Kate Botello

Zikuan "Harvard" Zhao is a sophomore at Interlochen Arts Academy. The pianist from Shangdong Province, China came to Studio A to perform music of Franz Liszt.

Hey Kids Commuters! Welcome to Day Two of Bernstein Week on IPR's Kids Commute! This week, we're looking at the life and career of Leonard Bernstein - beloved 20th century composer, conductor and educator.

Today, we'll hear some jolly-sounding wickedness from Bernstein's 1956 operetta "Candide" - based on the philosophical novel by the French author Voltaire. The dastardly Governor of Buenos Aires, Argentina sends Candide off on a voyage - on a leaky boat!

Hi Kids Commuters! Welcome to "Bernstein Week" on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. This week, we’re looking at the life and career of Leonard Bernstein, one of the most popular conductors of the 20th century. His expressive conducting style, his love for music education, and his ability to connect with people made Bernstein a household name.

Classical IPR in Concert presents the Interlochen Arts Academy Singer-Songwriters in Studio A.  We caught up with a group of five students as they were about to embark on a tour of the Midwest with instructor Kyle Novy. Fellow instructor Courtney Kaiser-Sandler took a different student group to South by Southwest.

Listen Friday at 8pm, stream any time below!

Happy Wednesday! Welcome to Day Three of "Carmina Burana" Week on IPR's Kids Commute. "Carmina Burana" is a oratorio (a piece for voices and orchestra) written by the German composer Carl Orff in 1935.

Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Day Two of "Carmina Burana" Week on IPR's Kids Commute.  "Carmina Burana" is a oratorio (a piece for voices and orchestra) written by the German composer Carl Orff in 1935.

Happy Monday! Welcome to a whole new week on IPR's Kids Commute. This week is going to be huge - it's "Carmina Burana" Week! "Carmina Burana" is an oratorio (a piece for chorus and orchestra) written by the German composer Carl Orff in 1935. He based the work on texts written by medieval monks and religious workers - on their days off. Some of those folks had a pretty wild imagination!

Joining us this week is Kevin Rhodes, Conductor and Music Director of the Traverse Symphony Orchestra. The TSO will be performing "Carmina Burana" along with the Northwestern Michigan College and Interlochen Arts Academy Choirs this coming weekend. Tune in to find out how to win a pair of tickets!

Happy Friday, Kids Commuters!

We hope you've enjoyed celebrating April Fool's this week by becoming fools...for the polka! We've heard some fun, goofy polkas all week, and we'd still love for you to send your best (or worst!) joke to our Quizlet line!

What better way to wind up Polka Week than with America's current, beloved polka king - Weird Al Yankovic! He's been a big star since the 1970's, known for writing silly parody versions of hit radio songs. Today, though, we're hearing an original polka composition by Weird Al, written for "Pokemon 2000: The Power of Love."

Welcome to Day Four of Polka Week on IPR's Kids Commute!

Since Monday was April Fool's Day, we are celebrating this week by becoming fools...for the polka! We'll be listening to some fun, goofy polkas all week, and give you a chance to goof around with us at Quizlet time.

Today, we'll hear the wicked little "Devil's Polka" by Czech composer Vitezslav Novak. Listen for everything he does to make the music sound more "devilish!"

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"Devil's Polka"
Vitezslav Novak
Prague Symphony Orchestra/Vaclav Smetacek

Visiting vocal faculty member soprano Angela Yoon is giving a concert in the Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall tonight at 7:30pm. Joining her will be Dr. Jason Terry, a member of the piano faculty at Bradley University.

Welcome to Day Three of Polka Week on IPR's Kids Commute!

Since Monday was April Fool's Day, we are celebrating this week by becoming fools...for the polka! We'll be listening to some fun, goofy polkas all week, and give you a chance to goof around with us at Quizlet time.

Today, we'll enjoy an explosive polka by Johann Strauss II. Oh - you didn't think polkas could be explosive? Think again!

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Explosions Polka
Johann Strauss II
Vienna Philharmonic/Zubin Mehta

Happy Tuesday! Welcome to Day Two of Polka Week on IPR's Kids Commute!

Since Monday was April Fool's Day, we are celebrating this week by becoming fools...for the polka! We'll be listening to some fun, goofy polkas all week, and give you a chance to goof around with us at Quizlet time.

