From bourgeois turkeys to Mother Goose, music commentator Miles Hoffman introduces us to classical music about fowls.Read More
November 11 marks the centennial of the end of World War I, otherwise known as the “Great War” and the “War to End All Wars.” Simply put, it was a cataclysm, a conflict that marked a threshold in modern history. In the world of classical music, composers responded in many different ways.Read More
When the FBI recovered virtuoso violinist Roman Totenberg's stolen Stradivarius after his death, his daughters wanted the instrument to be played everywhere. Ensuring that was not so simple.Read More
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, which begins to mark its centennial this fall, is credited with helping to bring high culture and great composers to L.A. Read More
The revered Spanish soprano, who died Saturday, spins out silvery threads of tone in her recordings, the likes of which no one has ever matched.Read More
The resourceful singer is unafraid to bring opera — and his high-flying top notes — to unlikely places, from sixth-grade classrooms to the offices of NPR.Read More
Although Johann Sebastian Bach was probably no tap-dancer, he did know something about dancing. The gigues, menuets and courantes that populate his various suites are, essentially, stylized dance movements that can leap off the page in a good performance.Read More
Consider this year’s apples: Born from the seeds of an earlier generation’s trees, the fruit you hold in your hand this fall will allow you “to shake hands with a […]Read More
Born 100 years ago on Aug. 25, 1918, Bernstein was a larger-than-life character — on stage as a conductor, at the piano as a composer, on TV as an educator and in a sometimes tangled personal life.Read More
If the celebrated cellist could soundtrack his life, the music would be J.S. Bach's six Cello Suites. Yo-Yo Ma explains why they mean the world to him while he played the music at the NPR offices.Read More
Warm nights and clear skies are a perfect combination to see some of the night sky’s wonders, even if you don’t have a telescope. And what could be better than stargazing with a themed classical music soundtrack?Read More
The first known photograph of Leonard Bernstein (left) as a conductor, taken at a summer camp on 1937. CREDIT: Library of Congress, Music Division “Moynik!” (“Music!”), the young Leonard Bernstein […]Read More
A long, relaxed summer evening in the company of live classical music and fine food. That’s a favorite Northwest pleasure offered around the region: Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival (Concert on the Village Green), Bellingham Festival of Music (Chamber by the Bay), and Seattle Chamber Music Society Summer Festival (Music Under the Stars), to name a few. It’s the kind of Read More
Join Gillian Coldsnow and Anjuli Dodhia as they host concerts at Lake Chelan Bach Fest and Icicle Creek Chamber Music Festival. NWPB will be out and about this summer and […]Read More
This month, we say goodbye to our Music Director, Jessie Jacobs. You’ve heard Jessie on-air Friday afternoons on NWPB, and her contributions and dedication behind the scenes have made NWPB into a vital music resource for listeners and communities across the region. Jessie Jacobs sat down with Anjuli Dodhia to reflect back on her time with NWPB.Read More
The Bellingham Festival of Music is celebrating its 25th Silver Anniversary season. It’s also Artistic Director Michael Palmer’s 50th year as a conductor. Anjuli Dodhia sat down for a conversation with the Maestro about his career, the Bellingham Festival of Music, and what concert-goers can look forward to this season.Read More
Did you know that the director of the new documentary film about Mr. Rogers, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? – Morgan Neville – also directed The Music of Strangers, the 2016 documentary about Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project? And that Yo-Yo Ma’s son Nicholas is one of the producers of Won’t You Be My Neighbor?
