Saint Paul Sunday
Encyclopedia
Saint Paul Sunday is a Peabody Award
-winning weekly classical music radio
program, hosted by Bill McGlaughlin
. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music
program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. Programs since 1997 are also available as archived audio on the Internet. The one-hour show features live, in-studio performances by and interviews with the world's top classical musicians, both soloists and ensembles.
For each hour-long show, host Bill McGlaughlin invites a virtuoso
soloist or ensemble into the studio to discuss and perform music. The music on the program generally fits under the wide umbrella of classical music, and the pieces performed run the gamut from late medieval through to contemporary music.
Saint Paul Sunday is distributed by American Public Media
, and is produced in the Saint Paul, Minnesota
studios of Minnesota Public Radio
, American Public Media's main subsidiary.
perform in your living room? Or to invite violinist Joshua Bell
over for brunch and Bach?" Host Bill McGlaughlin opens the studio to the world's best classical musicians, of every conceivable style and mix, for both discussion and performance — giving listeners intimate access to how excellent music is created. McGlaughlin engages each soloist or ensemble in spontaneous live questioning and conversation, so that insights, anecdotes, and commentary alternate with live performances by the guest musicians.
One of the show's intentions is to disprove the misconception that chamber music
is open only to connoisseur
s. McGlaughlin aims to dispel this view, and to make the music fresh, lively, and fun.
music from the Robison-Lubambo-Baptista Trio, American gospel group the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, Latin-American and African carols and folk dances from Andrew Lawrence-King
and The Harp Consort
, the viol
quartet Phantasm
, jazz trumpeter Art Farmer
, Bolivian Andean music specialists Rumillajta
, eclectic composer Mark O'Connor
and the Appalachia Waltz Trio, and African-American Latino wind group Imani Winds
.
Saint Paul Sunday has many times hosted performances of recent music by living composers — composers which have included Thomas Adès
, George Tsontakis
, Osvaldo Golijov
, Fred Lerdahl
, Derek Bermel
, Frederic Rzewski
, and dozens of others. In addition, Saint Paul Sunday has itself commissioned new works from composers such as Pierre Jalbert
, Aaron Jay Kernis
, Nicholas Maw
(in partnership with PRI
), Kenneth Frazelle, Gabriela Lena Frank
, and Edgar Meyer
, among others.
For physical outreach, from time to time McGlaughlin and Saint Paul Sunday have traveled to do on-site programs with notable classical musical ensembles at various venues around the U.S. These concerts have generated much excitement from local audiences. To further make classical music more accessible to more people, Saint Paul Sunday has also done residencies at primary and secondary school
s in the Midwest — which include recording sessions, performances, and question-and-answer sessions with McGlaughlin, the musicians, and the students.
, a trombonist and conductor, was engaged as Associate Conductor of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In his off hours, McGlaughlin occasionally filled in as host on Garrison Keillor
's daily morning radio show on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).
Around this same time, U.S. public radio gained access to a communications satellite
, which meant that production was no longer limited to New York, Los Angeles, or Washington. Cities with uplink
s, like Saint Paul, could finally produce their own national shows. Consequently, in 1979 the Mellon Foundation provided MPR with seed money to make several pilot programs.
In early 1980, via local benefactors, Minnesota Public Radio also built a new studio
— the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio ("Studio M") — a beautiful space with 20-foot windows overlooking Saint Paul’s cathedral district. This inspired producer Tom Voegeli, then working in national programming for MPR, to create a new show that would play to the studio’s strengths. Voegeli came up with the idea for Saint Paul Sunday Morning, with McGlaughlin as host — a distinctive, intimate program which would present world-class musicians, live, to a national audience. Voegeli also wanted McGlaughlin to sound like a musician rather than like a broadcaster, and to share his own spontaneous, animated enthusiasm with listeners.
The show debuted locally in 1980, and went national via syndication in 1981, eventually shortening its name to Saint Paul Sunday. The series' unique approach and sense of exuberance and curiosity has won it hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic listeners, and the 1995 Peabody Award
.
A small sampling of guests includes such artists as:
, the highest honor in broadcasting, was awarded to Saint Paul Sunday. The foundation stated:
The Los Angeles Times reports that:
Channel 133 Mondays at 4:00 AM Eastern Time. Online program notes, playlists, and artist profiles for each show — past, present, and future — are provided on the Saint Paul Sunday website.
