YourClassical MPR: Choral Works Initiative, Regional Recordings, and Digital Features
YourClassical MPR contributes to Minnesota's cultural excellence by providing classical music programs via broadcast and streaming services twenty-four hours a day. YourClassical MPR treasures vital and mutually beneficial relationships with individual Minnesota artists, ensembles large and small, and presenting organizations around the state. YourClassical MPR helps support Minnesota's vibrant classical music scene by highlighting this work across its platforms through audio, video and live performances and feature articles. It provides access across to these performances to Minnesotans across the state and helps introduce new audiences to a diversity of classical musicians.
YourClassical MPR's Minnesota-focused programming includes:
- Choral Works Initiative: YourClassical MPR's Choral Works initiative connects with Minnesota's robust choral community, through 1) Bring the Sing live events, large-scale community singing events, and also with 2) the Choral Stream, one of YourClassical MPR's most popular digital streams which offers 24 hours of choral music of which 50% is from Minnesota's own talented choirs. These projects attract enthusiastic audiences who have an existing relationship with choral music as well as introduce the joy of choral music to new audiences.
- Regional Recordings: YourClassical MPR promotes, records, and distributes to Minnesota audiences the wealth of music made in our state. Past partners have included the Minnesota Beethoven Festival (Winona), Minnesota Orchestra, Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Minnesota Opera, Matinee Musicale (Duluth), Schubert Club, Concordia College (Moorhead), and others. In FY22-23, we will expand beyond classical music by highlighting a variety of Minnesota artists who represent other forms of music. We will revive our weekly radio segment "Weekend Picks with John Birge" highlighting local classical music. In addition, we will produce on-air and digital features highlighting the musical passions of high-school and college-age youth through Project DJ.
- YourClassical MPR Digital Features: Digital Features production highlights Minnesota artists, ensembles and organizations that are having an impact on the classical music scene within Minnesota. Our bloggers and videographers represent the story of great music made in Minnesota, embracing diverse communities of language, ethnicity, musical styles
Minnesota Public Radio FY22/23 Legacy Grant
$1,891,500 the first year and $1,891,500 the second year are for Minnesota Public Radio to create programming and expand news service on Minnesota's cultural heritage and history.
Legacy Outcomes:
- Arts, culture and history will thrive in Minnesota.
- Increase in the locally focused content and Minnesota focused content produced by public television and radio and an increase in the number of local artists, historians, writers, and others that have their work showcased through public broadcasting.
YourClassical MPR's projects, including the Choral Initiative, Regional Recordings and Digital Features, contribute towards these Outcomes:
- Audiences indicate that they have increased access to high quality music from Minnesota performing groups.
- Audiences report increased knowledge of and engagement with the local music community.
- Musicians/performing organizations report increased visibility as a result of their partnership with YourClassical MPR that has a positive impact on their careers.