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Classical 24®

Now playing:

Fantastic Scherzo

  • Composer:Josef Suk
  • Conductor:Jiri Belohlavek
  • Orchestra/Ensemble:Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Chandos 8897

Schedule for November 14, 2026

(All times are U.S. Central).
Select a new date:
12:01 AM
  • Mother Goose (Ma mere l'oye): Suite
  • Composer: Maurice Ravel
  • Conductor: Dmitri Kitayenko
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Virgin 91471
1:55 AM
  • Orchestral Suite No. 4
  • Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Conductor: Monica Huggett
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Sonnerie
  • Avie 2171
2:01 AM
  • Celtic Concerto
  • Composer: Catrin Finch
  • Conductor: John Rutter
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Sinfonia Cymru
  • Soloists: Catrin Finch, harp
  • DG 17606
2:15 AM
  • Dala Suite: Siljan Lake
  • Composer: Helena Munktell
  • Conductor: Tobias Ringborg
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Gavle Symphony Orchestra
  • Sterling 1066
2:22 AM
  • Symphony No. 7
  • Composer: Antonin Dvorak
  • Conductor: Neville Marriner
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Minnesota Orchestra
  • Philips 412542
3:01 AM
  • Romance
  • Composer: Gerald Finzi
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Septura
  • Naxos 573825
3:10 AM
  • Jewels of the Madonna Suite
  • Composer: Ermanno Wolf-Ferrari
  • Conductor: Gianandrea Noseda
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Chandos 10511
3:28 AM
  • Etude No. 38
  • Composer: Helene de Montgeroult
  • Soloists: Clare Hammond, piano
  • Bis 2603
3:33 AM
  • Violin Concerto
  • Composer: Erich Korngold
  • Conductor: Cristian Macelaru
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Soloists: Ray Chen, violin
  • DG 4870417
4:01 AM
  • La Verneuille
  • Composer: Francois Couperin
  • Soloists: Angela Hewitt, piano
  • Hyperion 67440
4:06 AM
  • Un dia de Noviembre (A Day in November)
  • Composer: Leo Brouwer
  • Soloists: Lily Afshar, guitar
  • Archer 31919
4:11 AM
  • Serenade for Strings
  • Composer: Edward Elgar
  • Conductor: Giuseppe Sinopoli
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Philharmonia Orchestra
  • DG 423679
4:27 AM
  • Piano Sonata No. 9
  • Composer: Ludwig van Beethoven
  • Soloists: Bernard Roberts, piano
  • Nimbus 5058
4:42 AM
  • Karelia Suite
  • Composer: Jean Sibelius
  • Conductor: Yoel Levi
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Atlanta Symphony Orchestra
  • Telarc 80320
5:01 AM
  • Impromptu No. 2
  • Composer: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
  • Soloists: Isata Kanneh-Mason, piano
  • London/Decca 4851683
5:06 AM
  • Symphony No. 13
  • Composer: Carlos Baguer
  • Conductor: Matthias Bamert
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Mozart Players
  • Chandos 9456
5:19 AM
  • Four British Folk Song Settings
  • Composer: Percy Grainger
  • Soloists: Penelope Thwaites, piano
  • Chandos 9919
5:25 AM
  • Variations on a Rococo Theme
  • Composer: Peter Tchaikovsky
  • Conductor: Charles Mackerras
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Soloists: Ofra Harnoy, cello
  • RCA 60758
5:46 AM
  • Concerto for Trumpet and Violin
  • Composer: Georg Philipp Telemann
  • Conductor: Reinhard Goebel
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Musica Antiqua Cologne
  • Soloists: Friedemann Immer, trumpet
  • Archiv 419633
6:01 AM
  • Summer Evening: Waltz
  • Composer: Oscar Merikanto
  • Conductor: Leif Segerstam
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Ondine 824
6:06 AM
  • Bluebeard (Barbe-Bleue): Overture
  • Composer: Jacques Offenbach
  • Conductor: Herbert von Karajan
