Music

Wisconsin is home to a rich tapestry of culture and music, from tens of thousands of years of Native traditions to several hundred years of immigrant contributions from around the world. This week we celebrate it all.

'Hip-Hop Evolution' Features Rap Music's Architects And Legends

February 16, 2019 - 11:00am

An award-winning emcee himself, Shad Kabango confesses to WPR’s "BETA" that he’s a bit star-struck when sitting down to interview his hip-hop idols in his new Peabody Award-winning Netflix documentary series, "Hip-Hop Evolution."

Shankar and the Sitar

February 16, 2019 - 10:00am

Ravi Shankar, sitar player, was 92 when he passed away in 2012. Arguably, he was the best known contemporary Indian Musician. Those fondest of Ravi Shankar’s music called him “Pandit”- the Hindu word meaning scholar, teacher and master.

Remembering 'Freedom Songs' To Mark Anniversary Of Mandela's Release

February 15, 2019 - 4:10pm

This past Monday, Feb. 11, marked 29 years since Nelson Mandela was freed from prison in South Africa. Apartheid had been the law of the land in South Africa for over 40 years, but change was in the air and music played an important role in that change.

#1285 2.16.20 Encore Broadcast from #1127 1.6.18

February 15, 2019 - 1:00pm

Saturday's Encore broadcast of world music features: Mahotellal Queens, Blick Bassy, Kiran Ahluwalia, Oliver Mtukudzi, Oumou Sangare, Le Vent du Nord, Bole 2 Harlem, Puerto Plata, Gipsy Kings, Hadouk Trio, Bombino, and Duncan Chisholm.

Clarinetist Amitai Vardi

February 15, 2019 - 12:00pm

Norman talks to clarinetist Amitai Vardi who will be performing Weber's "Concertino for Clarinet and Orchestra" with the Wisconsin Youth Symphony on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Mills Concert Hall on the University of isconsinW-Madison campus. He gives us a short performance of the piece in the studio.

Vardi is an assistant professor of clarinet at Kent State University. He made his solo debut at the age of sixteen with the Madison Symphony Orchestra as a first place winner of the Steenbock Young Artist Competition.

Photo of Clarinetist Amatai Vardi in the WPR Studios ...

Violinist James Ehnes

February 14, 2019 - 12:00pm

Norman interviews violinist James Ehnes who recently won a 2018 Grammy Award for "Best Classical Instrumental Solo." He will be performing the Brahms "Violin Concerto in D major, Op.7715" with the Madison Symphony Orchestra and conductor John Demain on Feb. 15-17 at the Overture Center for the Arts in Madison.

Ehnes has performed in more than 30 countries on five continents, appearing regularly in the world's great concert halls and with many of the most celebrated orchestras and conductors.

Photo of Violinist James Ehnes in WPR Studios ...

Nothing But You

February 14, 2019 - 11:30am

Robert Schumann on his way to Zwickau, wrote to Clara Wieck on the eve of Valentine's Day 1836: “It's all I can do to keep my eyes open. For the last two hours I've been waiting for the express mail coach. The roads are so bad that it may be...

Spectrum West, February 14, 2019

February 14, 2019 - 10:00am

Comedian, Theater season, Jazz Concert- Comedian Paula Poundstone, who is appearing next week at the Mabel Tainter Center for the Arts in Menomonie, joined host Al Ross on Spectrum West. Cleghorn author Nickolas Butler was featured on the show, which also included a preview of the St. Croix Festival Theater season in St. Croix Falls, and looked ahead to next week’s Chippewa Valley Jazz Orchestra concert.

Alma Mahler: 'Malevolent Muse' Or Early Feminist Composer?

February 14, 2019 - 6:00am

Alma Mahler inspired symphonies, poems and paintings. She was lover and muse to some of the most celebrated artists of the early 20th century. Novelist Mary Sharratt thinks Alma Mahler would have been a great artist in her own right — if she hadn’t been born a woman.

First Listen: Benny Sings, 'City Pop'

February 14, 2019 - 4:28am

Dutch pop and R&B singer Benny Sings (a.k.a. Tim van Berkestijn) hasn't blown up yet , but it's not for the lack of exposure. You've heard his music before and probably didn't know it: His songs have been featured in TV commercials, as well as on hit shows on HBO...