In a clip of his appearance on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Nicholas Ma is Read More
Britain’s prestigious Gramophone Classical Music Awards have created a new award for 2018, called Orchestra of the Year. The shortlist includes a familiar name to Northwest listeners: the Seattle Symphony. For the first time in the history of these awards, public voting will decide an outcome. The 2018 Orchestra of the Year Award will go to the nominee receiving the most Read More
Many composers were inspired to write music after their travels, leaving us a taste of the sights and sounds of their adventures. But many of the far off lands they visited have similar counterparts right here in the Northwest.Read More
The warm, late-spring weather of recent weeks is a reminder that summer is just around the corner. One of the highlights of the season is the abundance of classical music festivals throughout the Northwest. Take a look at what’s in store this summer.Read More
Can you guess which of these are Composers and which are English politicians featured in 'Victoria'? Good Luck!Read More
Franz Liszt once said, “Mournful and grand is the destiny of an artist.” Was he referring to the seemingly large proportion of artists that suffer from some sort of mental disorder? Sergei Rachmaninoff was one. He dealt with depression throughout his life, but not only did he mostly overcome it, his management of it fueled his composing.Read More
If it’s time for you to put on the kettle, ask this: What music do you choose to match your tea? We once matched composers and cocktails, but let’s face it - not everyone wants an adult beverage at 9 a.m. So here we go: Let’s match some music to tea varieties! Read More
Leonard Bernstein loved the stories behind the music he conducted, and insisted that every story has a moral. As a young man, Bernstein discovered many specific sources of inspiration. Read More
Austin Schlichting, a Bellingham native, moved to Olympia as a composer and music teacher. CREDIT: MATT MILTON Listen The Olympia Symphony celebrates 65 years in 2018. To mark this special […]Read More
A Passion for Pottery Produced by Greg Mills It took twenty four years for Pete Glarborg to turn the wheel back on and reignite his passion for pottery. Now his […]Read More
Good music and good food: two indulgences that go well together. Composers have been writing music to accompany banquets, dinners and parties for centuries. Think of Telemann’s Tafelmusik (“Table Music,” in English), or the Divertimenti Mozart wrote for the wind band hired to play during the Emperor’s lunch. But one composer stands out as someone who created both the music Read More
CREDIT: DUTCH NATIONAL ARCHIVESWIKIMEDIA COMMONS Andres Segovia in recital at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, 1962 The “grandfather” of his instrument. Virtuoso, transcriber, mentor, innovator. Andres Segovia, the quintessential master of the […]Read More
This year’s Olympics will sound slightly different – the PyeongChang games will be the first in which figure skaters can use music with vocals during their performances. But classical music […]Read More
The original Mozartkugel is a rich little layered confection: pistachio marzipan enveloped by nougat, surrounded by chocolate, and wrapped in foil decorated with a portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It […]Read More
Leonard Bernstein in 1971, during rehearsals for his “Mass” CREDIT: MARION S. TRIKOSKO/U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT With the start of 2018 comes a major anniversary on the world’s musical […]Read More
Classical Music Playlist Connect With Us Facebook Twitter Instagram Tumblr Sign up for our monthly newsletter popular classical music posts Featured Music Why Is The Music Of 1968 So Enduring? […]Read More
From the wheat fields of the Palouse to the recording studios of Hollywood, Paul Henning has found success in the Los Angeles music industry. Henning grew up near Pullman, Washington, […]Read More
Big personalities are no stranger to classical music – the people behind the compositions are remembered through letters, reviews and their own journals. NWPR has taken these colorful characters and […]Read More
Pianist Jeremy Neufeld accompanies Encanto founder and tenor José Iñiguez (center left) alongside the Ballard Symphony Orchestra. This year’s Encanto Holiday Concert was held in Benaroya Hall. Photo credit: […]Read More
A program at Pullman Regional Hospital is using the power of music to tap deep into the memories of dementia patients. Music & Memory is a national program that brings digital music to elderly […]Read More
Less than a week before their first performance, the Washington Idaho Symphony starts rehearsal for their 40th Annual Domey/Gillespie Young Artist Concert. The concert is a major event, but a […]Read More
Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Daniel Ott brings music and parks together around a Northwest Landmark: Mount Rainier. PAULA GRAY / TUMBLR A […]Read More
Hear Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Artistic Director Timothy Christie perform Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13 on January 16 as part of the Winter Festival. Walla […]Read More
Hear the music of Lili Boulanger in the Second Hour of NWPR’s Celebration of Women in Classical Music. For Women’s History Month 2016, Northwest Public Radio celebrated with a […]Read More
Violinst Augustin Hadelich SEATTLE SYMPHONY Congratulations, Seattle Symphony! Another Grammy! The 2016 Grammy award for best classical instrumental solo went to violinist Augustin Hadelich, for Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L’Arbre Des […]Read More
Classical music host, Gigi Yellen fries up her latke goodness! GIGI YELLEN / NWPR The original Hanukkah lights were wicks floating in oil. So the holiday’s ancient legend gives […]Read More
Anything but delicate, Peter Schickele will turn 80 this year. Credit Peter Schickele / http://www.schickele.com/index.htm What’s your favorite P.D.Q. Bach bit? How about two sports announcers doing a play-by-play […]Read More
Conductor Alondra de la Parra at a concert in New York, 2014. FEAST OF MUSIC / FLICKR Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra is known for her energetic, animated conducting. Take a […]Read More
NWPR’s Steve Reeder and Dr. Nikolas Caoile, Music Director of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony at a performance in 2015. Keep an eye out for Steve at concerts during the […]Read More
Frank Dominguez is your guide to music from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and the Latin world Concierto, WDAV Classical Public Radio Gigi Yellen and Concierto host Frank Dominguez […]Read More
Beethovenian? Digging into information for the tidbits you hear next to the classical music on NWPR, we run across some interesting phenomena. Like the use of a composer’s name […]Read More
You read about music for mom earlier this year – now it’s time to celebrate dad in the classical music world. Throughout music history, famous fathers have come in all […]Read More
The Arlington National Cemetery showing the tradition of honoring grave stones of veterans with the American flag on Memorial Day. CREDIT WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Music for Memorial Day serves two […]Read More
Every day is a day to be thankful for the moms of the world, but the second Sunday of every May is set aside as a nice reminder to show […]Read More