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic
  • DG 400044
6:13 AM
  • Romanian Folk Dances
  • Composer: Bela Bartok
  • Soloists: Debra Wendells-Cross, flute
  • Virginia Arts 901
6:21 AM
  • Divertimento No. 1
  • Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: I Musici
  • Philips 412120
6:35 AM
  • The Garden of Eden: The Serpent's Kiss
  • Composer: William Bolcom
  • Soloists: Logan Skelton, piano
  • Centaur 2474
6:42 AM
  • Faust Ballet Music
  • Composer: Charles Gounod
  • Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • DG 423698
7:01 AM
  • Spring in Buenos Aires (Primavera Portena)
  • Composer: Astor Piazzolla
  • Soloists: Philip Hansen, cello
  • North Pacific 28
7:06 AM
  • Indian Queen: selections
  • Composer: Henry Purcell
  • Conductor: Jeanne Lamon
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Tafelmusik
  • Sony 66169
7:21 AM
  • L'Arlesienne Suite No. 1
  • Composer: Georges Bizet
  • Conductor: Enrique Batiz
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra
  • ASV 6134
7:41 AM
  • Rhapsody in Blue
  • Composer: George Gershwin
  • Conductor: Kurt Masur
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: New York Philharmonic
  • Soloists: Fazil Say, piano
  • Teldec 26202
8:06 AM
  • Iolanthe Overture
  • Composer: Arthur Sullivan
  • Conductor: Neville Marriner
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Academy of St Martin in the Fields
  • Philips 434916
8:14 AM
  • The Jitterbug Waltz
  • Composer: Thomas (Fats) Waller
  • Soloists: Richard Dowling, piano
  • Klavier 11164
8:21 AM
  • Rodeo
  • Composer: Aaron Copland
  • Conductor: Gerard Schwarz
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Seattle Symphony
  • Delos 3104
8:42 AM
  • Symphony No. 19
  • Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Conductor: Ton Koopman
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra
  • Erato 45714
9:06 AM
  • Guitar Concerto
  • Composer: Antonio Vivaldi
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Amadeus Guitar Duo
  • Naxos 573440
9:17 AM
  • Simple Prayer for Complex Times
  • Composer: Dobrinka Tabakova
  • Soloists: Lora Tchekoratova, piano
  • NMC 297
9:25 AM
  • Vocalise
  • Composer: Sergei Rachmaninoff
  • Conductor: Yuri Temirkanov
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Saint Petersburg Philharmonic Orchestra
  • RCA 61281
9:35 AM
  • Lachian Dances
  • Composer: Leos Janacek
  • Conductor: James Conlon
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Erato 88095
10:01 AM
  • Field of Dreams: End Credits
  • Composer: James Horner
  • Conductor: James Horner
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
  • RCA 3060
10:07 AM
  • Elmer Gantry: Main Title
  • Composer: Andre Previn
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Prague Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra
  • Primary Wave 500609
10:10 AM
  • The Leopard (Il Gattopardo): Dances
  • Composer: Nino Rota
  • Conductor: Riccardo Muti
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Orchestra of La Scala, Milan
  • Sony 66279
10:28 AM
  • James Bond Medley
  • Composer: John Barry
  • Conductor: Stanley Black
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
  • MCA 25192
10:38 AM
  • Dances With Wolves: Themes
  • Composer: John Barry
  • Conductor: Erich Kunzel
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
  • Telarc 80319
10:47 AM
  • The Adventures of Robin Hood: Robin Hood and His Merry Men
  • Composer: Erich Korngold
  • Conductor: John Scott
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Royal Philharmonic Pops
  • Denon 75470
10:51 AM
  • Dial M for Murder: Suite
  • Composer: Dimitri Tiomkin
  • Conductor: Paul Bateman