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
-winning weekly classical music radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
program, hosted by Bill McGlaughlin
Bill McGlaughlin
William "Bill" McGlaughlin is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host...
. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. Programs since 1997 are also available as archived audio on the Internet. The one-hour show features live, in-studio performances by and interviews with the world's top classical musicians, both soloists and ensembles.
For each hour-long show, host Bill McGlaughlin invites a virtuoso
Virtuoso
A virtuoso is an individual who possesses outstanding technical ability in the fine arts, at singing or playing a musical instrument. The plural form is either virtuosi or the Anglicisation, virtuosos, and the feminine form sometimes used is virtuosa...
soloist or ensemble into the studio to discuss and perform music. The music on the program generally fits under the wide umbrella of classical music, and the pieces performed run the gamut from late medieval through to contemporary music.
Saint Paul Sunday is distributed by American Public Media
American Public Media
American Public Media is the second largest producer of public radio programs in the United States of America after NPR. Its non-profit parent, American Public Media Group, also owns and operates radio stations in Minnesota, California, and Florida. Its station brands are Minnesota Public Radio,...
, and is produced in the Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
studios of Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
, American Public Media's main subsidiary.
Premise
According to the Saint Paul Sunday website, the show's premise is, "What would it be like to hear the Juilliard String QuartetJuilliard String Quartet
The Juilliard String Quartet is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York. The original members were violinists Robert Mann and Robert Koff, violist Raphael Hillyer, and cellist Arthur Winograd; Current members are Joseph Lin and Ronald Copes violinists,...
perform in your living room? Or to invite violinist Joshua Bell
Joshua Bell
Joshua David Bell is an American Grammy Award-winning violinist.-Childhood:Bell was born in Bloomington, Indiana, United States, the son of a psychologist and a therapist. Bell's father is the late Alan P...
over for brunch and Bach?" Host Bill McGlaughlin opens the studio to the world's best classical musicians, of every conceivable style and mix, for both discussion and performance — giving listeners intimate access to how excellent music is created. McGlaughlin engages each soloist or ensemble in spontaneous live questioning and conversation, so that insights, anecdotes, and commentary alternate with live performances by the guest musicians.
One of the show's intentions is to disprove the misconception that chamber music
Chamber music
Chamber music is a form of classical music, written for a small group of instruments which traditionally could be accommodated in a palace chamber. Most broadly, it includes any art music that is performed by a small number of performers with one performer to a part...
is open only to connoisseur
Connoisseur
A connoisseur is a person who has a great deal of knowledge about the fine arts, cuisines, or an expert judge in matters of taste.Modern connoisseurship must be seen along with museums, art galleries and "the cult of originality"...
s. McGlaughlin aims to dispel this view, and to make the music fresh, lively, and fun.
Outreach
To keep the music and performances contemporary and relevant to today's audiences, Saint Paul Sunday expands the definition of chamber music. The show has included a diverse and eclectic mix of performers and music from around the world — music and musicians which have included Brazilian choroChoro
Choro , traditionally called chorinho , is a Brazilian popular music instrumental style. Its origins are in 19th century Rio de Janeiro. In spite of the name, the style often has a fast and happy rhythm, characterized by virtuosity, improvisation, subtile modulations and full of syncopation and...
music from the Robison-Lubambo-Baptista Trio, American gospel group the Albert McNeil Jubilee Singers, Latin-American and African carols and folk dances from Andrew Lawrence-King
Andrew Lawrence-King
Andrew Lawrence-King is a harpist and early music specialist, and is currently the director of The Harp Consort...
and The Harp Consort
The Harp Consort
The Harp Consort is an international Early Music ensemble directed by Andrew Lawrence-King, specialising in Baroque Opera, early dance-music, and historical World Music....
, the viol
Viol
The viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the...
quartet Phantasm
Phantasm (music group)
Phantasm is a viol consort based in England. It was founded in 1994 by Laurence Dreyfus.They have recorded on the Channel Classics Records, GMN, Simax, and Avie Records labels.-Members:*Laurence Dreyfus, treble viol and director...
, jazz trumpeter Art Farmer
Art Farmer
Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer was an American jazz trumpeter and flugelhorn player. He also played flumpet, a trumpet/flugelhorn combination designed for him by David Monette. His identical twin brother, Addison Farmer Arthur Stewart "Art" Farmer (August 21, 1928, Council Bluffs, Iowa –...
