Friday, May 10, 2019, 11:50am
Conductor Jordi Savall brings together musicians of different faiths in a recording of early music from around the Mediterranean Sea.
Thursday, May 9, 2019, 10:25am
Join us for two productions by Madison Opera. Lori Skelton hosts these broadcast performances, which were recorded live at Overture Hall during the 2018-19 season.
Thursday, May 9, 2019, 9:30am
When Dom Flemons performed his song, "San Francisco Baby," at the 2014 Sugar Maple Traditional Music Festival, the music sounded decades old, but the song was brand new.
Friday, May 3, 2019, 4:15pm
In the 1930s, African-American composers Margaret Bonds and Florence Price made some of the country's most interesting classical music. WPR host Stephanie Elkins tells us about their long friendship and why some of their work has only recently been published for the first time.
Friday, May 3, 2019, 12:00pm
Friday, May 3, 2019, 10:45am
The Chicago Sinfonietta under Artistic Director Mei-Ann Chen is setting records for programming music by women and hiring women musicians. Their newest release features all women composers.
Wednesday, May 1, 2019, 5:40am
"Music is magical." That’s the way singer-songwriter Kari Arnett described the process of creating her latest album, "When the Dust Settles."
Wednesday, January 22, 2020, 12:00pm
In a time of division in our world along political, religious, economic and philosophical lines, the 100th anniversary of Pete Seeger's birth is a chance to honor someone who, as he once said, "sang for everybody."
Friday, April 19, 2019, 8:00am
With Earth Day upon us and in memory of one of the inspirations for the holiday, here are a few songs by folk musicians that are about birds, but really are about the bigger picture, too.
Wednesday, April 17, 2019, 3:00pm
WPR "Morning Classics" host Stephanie Elkins reminisces about spending time in Notre Dame de Paris as a homesick student, and then returning 40 years later.
Tuesday, April 2, 2019, 8:00pm
Julie Patchouli and Bruce Hecksell, who perform as the folk duo "Patchouli, said their song, "The Woods," has become something of the pair's musical mantra.
Monday, April 1, 2019, 7:05am
In honor of April Fools' Day, the WPR's music staff had fun putting together a collection of personal favorites.
Wednesday, March 20, 2019, 11:45am
For the band Lula Wiles, folk music isn't just about passing on the music, but also passing on the possibility to other women.
Sunday, March 10, 2019, 9:20am
For Noel Paul Stookey, one-third of the iconic 1960s folk trio, Peter, Paul and Mary, music still plays an essential role in today's society.
Thursday, March 7, 2019, 12:25pm
Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television present "The Final Forte," broadcast live at 7 p.m. Wednesday, March 13.
Friday, March 1, 2019, 5:00pm
A well-known musician herself, Tret Fure also has made it possible for other people to share their voices and their music. As an engineer, record producer, songwriting teacher and president of her local musicians’ union, she has been both on stage and behind the music for over 40 years.
Wednesday, February 20, 2019, 3:55pm
African-American classical composers Florence Price and Margaret Bonds support each other to achieve success in 1930s Chicago.
Tuesday, February 19, 2019, 9:00am
Bluegrass, like so many genres of music, is a mix of styles: old-timey string band music, with a little bit of blues and jazz from down South, some English and Scottish influences from the Appalachian Mountains, and a pinch of gospel music as well. The members of Nashville quartet the Barefoot Movement share how they came upon their version of bluegrass music.
Friday, 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.
Wednesday, 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.
Monday, February 11, 2019, 12:00pm
Thursday, February 7, 2019, 12:00pm
Norman talks to Kathryn Smith, General Director of the Madison Opera, about their upcoming production of Stephen Sondheim's "A Little Night Music" on February 8 and 10 in the Capitol Theater in Madison. They play and discuss several excerpts from the opera.
Saturday, February 2, 2019, 11:35am
Martha Redbone shares her varied experiences and family background through her music, including a song from an onstage interview for "Simply Folk."
Wednesday, January 23, 2019, 11:25am
“Where would we be without music?!” That was a question that musician Johnsmith recently pondered during an interview for WPR’s Simply Folk. “Sometimes you’re driving down the road and Simply Folk comes on or some song comes on and you didn’t even think that some issue was up in your heart or like you were stuck about something ... and all of a sudden you got a tear in your eye or you’re really laughing. You’re really thinking about some little thing and it just kind of opens you up.”
Johnsmith is from Trempeleau County in Wisconsin’s Driftless region, and...
Thursday, January 3, 2019, 11:45am
WPR’s Lori Skelton hosts this national series of broadcast concerts by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The 13-part series will air Sundays starting Jan. 6, 2019, at 2 p.m. on the NPR News and Classical Music Network, and on the Classical HD Network.
Thursday, January 3, 2019, 10:25am
Lil Rev and Larry Penn talked with "Simply Folk" host Stephanie Elkins back in September 2013 when they shared a performance of their classic, "I'm a Little Cookie."
Wednesday, December 19, 2018, 1:30pm
The WPR music hosts love sharing holiday music with listeners each season. They also have their own favorites — including recordings with meaningful associations.
Thursday, December 6, 2018, 9:55am
We Banjo 3 is a four-piece string band from Galway, Ireland, that plays a blend of music they call "Celtgrass." This recording is from an in-studio interview the group did on "Simply Folk" on May 5, 2016.
Monday, November 26, 2018, 3:50pm
The new season of Saturday Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts begins Dec. 1 on Wisconsin Public Radio, and continues through May 11.