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Silva 1101
11:01 AM
  • Laura
  • Composer: David Raksin
  • Conductor: Keith Lockhart
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
  • Soloists: Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
  • Koch 7792
11:07 AM
  • A Streetcar Named Desire: Suite
  • Composer: Alex North
  • Conductor: Erich Kunzel
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
  • Telarc 80708
11:14 AM
  • The Age of Innocence: End Credits
  • Composer: Elmer Bernstein
  • Conductor: Elmer Bernstein
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Studio Orchestra
  • Sony 57451
11:22 AM
  • Our Town
  • Composer: Aaron Copland
  • Conductor: Aaron Copland
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
  • Sony 46559
11:34 AM
  • Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan: Epilogue/End Credits
  • Composer: James Horner
  • Conductor: Erich Kunzel
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
  • Telarc 80146
11:43 AM
  • The Cardinal: Stay with me
  • Composer: Jerome Moross
  • Conductor: Arthur Fiedler
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Pops Orchestra
  • RCA 60393
11:47 AM
  • The Robe
  • Composer: Alfred Newman
  • Conductor: Charles Gerhardt
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: National Philharmonic Orchestra
  • RCA 184
12:01 PM
  • Grand Canyon Suite: Sunset
  • Composer: Ferde Grofe
  • Conductor: Erich Kunzel
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Cincinnati Pops Orchestra
  • Telarc 80086
12:06 PM
  • Air and Simple Gifts
  • Composer: John Williams
  • Soloists: Anthony McGill, clarinet
  • Sony 770363
12:11 PM
  • Ruler of the Spirits: Overture
  • Composer: Carl Maria von Weber
  • Conductor: Neeme Jarvi
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Philharmonia Orchestra
  • Chandos 8766
12:19 PM
  • Rodeo
  • Composer: Aaron Copland
  • Conductor: Andrew Litton
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Colorado Symphony Orchestra
  • Bis 2164
12:45 PM
  • Don Juan and Faust: Six airs de ballet
  • Composer: Moritz Moszkowski
  • Conductor: Martin West
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: San Francisco Ballet Orchestra
  • Reference 138
1:01 PM
  • Canzona
  • Composer: Peter Mennin
  • Conductor: Lowell Graham
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: United States Air Force Heritage of America Band
  • Klavier 11188
1:06 PM
  • Morning, Noon, and Night in Vienna
  • Composer: Franz von Suppe
  • Conductor: Alfred Walter
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Slovak Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Naxos 553935
1:15 PM
  • Variations on a Theme by Robert Schumann
  • Composer: Clara Schumann
  • Soloists: Benjamin Grosvenor, piano
  • London/Decca 4853974
1:28 PM
  • Brandenburg Concerto No. 5
  • Composer: Johann Sebastian Bach
  • Conductor: Jaap ter Linden
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Arion
  • Soloists: Claire Guimond, flute
  • Early-Music.com 7753
1:49 PM
  • Symphony No. 4: Finale
  • Composer: Peter Tchaikovsky
  • Conductor: Semyon Bychkov
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
  • London/Decca 4834942
2:01 PM
  • String Quartet No. 1 "From the Salvation Army": 1st movement
  • Composer: Charles Ives
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Emerson String Quartet
  • DG 435864
2:06 PM
  • La Procession del Rocio
  • Composer: Joaquin Turina
  • Conductor: Antonio de Almeida
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Bamberg Symphony Orchestra
  • RCA 60895
2:14 PM
  • Variations on a Theme of Sor
  • Composer: Miguel Llobet
  • Soloists: Anabel Montesinos, guitar
  • Naxos 557294
2:24 PM
  • Peer Gynt Suite No. 1
