The history of flight is full of trial errors; from the stories of Daedalus and Icarus planning escape with wax and feathers, to The Wright Brothers' first successful airplane, human flight has been a dream for humanity for many years. That's what composer Christopher Tin's latest album, To Shiver the Sky, is all about. An "oratorio about the history of flight and mankind's quest to conquer the heavens," ...Sky tells a story of the evolution of this quest for flight, to reach higher than the earthbound. Throughout this album (featuring guest artists such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Opera Chorus, Danielle de Niese and more), the evolution of flight is paired with the evolution of Western classical music. The album's story is told through the perspective of eleven historical figures, a "who's who" of "astronomers, inventors, visionaries and pilots." Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Christopher about his album, and how it relates to humanity's efforts to keep

Classiclectic

Classiclectic Connection: Christopher Tin, "To Shiver the Sky"

Life has changed for many, with the Coronavirus shifting the way we live and work. The arts community has grinded to a halt. But, with any difficulty comes innovation, bringing new ways to connect with music fans and patrons from home using the internet, social media and streaming options. It's a little more complicated for recording and performing artists like pianist Simone Dinnerstein . Her career of recording and performing piano works was paused, and the idea of recording in a concert hall was out of the question. But after some time, Simone returned to the idea of recording, presenting A Character of Quiet , a new album with music of Franz Schubert and Philip Glass. Simone spoke with Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth about the struggles to find motivation to create, the difficulties to overcome from recording from home and more:

Classiclectic Connection: Simone Dinnerstein, A Character of Quiet

The Marquette Symphony Orchestra presents "Symphony in the Park" on Sunday, Sept. 20 at 3:30pm. Under the direction of Maestro Octavio Mas-Arocas, members of the Marquette Symphony Orchestra will present orchestral favorites outdoors. It’s their first performance as an orchestra since February. Because of COVID-19 regulations, the outdoor performance is limited to 200 audience members. Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Octavio Más-Arocas, Principal Conductor of the MSO, about how the orchestra is adapting to COVID-19, social distancing and utilizing not only a different performance space but technology to bring the music to the people of Marquette:

Classiclectic Connection: Marquette Symphony, "Symphony in the Park"

Choir members miss singing with each other during the COVID-19 pandemic. But, with safety concerns and with cases of the virus rising, decisions had to be made regarding how best to move forward with choir activities at Northern Michigan University. The regular rehearsal season for the Marquette Choral Society is cancelled this fall, to protect the health of its members (they've shifted to more of a music appreciation / choral music study format). The University Choir and Arts Chorale are still rehearsing, although using social distancing, specially-designed choral masks, breaks, and surface cleaning. And, they will be using technology and the internet to bring the choir experience to people virtually. Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Dr. Colwitz about how her and the NMU Department of Music coordinated the changes:

Classiclectic Connection: Dr. Erin Colwitz, Choir Safety at NMU during COVID-19

Times are different; everyone is making changes and adjustments to what they do. In the arts, it is particularly hard, since so much of the magic relies on being in-person. One organization that is evolving and utilizing creativity and technology to keep fulfilling its mission is the S uperior String Alliance . Normally, they have a traditional summer camp experience that takes place at Presbytery Point in Michigamme, Michigan. But, with the COVID-19 pandemic on the rise, Danielle Simandl (Executive Director of SSA) and the staff decided the best option was to go virtual. Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Danielle about how the camp experience has changed, how they've handled the challenges of going virtual, and how they're providing the camp experience with some modifications:

Classiclectic Connection: Danielle Simandl, Superior String Alliance Virtual Camp

Terrain is an album of otherworldly vocals, processed strings, and elaborate electronic orchestrations from composer Jacob Cooper. Studio invention and collaboration with vocalists Theo Bleckmann, Jodie Landau, cellist Ashley Bathgate, and poets Greg Brownderville, Dora Malech, and Zach Savich synthesize into the three works contained on the album Terrain , releasing July 10, 2020 from New Amsterdam Records. Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Jacob about the album, including discussion on how composition ideas are formed, how computers and studios are used as creative tools, and how the world of music has changed due to COVID-19:

Classiclectic Connection: Jacob Cooper, "Terrain"

Many new music releases are about a style, an artist, or a particular composer. The Poetry of Places seems to promote a kind of spatial awareness through the process of creating and listening to new music. Nadia Shpachenko spent some time talking about her new album for Public Radio 90 on Classiclectic:

Classiclectic Connection: Nadia Shpachenko, "The Poetry of Places"