, Bolivian Andean music specialists Rumillajta
Rumillajta
Rumillajta is a Bolivian musical quintet that formed in 1980 that became one of the most important progenitors of Andean music. The name means "city of stone" in Quechua. They were the subjects of a short documentary from the BBC and played at festivals on three continents...
, eclectic composer Mark O'Connor
Mark O'Connor
Mark O'Connor is an American bluegrass, jazz, country and classical violinist fiddler, composer and music teacher. O'Connor's music is wide-ranging, critically acclaimed, and he has received numerous awards for both his playing and his composition...
and the Appalachia Waltz Trio, and African-American Latino wind group Imani Winds
Imani Winds
Imani Winds is an American wind quintet based in New York. The group was founded in 1997 and is known for its adventurous programming, which includes newly composed works, as well as compositions featuring African, Latin American, and American influences...
.
Saint Paul Sunday has many times hosted performances of recent music by living composers — composers which have included Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès
Thomas Adès is a British composer, pianist and conductor.-Biography:Adès studied piano with Paul Berkowitz and later composition with Robert Saxton at Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London...
, George Tsontakis
George Tsontakis
George Tsontakis is an American composer and conductor.Tsontakis studied composition with Hugo Weisgall and Roger Sessions at the Juilliard School from 1974 to 1978, and later with Franco Donatoni at the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome...
, Osvaldo Golijov
Osvaldo Golijov
Osvaldo Noé Golijov is a Grammy award–winning composer of classical music.-Biography:Osvaldo Golijov was born in and grew up in La Plata, Argentina, in a Jewish family that had emigrated to Argentina in the 1920s from Romania and Russia.Golijov has developed a rich musical language, the result of...
, Fred Lerdahl
Fred Lerdahl
Alfred Whitford Lerdahl is the Fritz Reiner Professor of Musical Composition at Columbia University, and a composer and music theorist best known for his work on pitch space and cognitive constraints on compositional systems or "musical grammar[s]." He has written many orchestral and chamber...
, Derek Bermel
Derek Bermel
Derek Bermel is an American composer, clarinetist and conductor whose music blends various facets of world music, funk and jazz with largely classical performing forces and musical vocabulary...
, Frederic Rzewski
Frederic Rzewski
Frederic Anthony Rzewski is an American composer and virtuoso pianist.- Biography :Rzewski began playing piano at age 5. He attended Phillips Academy, Harvard and Princeton, where his teachers included Randall Thompson, Roger Sessions, Walter Piston and Milton Babbitt...
, and dozens of others. In addition, Saint Paul Sunday has itself commissioned new works from composers such as Pierre Jalbert
Pierre Jalbert
Pierre Jalbert is a Canadian skier, actor, and motion picture film and sound editor.He was christened Joseph Jacques Pierre-Paul Jalbert in Quebec City, Canada, the son of a newspaperman...
, Aaron Jay Kernis
Aaron Jay Kernis
Aaron Jay Kernis is an American composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.-Biography:Aaron Jay Kernis is Jewish, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and studied at the Manhattan School of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory, and Yale University .,Notable works include the...
, Nicholas Maw
Nicholas Maw
John Nicholas Maw was a British composer.-Biography:Born in Grantham, Lincolnshire, Maw was the son of Clarence Frederick Maw and Hilda Ellen Chambers. He attended the Wennington School, a boarding school, in Wetherby in the West Riding of Yorkshire. His mother died of tuberculosis when he was 14...
(in partnership with PRI
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
), Kenneth Frazelle, Gabriela Lena Frank
Gabriela Lena Frank
Gabriela Lena Frank is an American composer of contemporary classical music and pianist.- Biography :...
, and Edgar Meyer
Edgar Meyer
Edgar Meyer is a prominent contemporary bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. Meyer has worked as a session musician in Nashville, part of various chamber groups, a composer, and an arranger...
, among others.
For physical outreach, from time to time McGlaughlin and Saint Paul Sunday have traveled to do on-site programs with notable classical musical ensembles at various venues around the U.S. These concerts have generated much excitement from local audiences. To further make classical music more accessible to more people, Saint Paul Sunday has also done residencies at primary and secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s in the Midwest — which include recording sessions, performances, and question-and-answer sessions with McGlaughlin, the musicians, and the students.