  • Composer: Edvard Grieg
  • Conductor: Herbert Blomstedt
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: San Francisco Symphony
  • London/Decca 425857
2:40 PM
  • Dance of the Elves (Elfentanz)
  • Composer: Edvard Grieg
  • Soloists: Alice Sara Ott, piano
  • DG 4794631
2:42 PM
  • Symphony No. 9 "Great": 1st movement
  • Composer: Franz Schubert
  • Conductor: Nikolaus Harnoncourt
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Berlin Philharmonic
  • Berlin Philharmonic 150063
3:01 PM
  • The Angels Changed My Name
  • Composer: Samuel Coleridge-Taylor
  • Soloists: Ashley Jackson, harp
  • Bright Shiny Things 188
3:06 PM
  • The Tic-Toc-Choc (or the mallets)
  • Composer: Francois Couperin
  • Soloists: Jean-Yves Thibaudet, piano
  • London/Decca 4852082
3:09 PM
  • Air and Gavotte
  • Composer: Arthur Foote
  • Conductor: Reuben Blundell
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Gowanus Arts Ensemble
  • New Focus 166
3:19 PM
  • Symphony No. 101 "The Clock"
  • Composer: Franz Joseph Haydn
  • Conductor: Claudio Abbado
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Chamber Orchestra of Europe
  • DG 429776
3:47 PM
  • Four Scottish Dances
  • Composer: Malcolm Arnold
  • Conductor: Jerry Junkin
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Dallas Wind Symphony
  • Reference 66
4:00 PM
  • Old Hungarian Dances: selections
  • Composer: Ferenc Farkas
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Vienna Quintet
  • Nimbus 5479
4:06 PM
  • Beatrice and Benedict: Overture
  • Composer: Hector Berlioz
  • Conductor: Andre Previn
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Symphony Orchestra
  • EMI 64630
4:16 PM
  • Andante for Clarinet and Orchestra
  • Composer: Alice Mary Smith
  • Conductor: Howard Shelley
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Mozart Players
  • Soloists: Angela Malsbury, clarinet
  • Chandos 10283
4:24 PM
  • Piano Sonata No. 9
  • Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Soloists: Yeol Eum Som, piano
  • Naive 8049
4:44 PM
  • Marosszek Dances
  • Composer: Zoltan Kodaly
  • Conductor: Gyorgy Lehel
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Budapest Symphony Orchestra
  • Hungaroton 12252
5:01 PM
  • flight
  • Composer: Rachel Portman
  • Soloists: Clio Gould, violin
  • Node 2020
5:06 PM
  • Monteverdiana
  • Composer: Claudio Monteverdi
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Los Angeles Guitar Quartet
  • Delos 3205
5:14 PM
  • Didn't My Lord Deliver Daniel?
  • Composer: Spiritual
  • Conductor: Craig Hella Johnson
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Conspirare
  • Harmonia Mundi 907534
5:18 PM
  • Symphony on a Hymn Tune
  • Composer: Virgil Thomson
  • Conductor: Howard Hanson
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Eastman-Rochester Symphony Orchestra
  • Mercury 434310
5:39 PM
  • Fanfare for the Common Man
  • Composer: Aaron Copland
  • Conductor: Michael Tilson Thomas
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: San Francisco Symphony
  • RCA 63888
5:44 PM
  • Fantastic Scherzo
  • Composer: Josef Suk
  • Conductor: Jiri Belohlavek
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Czech Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Chandos 8897
6:01 PM
  • Reverie
  • Composer: Claude Debussy
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Kassia Ensemble
  • Soloists: Mary Elizabeth Bowden, trumpet
  • Summit 743
6:06 PM
  • Mignon: Overture
  • Composer: Ambroise Thomas
  • Conductor: Seiji Ozawa
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Boston Symphony Orchestra
  • DG 423698
6:15 PM
  • Evening Prelude (Preludio en la noche)
  • Composer: Ernesto Lecuona
  • Soloists: Kathryn Stott, piano
