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Music

Camp Songs

The Chamber Music Society of Minnesota presents the Midwest premiere of "Camp Songs" -- five poems from the Holocaust set to music. Many people might imagine music inspired by the Holocaust to be mournful, respectful of the dead. But what sets these songs apart is their bitter defiance and humor in the face of war and death.

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Sound Irish, 2003

Sounds Irish celebrates the brilliant music at the heart of Irish life. Classical meets Celtic this year, as Tom remembers musician Derek Bell of the Chieftains, who died unexpectedly in October while the group was on a US tour. The Belfast native will no doubt be remembered as a member of the one of the most famous Irish bands in the world. But he was also a classically trained composer and instrumentalist, accomplished on the oboe, English horn, and keyboards.

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Haley Bonar

Haley Bonar is keeping busy. She's playing regularly in Duluth. Her new CD is coming out. And she's going on a national tour this spring. She's doing all right for a 19-year-old who quit college to write songs.
by Chris Julin

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Musical composition "Memorial" debuts

A new musical composition titled "Memorial" captures the emotions of September 11th terrorist attacks.

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Playing less hurt

Janet Horvath, associate principal cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra for more than 20 years, knows firsthand the pain, anxiety and humiliation of an injury on the job. Horvath thought her career might be finished. To her surprise, her teacher Janos Starker, sat her down and completely rebuilt her approach to the cello, showing her how her body and her technique didn't have to be at odds. It was a revelation, which Horvath wanted to share when she arrived at the Minnesota Orchestra in 1980. She's been doing that ever since. Now she has a book, "Playing Less Hurt" already in its second printing
by Chris Roberts

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Instrumental Women: on record

Host Lauren Rico shares rarely heard selections that were created by women from all over the world. Several historic works are complemented by pieces from more widely heralded contemporary composers. Rico presents a wonderfully broad range of musicians and styles, from 18th-century artist Louise Duval to 20th-century educational pioneer Ruth Crawford Seeger and contemporary film composer Rachel Portman. Ellen Taafe Zwillich, Conni Ellisor, and Mary Howe are among the other musicians featured on the program.

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Instrumental Women: comparing notes

The feature examines current obstacles in the world of classical music that don't involve gender, but have more to do with time and the marketplace. As orchestras struggle to maintain ticket sales, modern composers - male and female - find it increasingly difficult to get their music played and heard. Composers Libby Larsen, Joan Tower, Augusta Read Thomas, and Judith Lang Zaimont join host Lauren Rico to discuss pressing questions facing the industry: Are audiences interested in new musical experiences? Is there a demand for new music when only the standards are programmed? Finally, is it even possible to make a living making music?

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Tour bus gives Winona students a crack at fame

A state-of-the-art recording studio rolled into the parking lot of Winona Senior High School this week. It's known as the John Lennon Song Writing Contest Educational Tour Bus. It's designed to give young musicians the chance to record original work. In Winona eight high schoolers crammed into the back of the bus to record a song written by one of their own.

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Stoking up some songs

Every year Zeitgeist, the St Paul-based new music ensemble, challenges Minnesota's amateur composers to enter a song contest. There is some money for the winners, but the real prize is a chance to hear Zeitgeist perform the piece in concert.

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Livin' live at the Dakota

Over the years the comfortable intimacy of the Dakota Bar and Grill in St. Paul has proved irresistable for jazz artists looking for a place to record a live album. Twin Cities jazz singer Debbie Duncan, Chicago sax great Von Freeman and saxophonist Bobby Watson have all released CDs with "Live at the Dakota" in the title. Dakota owner Lowell Pickett, who's always encouraged the recordings, has now launched his own record label, "Dakota Live". Word of Mouth's Chris Roberts talked to Pickett, and the musician featured on the first release: Nachito Herrera.

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