MARQUETTE -- Bring the whole family to the Marquette Symphony Orchestra's Sing with the Symphony family pops concert! It's Saturday, Feb. 22 at 3:00 p.m. at Kaufman Auditorium. The performance will feature the five finalists from the MSO's first Sing with the Symphony competition. Curt Kowalski, Jacob Laitinen, Gabrielle McNally, Leslie Parkkonen and Olivia Wachnicki will each perform with the orchestra backing them up. The five singers won the MSO's contest in September with vocal pieces from different genres. Octavio Mas-Arocas, Principal Conductor of the Marquette Symphony Orchestra, came to Public Radio 90 to converse with Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth about the concert:

Classiclectic Connection: MSO Sing with the Symphony Feb. 22

On this edition of the Classiclectic Connection , we speak with Trumpeter Paul Merkelo, all about his newest project The Enlightened Trumpet , which is his first release on Sony Classical. Paul is Principal Trumpet with the Montreal Symphonic Orchestra, and on this album, releases music of Haydn, Telemann, Leopold Mozart and Hummel; all music from the Age of Enlightenment, and all music featuring different kinds of trumpets throughout the instrument's development. He's joined on this recording with the Oxford Philharmonic and Marius Papadopoulos. Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth spoke with Paul by phone, and discussed the trumpet's evolution throughout time, Paul's influences and trumpet heroes, and what it was like working with a different orchestra than his own:

Classiclectic Connection: "The Enlightened Trumpet" Interview with Paul Merkelo

The Marquette Symphony Orchestra is holding its 4th Annual Chamber Collage Concert. A change of venue means new opportunities for what audiences can expect to see and hear, as the concert takes place at the Forest Roberts Theatre (on Northern Michigan University's campus). The concert is a fundraising opportunity for the orchestra, as local and travelling musicians come together to perform a mix of fun and serious selections that highlight different musical instrument families. Concertmaster Janis Peterson was our guest at Public Radio 90 during Classiclectic, and told listeners what to expect at the 4th version of the Collage Concert for the MSO:

Classiclectic Connection: Marquette Symphony Orchestra's 4th Annual Chamber Collage Concert

Growing up with a piece of music is something very special for many instrumentalists, and that's something that violin soloist Rachel Barton Pine has done in this new recording (along with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra led by Teddy Abrams ), taking on two violin concertos: Dvořák's and Khachaturian's. Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth had an opportunity to speak with Rachel Barton Pine about this new release from Avie Records :

Classiclectic Connection: Rachel Barton Pine, Dvořák & Khachaturian Concertos

Pulsations , the new record from Canadian violinist Angele Dubeau , infuses time, rhythm and heart. The music (coming from modern composers like Olafur Arnalds, Jean-Michel Blais and Craig Armstrong) was selected by Dubeau, and strives to evoke imagery and emotional intensity. The contemporary sounds of these composers could fall into the post-minimalist movement, but putting the works into a box of genre or group could take away from the experience that the album (and the singular works) aim to instill. Classiclectic host Kurt Hauswirth had a chance to speak with Angele by phone, where they discussed the importance of modern composers, as well as the challenges and rewards of working as a classical violinist:

Classiclectic Connection: "Pulsations" Interview with Angele Dubeau

The Marquette Choral Society presents their annual Christmas masterworks concert, featuring Ottorino Respighi’s Lauda per la Nativita del Signore and Marc-Antoine Charpentier’s Messe de Minuit pour Noël . The Choral Society is joined by members of the Marquette Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Erin Colwitz, director of choirs at Northern Michigan University (including the Marquette Choral Society), discussed the event with Nicole Walton:

Interview: Dr. Erin Colwitz, director of the Marquette Choral Society, "Angelic Voices"

The Marquette Symphony Orchestra is forming a youth choir for their February 2020 concert. The MSO previously put together a childrens choir for their Halloween concert in 2018, and they are putting out the call for all Marquette County students (ages 11-14) to audition for the next choir opportunity. Dr. Robert Engelhart (Professor of Music at Northern Michigan University) is a board member for the Marquette Symphony, and he came to Public Radio 90 to spread the word about this exciting opportunity for Marquette County youth:

Classiclectic Connection: Robert Engelhart, MSO Forming Youth Choir for February Concert

The NMU Choirs will present their annual concert at St. Peter Cathedral Saturday, Nov. 16 at 7:30pm. Music performed will come from composers Johannes Brahms, George Frederic Handel, Francis Poulenc and more. Repertoire will be predominantly sacred. Dr. Erin Colwitz, director of choirs at NMU, came to Public Radio 90 to tell us more:

Classiclectic Connection with Dr. Erin Colwitz - NMU Choirs "Music In A Grand Space"

Eclectic Classical from Public Radio 90's Kurt Hauswirth. Features and interviews from performers, composers, and more in the classical realm and beyond.