YourClassical MPR: Choral Works Initiative, Regional Recordings, and Digital Features

YourClassical MPR (YCMPR) 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 these performances for 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. We also provide live coverage of the Minnesota Orchestra and the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra and occasionally others. In FY24-25, we will expand beyond classical music by highlighting a variety of Minnesota artists who represent other forms of music.

Complementing regional music performances, we will offer our weekly radio segment Weekend Picks with John Birge highlighting local classical music as well as other on-air content including interviews with local musicians. In addition, we will produce on-air and digital features highlighting the musical passions of high-school and college-age youth through Project DJ' led by host Steve Staruch.

' YourClassical MPR Multi-Platform Features: These highlight 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 from ensembles and individual artists of all ages. These stories are found in the farthest corners of Greater Minnesota and in the metro.

YourClassical MPR has blue-ribbon relationships of mutual benefit with all the state's Classical music organizations and presenters ' large and small. Many of these organizations are eager for digital innovation. Many lack electronic media infrastructure and experience to realize audience gains,they look to a partner like MPR to help. They provide the content, we provide the staff, gear, and know-how, a win-win.