Inception and history
During the late 1970s, Pennsylvania native Bill McGlaughlinBill McGlaughlin
William "Bill" McGlaughlin is an American composer, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award-winning classical music radio host...
, a trombonist and conductor, was engaged as Associate Conductor of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra , based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the United States' only full-time professional chamber orchestra...
in Saint Paul, Minnesota. In his off hours, McGlaughlin occasionally filled in as host on Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
's daily morning radio show on Minnesota Public Radio (MPR).
Around this same time, U.S. public radio gained access to a communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
, which meant that production was no longer limited to New York, Los Angeles, or Washington. Cities with uplink
Uplink
A telecommunications link is generally one of several types of information transmission paths such as those provided by communication satellites to connect two points on earth.-Uplink:...
s, like Saint Paul, could finally produce their own national shows. Consequently, in 1979 the Mellon Foundation provided MPR with seed money to make several pilot programs.
In early 1980, via local benefactors, Minnesota Public Radio also built a new studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
— the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio ("Studio M") — a beautiful space with 20-foot windows overlooking Saint Paul’s cathedral district. This inspired producer Tom Voegeli, then working in national programming for MPR, to create a new show that would play to the studio’s strengths. Voegeli came up with the idea for Saint Paul Sunday Morning, with McGlaughlin as host — a distinctive, intimate program which would present world-class musicians, live, to a national audience. Voegeli also wanted McGlaughlin to sound like a musician rather than like a broadcaster, and to share his own spontaneous, animated enthusiasm with listeners.
The show debuted locally in 1980, and went national via syndication in 1981, eventually shortening its name to Saint Paul Sunday. The series' unique approach and sense of exuberance and curiosity has won it hundreds of thousands of enthusiastic listeners, and the 1995 Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
.
Notable guests
Saint Paul Sunday has been host to hundreds of musicians of international repute. These have included many singers, both ensemble and solo; many quartets and trios and various other sizes and combinations of chamber groups; many pianists and other soloists; small orchestras and choruses; and traditional and non-traditional musical groups from around the world.A small sampling of guests includes such artists as:
|
Yo-Yo Ma Yo-Yo Ma is an American cellist, virtuoso, and orchestral composer. He has received multiple Grammy Awards, the National Medal of Arts in 2001 and the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2011... Leif Ove Andsnes Leif Ove Andsnes is a Norwegian pianist and an ardent champion of the works of Edvard Grieg.-Biography:He studied with Jiří Hlinka at the Bergen Music Conservatory and made his debut in Oslo in 1987, in Britain at the Edinburgh Festival with the Oslo Philharmonic in 1989, and in the United States... Beaux Arts Trio The Beaux Arts Trio was a noted piano trio. They made their debut on July 13, 1955 at the Berkshire Music Festival, known today as the Tanglewood Music Center. Their final American concert was held at Tanglewood on August 21, 2008. It was webcast live and archived on NPR Music... Renée Fleming Renée Fleming is an American soprano specializing in opera and lieder. Fleming has a full lyric soprano voice.Fleming has performed coloratura, lyric, and lighter spinto soprano repertoires. She has sung roles in Italian, German, French, Czech, and Russian, aside from her native English. She also... Los Angeles Guitar Quartet The Los Angeles Guitar Quartet consists of John Dearman, William Kanengiser, Scott Tennant and Matthew Greif . They are known for using nylon string guitars to imitate a variety of instruments and effects.... James Galway - External links : IMGArtists.com 15 September 2008. AllAboutJazz.com 5 August 2008.