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Music

B-girl, be you

Mainstream hip-hop music can offer a view of the world that's about drugs and violence, and it's not very nice to women, either. But there are some people who say it doesn't have to be that way. They call themselves B-girls, and they're coming out to play in Minneapolis this weekend.

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Stringing the biggest harp in the world

Minnesota is home to the world's largest hockey stick and the world's largest ball of twine. This week it will become the temporary home of the world's largest string instrument. The "Earth Harp" is being assembled in downtown St. Paul as part of the Flint Hills International Children's Festival.

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Before the Six, there was Satie

When French composer Erik Satie wrote the music for "Parade" during World War I, he set in motion the attitude for Paris of the 1920s.

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Turning odd sounds into music

Learning to play music can be hard, but learning to compose can be even tougher. Twin Cities composer Libby Larsen has been working with some Apple Valley high school students for the past few months as they create seven brand new pieces.

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Moran's "Milestone"

When some people see art, they wonder what the artist was thinking when they made it. The Walker Art Center asked a famed jazz pianist to take that one step further. Jason Moran has created a piece of music inspired by work in the Walker's collection.

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SPCO and U of M form new partnership

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra and University of Minnesota School of Music have formed a new partnership that will include sharing a resident conductor.

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Luther College's Weston Noble retires after 57 years

With graduation this weekend, Luther College will mark the end of an era. Its celebrated choral conductor, Weston Noble is retiring after 57 years at the helm of the college's Nordic choir. Minnesota Public Radio's Lorna Benson sat down recently with Noble to talk about his conducting career and the divine guidance that he says kept him at Luther all these years.

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Introducing the Cleophone

What looks like a dulcimer and sounds like electronically altered Balinese gamelan? The answer is the Cleophone. The Cleophone's Minneapolis inventor created it mainly for the sheer pleasure of sonic exploration.

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Cary John Franklin composes for students

This Sunday three Minnesota high school choirs will fan out across the stage at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis to sing compositions written just for them. It's the culmination of a three year composers residency by Cary John Franklin. He says he hopes he's shown his students that composers are real people.

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