFCR (Springfield, MA) – Rhapsody in Black