  • EMI 56803
6:19 PM
  • String Quintet "American"
  • Composer: Antonin Dvorak
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Parker Quartet
  • Soloists: Kim Kashkashian, viola
  • ECM 2649
6:55 PM
  • Maple Leaf Rag
  • Composer: Scott Joplin
  • Soloists: William Albright, piano
  • MusicMasters 7061
7:01 PM
  • Birds of Spring (Pajaros de primavera)
  • Composer: Joaquin Rodrigo
  • Soloists: Angel Romero, guitar
  • RCA 68767
7:06 PM
  • Andante
  • Composer: Fanny Mendelssohn
  • Soloists: Heather Schmidt, piano
  • Naxos 570825
7:13 PM
  • Symphony No. 4 "Italian"
  • Composer: Felix Mendelssohn
  • Conductor: Semyon Bychkov
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: London Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Philips 420211
7:44 PM
  • Andante Spianato and Grand Polonaise
  • Composer: Frederic Chopin
  • Conductor: Kazimierz Kord
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Warsaw Philharmonic
  • Soloists: Garrick Ohlsson, piano
  • Arabesque 6702
8:01 PM
  • Sleeping Beauty: Jubilee March
  • Composer: Erkki Melartin
  • Conductor: Leif Segerstam
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Helsinki Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Ondine 824
8:06 PM
  • Wind Quintet
  • Composer: Carl Nielsen
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Orsino Ensemble
  • European Broadcasting Union Recording
8:36 PM
  • Gran Sonata Eroica
  • Composer: Mauro Giuliani
  • Soloists: Martha Masters, guitar
  • GSP 1031
8:47 PM
  • Aubade
  • Composer: Cyril Scott
  • Conductor: Martyn Brabbins
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Chandos 10407
9:01 PM
  • Intermezzo for String Trio
  • Composer: Zoltan Kodaly
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Domus
  • Virgin 45015
9:06 PM
  • "Twinkle, Twinkle" Variations (Ah, vous dirai-je, maman)
  • Composer: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
  • Soloists: Jeno Jando, piano
  • Naxos 550258
9:20 PM
  • Symphony No. 10 "In Autumn"
  • Composer: Joachim Raff
  • Conductor: Urs Schneider
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Slovak State Phiharmonic, Kosice
  • Marco Polo 223321
9:53 PM
  • Autumn Song
  • Composer: Paul Moravec
  • Soloists: Marya Martin, flute, Jeewon Park, piano
  • Naxos 559393
10:01 PM
  • Serenade for Strings: Andante
  • Composer: Max Bruch
  • Conductor: George Hanson
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Wuppertal Symphony Orchestra
  • Dabringhaus 3351096
10:06 PM
  • Andromeda
  • Composer: Augusta Holmes
  • Conductor: Samuel Friedman
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Rheinland-Pfalz State Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Marco Polo 223449
10:23 PM
  • String Quartet No. 3
  • Composer: Robert Schumann
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Emerson String Quartet
  • PentaTone 869
10:53 PM
  • Come to me in the silence of the night
  • Composer: Ivo Antognini
  • Conductor: Stephen Layton
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge
  • Hyperion 68425
11:01 PM
  • Red Dragonfly
  • Composer: Kosaku Yamada
  • Soloists: Anne Akiko Meyers, violin
11:06 PM
  • And Birds Are Still...
  • Composer: Takashi Yoshimatsu
  • Conductor: Sachio Fujioka
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: Manchester Camerata
11:14 PM
  • Etude No. 2
  • Composer: Philip Glass
  • Soloists: Camille Thomas, cello, Wolfgang Emanuel Schmidt, cello, Caterina Isaia, cello, Jiyeon Maeng, cello, Antoni Wrona, cello, Aaron Woyniewicz, cello
  • DG 7410541
11:22 PM
  • Symphony No. 3
  • Composer: Ruth Gipps
  • Conductor: Rumon Gamba
  • Orchestra/Ensemble: BBC Philharmonic Orchestra
  • Chandos 20161
Julie Amacher

