Minnesota has claim to a wealth of creativity; music is no exception. Almost every genre can be heard within our state’s borders. The results range from a simple act of joy, to an influence that reverberates far beyond (the “Minneapolis Sound” is a prime example). The collection below is an introduction to the diverse and talented artists who have called Minnesota home, and the art they share with all of us.
May 2, 2003 - MPR's Marisa Helms reports that the University of Minnesota's School of Music is marking 100 years of developing many of the region's foremost music teachers, performers and composers. Helms looks into the school and its history.
May 23, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Stephanie Hemphill reports on birthday celebration for Bob Dylan at Duluth’s Armory building. A teenage Dylan was inspired by a Buddy Holly concert at venue.
May 30, 2003 - Morning Edition’s Cathy Wurzer reports on musicians in The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra agreeing to ratify a contract which includes a 17% pay cut. That change comes in the first year of a new four-year contract.
June 5, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Mark Steil reports on annual concert held in a Mankato quarry. Thousands of people show up to listen to the Mankato Orchestra and blues rock band City Mouse.
June 13, 2003 - MPR’s Lorna Benson interviews David King, drummer of the jazz trio The Bad Plus. While the band is based in New York, King resides in St. Paul. King says his music is influenced by dance, pop, and rock. But, he says even as a child, he was most captivated by jazz.
June 21, 2003 - Jazz Image’s Leigh Kamman interviews Minnesotan Butch Thompson, a renowned American jazz pianist and clarinetist. Thompson discusses his group and playing at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival.
July 22, 2003 - Mainstreet Radio's Erin Galbally visits Andrea Een, a hardanger fiddler extraordinaire and a well-known music professor at St. Olaf College. To the untrained eye the Hardanger fiddle, Norway's national instrument, looks much like the violin. But the nine-string fiddle produces its own distinctive sound. That sound and the instrument will be celebrated at St. Olaf College in Northfield, where more than 300 hundred enthusiasts of the violin sibling are expected to attend.
September 26, 2003 - On this Word of Mouth program, MPR’s Marianne Combs presents a conversation with musician Tim Eriksen & vocalist Mirjana Lausevic; poetry reading by Minnesota poet Kate Green; a profile of St. Paul hip hop group Los Nativos; followed by a Word of Mouth segment on local arts and culture events.
November 21, 2003 - Chris Julin presents a Mainstreet Radio report from Duluth, where he visits the Sacred Heart Music Center. Before becoming a music venue, the building spent more than 100 years as a cathedral. It has different acoustics from most concert halls and recording studios. For this reason, musicians from bluegrass bands and punk rockers love the sound, saying it has a different feel.
November 21, 2003 - MPR’s Chris Roberts profiles The Commissioning Club, a local performing arts organizations that commissions new music. Roberts interviews numerous supporters of club to better understand it’s purpose and process.