This was an email I received from a Classical IPR listener recently. They were talking about hearing recordings of performances from IPR’s Studio A and at Interlochen Center for the Arts.
As any regular Classical IPR listener can attest, we broadcast recordings that were made here at Interlochen and elsewhere in northern Michigan. We have Grammy winners, internationally recognized performers and respected pedagogues come all the time and perform.
Some of our recent recordings include performances by the Grammy-winning Harlem String Quartet, internationally renowned vocal group the King’s Singers and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s principal bassoonist Keith Buncke.
If you listen to Classical IPR, you’re going to hear these recordings that were made here. We also include recordings of local ensembles such as the Traverse City Philharmonic and Canticum Novum. Those recordings are an integral part of our programming.
Using recordings made at Interlochen and elsewhere in the region is a priority for us, and it’s part of our mission. Why?
Frankly, because we’re the only station in the world that can feature these recordings in the way that we do. We’re the only classical station at Interlochen, and Interlochen is very important in the world of classical music. (Interlochen is important in all of the arts, of course, but classical music was first!)
Classical radio stations in Chicago, Cleveland and Los Angeles feature their regional ensembles - why wouldn’t our station here between the lakes feature recordings made here? We love our unique collection of recordings that were made here - no other station in the world has this same collection. Only IPR listeners can hear how the Harlem String Quartet sounded at City Opera House live in January of 2025.
To the listener quoted above, these recordings represent “lesser music” that is “less well presented.” I can’t speak to the “lesser music” comment because I’ve learned that there are no universal truths in terms of taste. Just read our inbox following any episode of Music by Request on the weekends to see people adoring and excoriating others’ selections.
But “less well presented”? There I would say “differently presented” instead. I don’t think anyone expects a recording of the Traverse City Philharmonic in Lars Hockstad at Central Grade School or the World Youth Symphony Orchestra in Kresge Auditorium to sound indistinguishable from the world’s top orchestras in multi-million dollar venues.
I’m sorry that our programming makes this particular listener cringe. The good news is, classical music stations from anywhere in the world are available at the tap of a finger. Those who prefer to hear commercial recordings of major international orchestras have their choice of stations, from Sirius XM’s classical service to FM and streaming radio stations in New York, Chicago and Los Angeles.
But there are thousands of listeners every month who choose Classical IPR specifically because it sounds like northern Michigan and features performances made in the region. Those who enjoy the sounds of Interlochen and northern Michigan can stream us and feel like they’re here.
Note: a version of this piece originally appeared in the Traverse City Record-Eagle as part of the "Tuning In" series.