Julie Amacher

Julie Amacher's desire to introduce others to great music is what led her to radio. She began her professional broadcast career at a station in Sun Prairie, WI. She went from rock 'n' roll to the Rocky Mountains, where she found her niche in public radio at KUNC in Greeley, Colo. Julie spent 13 years at KUNC, where she managed the announcers and their eclectic music format. During that time, she earned four national awards for best announcer. She joined Classical 24 in 1997 as a host and producer. She has managed the service since 2007.

Jake Armerding

Jake Armerding

Jake Armerding grew up playing classical violin and listening to ‘80s pop radio. He spent 20 years on the road as an instrumentalist, appearing on such revered stages as Carnegie Hall and the Newport Folk Festival, before pivoting toward local musical work. He was thrilled to land a spot on the YourClassical team in the last days of 2024. He and his wife oversee the developing rowdiness of their three boys.

Scott Blankenship

Scott Blankenship

Scott Blankenship started his radio career in college when he began working as a volunteer at a local cable radio station, announcing alternative and new rock music. His love and appreciation of classical music began at public radio station KVNO in Omaha, where he spent 13 years in various on-air and management roles, five of those years as the morning drive-time host.

Ward Jacobson

Ward Jacobson

Ward Jacobson has enjoyed a radio career spanning over two decades as a morning show host and sportscaster, as well as producer/host of an interview program where he chatted with authors, musicians, politicians and newsmakers.

Jillene Khan

Jillene Khan

Jillene Khan has built a successful broadcasting career around her love of music, sharing stories, and curiosity about the world. She is a Minnesota native who grew up in a home where the radio was always on, and she was captivated by the fun conversations that happened between the music. Her career has taken her to radio stations in Minneapolis, Minnesota; Davenport, Iowa; Milwaukee and Madison, Wisconsin; and along the way, she’s earned a Gracie Award and other honors for her work. Jillene’s favorite thing about being a Classical host is uncovering the stories told within the music and exploring the lives of the composers who wrote it. For her, that’s where the real magic of Classical music comes alive. Outside the studio, Jillene and her partner, Lorie, love to enjoy outdoor adventures, catch live music whenever they can, and attempt to stay on the good side of their spirited tuxedo cat, Harri.

Elizabeth Lyon

Elizabeth Lyon

Elizabeth Lyon joins the classical ranks as our assistant program director and fill-in host after six years working for us as a master control specialist, board operator and producer. Her new role combines her love of working technically, behind-the-scenes, as well as stepping in front of the microphone to share her favorite music. As the assistant program director, she coordinates programming, serves as an on-air host and dips her toes in every part of the department. That’s what she loves most about working in radio: “It’s like a river you flow on and you don’t know where you’ll end up, but you love the ride.” Although a violinist by training, her favorite classical composers are tied to her roots in choral music. When not doing all things audio, she can be found hiking, reading, or volunteering with programs that benefit children.

Vernon Neal

Vernon Neal

Vernon Neal is the host of the podcast ‘Rhapsody in Black,’ where we turn up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music. He also focused on his freelance audio-production business fusing hip-hop, jazz, pop and metal while putting his degree in audio engineering and live sound to full use. He sharpened his chops in the production aspect of live television broadcasting at KSTP in Minneapolis before joining Minnesota Public Radio in 2022. He remains committed to building community and uplifting underrepresented groups through the healing power of music.

Bonnie North

Bonnie North

For host Bonnie North, classical music is more than just a genre — it's a way of life. She stumbled into the world of radio after responding to a newspaper ad for Vermont Public Radio seeking a classical music DJ for its Sunday afternoon show. Despite having no previous radio experience, she was confident in her knowledge of classical music and took a chance. She created an audition tape, and the rest is history. Her favorite composer depends on her mood. Sometimes she seeks the meditative sounds of Giovanni Pierluigi da Palestrina, while other times she craves the angular compositions of Igor Stravinsky. Of course, she also loves the classics by composers who include Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johann Sebastian Bach and George Frideric Handel. But she is always looking for contemporary composers and is eager to discover new musical talents. Outside of work, she loves to attend live music events. She also enjoys traveling and having friends and family scattered throughout the United States and Europe. But her love for animals is just as strong, and she often volunteers at animal shelters. She is an avid duathlon participant, combining her love for running and biking in one exciting event.

Kevin O'Connor

Kevin O'Connor

Kevin O'Connor grew up in a household where his father and boisterous Irish uncles would often noisily debate what was to be played on the turntable: Between the three brothers, and depending on the mood of the day, it wavered between Glenn Gould, Oscar Peterson and Gordon Lightfoot. (The brothers also hailed from Toronto). Kevin's career arc seemed to follow suit, spinning and selling classical, jazz, folk and pop music on the radio, and briefly in retail, for the past three decades.  A native of the San Francisco Bay Area, he migrated do the Pacific Northwest, landing the requisite free-form overnight shift at his college station, KBSU, Boise. This was the first among many rungs in a public radio career that has always permitted him to express his passions for great music and explore his mercenary tendency toward spreading the message to anyone who will listen. For the past 18 years, he has served as music director and afternoon host at KBEM. He is also an avid cyclist and walker.