*... Hilary Hahn Hilary Hahn is an American violinist.Hahn was born in Lexington, Virginia. Beginning her studies when she was three years old at Baltimore's Peabody Institute, she was admitted to the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age ten, and in 1991, made her major orchestral debut with the... Midori Goto is a Japanese American violinist. She made her debut at the age of 11 in a last-minute change of programming during a concert highlighting young performers by the New York Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta. When she was 21, she formed the philanthropic group Midori and Friends to help bring music to... Jean-Yves Thibaudet -Early life:Jean-Yves Thibaudet was born in Lyon, France, to non-professional musical parents. His father played the violin, and his mother, of German origin and a somewhat accomplished pianist herself, introduced the instrument to Jean-Yves.... Marilyn Horne Marilyn Horne is an American mezzo-soprano opera singer. She specialized in roles requiring a large sound, beauty of tone, excellent breath support, and the ability to execute difficult coloratura passages.... Ani Kavafian Ani Kavafian is a classical violinist and professor at the Yale School of Music.Kavafian was born in Istanbul to parents of Armenian descent. In 1956 she moved with her family to Detroit, by which time she had begun playing piano. She began on violin at age nine, studying under Ara Zerounian and... Orion String Quartet The Orion String Quartet is a string quartet formed in 1987. It is the quartet-in-residence of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and New York's Mannes College of Music. The members are Todd and Daniel Phillips, brothers who alternate on first and second violin, violist Steven Tenenbom... The Sixteen The Sixteen are a choir and period instrument orchestra; founded by Harry Christophers in 1979.The group's special reputation for performing early English polyphony, masterpieces of the Renaissance, bringing fresh insights into Baroque and early Classical music and a diversity of 20th century... Sharon Isbin Sharon Isbin is a widely-recorded American classical guitarist, recording artist, concertizer, and the founder of the Guitar Department at the Juilliard School.-Early life and education:... Anne-Sophie Mutter Anne-Sophie Mutter is a German violinist.- Early life :Mutter was born in Rheinfelden, Germany. She began playing the piano at age five, and shortly afterwards took up the violin, studying with Erna Honigberger, a pupil of Carl Flesch... |
Impact and reception
In 1995 the Peabody AwardPeabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
, the highest honor in broadcasting, was awarded to Saint Paul Sunday. The foundation stated:
- For 15 years Minnesota Public Radio's Saint Paul Sunday has provided listeners with extraordinary access to the world's finest classical musicians. The luminaries presented by Bill McGlaughlin, host since the show's inception, ... [are numerous]. Saint Paul Sunday presents emerging new talent as well as commissioned classical works, including those by new composers Aaron Jay KernisAaron Jay KernisAaron Jay Kernis is an American composer and professor at the Yale School of Music.-Biography:Aaron Jay Kernis is Jewish, was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and studied at the Manhattan School of Music, the San Francisco Conservatory, and Yale University .,Notable works include the...
, Kenneth Frazelle, and Edgar MeyerEdgar MeyerEdgar Meyer is a prominent contemporary bassist and composer. His styles include classical, bluegrass, newgrass, and jazz. Meyer has worked as a session musician in Nashville, part of various chamber groups, a composer, and an arranger...
. Through the program's music and discussion format, listeners get to know the people behind the music and gain insight into the creative process. For an excellent series showcasing classical music, a Peabody to Minnesota Public Radio for Saint Paul Sunday.
The Los Angeles Times reports that:
- Saint Paul Sunday has a history of [listener] loyalty .... Ask these people what inspires their devotion, and the answers are all variations on one theme: The show achieves an inside look at world-class music-making that is intimate, welcoming, and ultimately addictive.
Listening
Saint Paul Sunday is broadcast on approximately 200 public and commercial radio stations in the U.S. Past, current, and future shows can also be listened to on the show's website. Current shows can also be listened to at various times of day on 31 online radio stations. The show also airs in New Zealand on Radio New Zealand Concert, and on XM Satellite RadioXM Satellite Radio
XM Satellite Radio is one of two satellite radio services in the United States and Canada, operated by Sirius XM Radio. It provides pay-for-service radio, analogous to cable television. Its service includes 73 different music channels, 39 news, sports, talk and entertainment channels, 21 regional...
Channel 133 Mondays at 4:00 AM Eastern Time. Online program notes, playlists, and artist profiles for each show — past, present, and future — are provided on the Saint Paul Sunday website.
External links
- Saint Paul Sunday Official Site
- Saint Paul Sunday
- Saint Paul Sunday: Past, current, and future shows, listenable online
- Saint Paul Sunday via streaming audio
- List of public radio stations currently airing Saint Paul Sunday
- Classical Music Initiative. "American Public Media’s Saint Paul Sunday." Classical Radio 101: A Primer for Performing Arts Partnerships. American Public Media, January 2005. p. 37
- Each Show Is Different: A Glimpse Behind the Scenes at Saint Paul Sunday
- "It Wouldn't Be a Sunday Without 'Saint Paul.'" Los Angeles Times, March 2, 2001
- Artist Profiles