First Listen: Ray Charles, 'Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Vol. 1 & 2'

February 14, 2019 - 4:00am

When Ray Charles entered the studio to record Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music in 1962, the singer was already an established hitmaker. In his work for Atlantic Records between 1952 and '59, Charles created an inventive mix of blues, gospel and jazz in songs like "Mess Around," "I've...

First Listen: Julia Jacklin, 'Crushing'

February 14, 2019 - 4:00am

In rare moments, it's possible to emerge from chaos with absolute focus. It could be on a battlefield, in a sports arena or at a hospital, but in reality, it can happen virtually anywhere. Julia Jacklin had her big moment on a tarmac in Sydney. That's where her second album...

First Listen: Our Native Daughters, 'Songs Of Our Native Daughters'

February 14, 2019 - 4:00am

Lately, songwriting women across the roots-to-indie-rock spectrum have exemplified the power of solidarity — an understanding that teaming up will lead to shared insight , buoying empathy or freer, brasher expression . Coming together under the name Our Native Daughters proved to be an especially significant move for Rhiannon Giddens...

First Listen: Yola, 'Walk Through Fire'

February 14, 2019 - 4:00am

Nashville's annual Americana Music Festival and Conference has hosted many star-making moments since its 2000 inception. But with the festival's massive growth in recent years, it's become harder for emerging acts to stand out, making true epiphanies all the more exciting. In September 2016, Yola (then performing as Yola Carter)...

Between Love And Hate: A Valentine's Day Playlist

February 14, 2019 - 4:00am

It's no question that people love to write songs about, well, love. These songs come in forms as varied as the artists who pen them: bitter breakup ballads; euphoric memories of puppy-dog infatuation; reflections on unrequited affection. But if love and hate exist on a spectrum, most songs seem to...

First Listen: Adia Victoria, 'Silences'

February 14, 2019 - 4:00am

The Southern novelist Flannery O'Connor once wrote, "When you can assume that your audience holds the same beliefs that you do, you can relax a little and use more normal ways of talking to it; when you have to assume that it does not, then you have to make your...

WPR Music Hosts Share Songs For Valentine's Day

February 13, 2019 - 6:00pm

Love, gained and lost, is one of the most common themes in all music. In honor of Valentine’s Day, WPR's Music Staff shares some wide-ranging personal favorites, from the familiar to the unexpected.

Listening For The Future During Black History Month

February 13, 2019 - 11:30am

Music may not see color, but the music industry certainly does. Until the systemic and overt biases that undermine our celebration of the contributions of black artists can be eradicated, we appreciate Black History Month as an opportunity to lay the groundwork for conversations we should be having and actions...

Tchaikovsky on the Road

February 12, 2019 - 11:30am

On February 12th, 1888 Peter Tchaikovsky was traveling from Leipzig to Prague. He wrote to his brother Modeste: “On Sunday the 12th we left for Prague. At the frontier I already felt the coming celebrations. The chief of guards asked if I was Tchaikovsky, and when I said that I...

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Wisconsin, Our Home

'Hip-Hop Evolution' Features Rap Music's Architects And Legends

Shankar and the Sitar

Remembering 'Freedom Songs' To Mark Anniversary Of Mandela's Release

#1285 2.16.20 Encore Broadcast from #1127 1.6.18

Clarinetist Amitai Vardi

Violinist James Ehnes

Nothing But You

Spectrum West, February 14, 2019

Alma Mahler: 'Malevolent Muse' Or Early Feminist Composer?

First Listen: Benny Sings, 'City Pop'

First Listen: Ray Charles, 'Modern Sounds In Country And Western Music Vol. 1 & 2'

First Listen: Julia Jacklin, 'Crushing'

First Listen: Our Native Daughters, 'Songs Of Our Native Daughters'

First Listen: Yola, 'Walk Through Fire'

Between Love And Hate: A Valentine's Day Playlist

First Listen: Adia Victoria, 'Silences'

WPR Music Hosts Share Songs For Valentine's Day

Listening For The Future During Black History Month

Tchaikovsky on the Road

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