Melissa Ousley

Melissa Ousley

Melissa Ousley stumbled into a career in broadcasting many years ago when she moved to Wichita, Kansas to be near her soon-to-be husband. The attraction (to radio work, that is) was immediate and the chance to be around great music without having to practice was irresistible. After establishing herself as a host and producer in Kansas, Melissa moved to Minnesota and continued her work at WCAL in Northfield and Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. Her morning classical show at WCAL was twice named "Best Classical Radio Program" by the Twin Cities paper City Pages. Melissa grew up near New York City. As a teenager, she attended the Preparatory Division of the Manhattan School of Music. Her bachelor's degree is from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. When she's away from the airwaves, Melissa loves to run, read, and spend time with her family.

Mindy Ratner

Mindy Ratner

Mindy Ratner fell hopelessly in love with radio as an undergraduate at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where she volunteered at an on-campus student station. She worked at the local public television station and began her career in earnest as an announcer at Wisconsin Public Radio. The native New Yorker moved on to stations in Cincinnati and Philadelphia before joining Minnesota Public Radio in 1983. April 1998 marked the beginning of a great life adventure, as Ratner began work as a music host and producer on the English Service of China Radio International in Beijing before a return to MPR. Her extracurricular interests include international travel; folk, ballroom and contra-dancing; choral singing; hanging out with her amazing Chinese cat; and trying to stay ahead of the weeds in her garden…with varying degrees of success!

Melanie Renate

Melanie Renate

Through her many mentors at KROC in Rochester, Minnesota, Melanie Renate learned how to splice tape in tandem with learning how to use her voice. She eventually found her path combining her ability to care for people with her love of radio broadcasting. As a certified health and wellness coach and a passionate yogi and mental-health advocate, she has developed a deep appreciation for ways in which music can aid in overall wellness. She is excited to bring her passion for people with her as she steps back behind the microphone as a classical host.

Steve Seel

Steve Seel

Steve Seel is the host of YourClassical’s weekly SymphonyCast and the trailblazing music show Extra Eclectic. He possesses a broad knowledge of many musical genres, having hosted radio programs ranging from classical to jazz and even avant-garde music at radio stations around the country. Steve began his love affair with public radio at 24 working whatever shifts he could at his hometown station of WUSF-FM in Tampa, Florida, and from there worked his way to snowy Buffalo, New York, and its renowned classical station WNED-FM, where he hosted middays and the weekly experimental-music show Present Tense. In 2005, Steve became one of the founding voices on Minnesota Public Radio's eclectic station, the Current. While there, he hosted afternoons and mornings, and conducted in-depth interviews with pop music luminaries ranging from Brian Eno to David Byrne to Tori Amos. Steve is a basement composer obsessed with all things both minimalist and slow, and might actually be incapable of writing anything that exceeds 75 beats-per-minute.

Steve Staruch

Steve Staruch

Steve Staruch can be heard on Classical Minnesota Public Radio on Monday mornings and at other times during the week. Before joining MPR in 2004, Steve presented a variety of radio programs on WCAL in Northfield, Minn., where he created an immensely popular call-in program, and on WXXI in Rochester, N.Y. Outside radio, he enjoys work as a freelance tenor and violist. He and his wife, Naomi, enjoy traveling, gardening and hosting dinner parties.

Lynne Warfel

Lynne Warfel

Lynne Warfel celebrates 30 years as a broadcaster in 2014. She started in Los Angeles in 1984 at the venerable commercial classical station KFAC, and also worked at KUSC. She then lived in Edinburgh, Scotland for five years working in a classic rock format at Radio Forth in Edinburgh before returning to the States and joining Minnesota Public Radio in 1993. Lynne trained as an actor, graduating from Northwestern University and also trained at Second City Workshop. She's a 35 year member of Actor's Equity and Screen Actors' Guild. She finished a Masters in Theology from Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, CA. Her interests and passions include: laughing, dog rescue, her Collies and Gordon Setters, her Lipizzan horse, Teddy and her two extremely funny, smart and sweet sons, Peter and Josh.