Happy Monday! Welcome to a whole new week on IPR's Kids Commute - classical music for kids!

Happy April Fool's Day! We're celebrating this week by becoming fools...for the polka! We'll be listening to some fun, goofy polkas all week, and give you a chance to goof around with us at Quizlet time.

Today, we'll hear one of the most famous polkas ever - "The Beer Barrel Polka!"

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"The Beer Barrel Polka"
Jaromir Veyvoda
Frankie Yankovic and His Yanks

It’s good to have you back for day two of Puppet Week on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. This week, we’re enjoying music written about puppets. Yesterday we shared “Loutky” by Bohuslav Martinu, and introduced you to a new Kids Commute Quizlet. Did you know the correct answer? If you didn’t get it yesterday, don’t worry. We’ll give you a hint in today’s episode.

Welcome to Puppet Week on Kids Commute - music appreciation for kids from Interlochen Public Radio! Join us as we listen through music written for and about puppets. This week we’ll highlight fun compositions by Charles Gounod, Igor Stravinsky, and more! Today’s musical selection is “Loutky” or “Puppets”, composed by Czechoslovakian composer, Bohuslav Martinu.

Hooray for Friday! It’s the final day of the school week, and the final day of “Dolly Week” on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. All week long, we’ve been hearing selections from the six movement suite composed by French composer Gabriel Fauré in the 1890s.

Elnora Milliken, founder of the Traverse Symphony Orchestra and lifelong friend and supporter of the arts, passed away recently. A talented musician and dedicated philanthropist, Elnora was a driving force for the arts in Northern Michigan.

Hi Kids Commuters! We’re glad you’re joining us for Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. We hope your week is going well, and are happy that Kids Commute is the soundtrack for your school year. This week, we’re listening to Gabriel Fauré’s “Dolly” suite, composed in the late 1800s.

As we’ve learned in this week’s shows, Dolly isn’t actually a doll and the second movement, “Mi-a-ou” isn’t about a cat. Today, we learn that the “Kitty Valse” (or waltz) isn’t actually about a cat either! So what gives? Find out in today's episode! Have you figured out the answer to this week’s Quizlet? Great! If you haven’t quite figured it out yet, don’t worry. We’ll give you one more hint right after the music in today’s show. Text us the correct answer, and we’ll send you a Kids Commute Prize Pack.

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Dolly, Op. 56, No. 4 - “Kitty Valse”
Composer: Gabriel Fauré
Performers: Sally Pinkas and Evan Hirsch, four-hand piano

Here's today's Kids Commute:

Welcome to the mid-week episode of Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. Our theme this week is "Dolly Week" -  but we’re not talking about Barbie or G.I. Joe action figures. “Dolly” is a suite of music with six movements written in the late 1800s by French composer, Gabriel Fauré.

Welcome back to Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. The Kids Commute Team hopes you had a good Monday and that you’re ready to have a fantastic Tuesday! Yesterday, we introduced our new theme, “Dolly Week” based on a six movement suite of music composed between 1893 and 1896 by French composer Gabriel Fauré.

In Monday’s show, we listened to the first movement of the suite. Today, we highlight the second movement, "Mi-a-ou." It sounds like it was written for a cat, but it wasn’t a cat at all. Curious? Listen to today’s show and get the answer to the question, "what (or who) is Mi-a-ou"?

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"Dolly" - Op. 56, No. 2 - “Mi-a-ou”
Gabriel Fauré
Performers: Sally Pinkas and Evan Hirsch, four-hand piano

Here's today's Kids Commute:

Welcome to a fresh week of music on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. As you know, a new week means a new theme, and a new Quizlet! This week we’re listening to a suite of music composed by French composer, Gabriel Fauré, born in 1845.

The “Dolly” Suite, was written for four-hand piano (also known as a duet), and is made up of six short pieces. In today’s episode, we’ll get some background information on the Dolly that Fauré was writing about, and hear music written for Dolly’s first birthday. Plus, we’ll introduce this week’s Quizlet. Do you think you can get the answer without any hints? If you text us the correct answer, we’ll send you a Kids Commute Prize Pack. Don’t worry if you don’t get it right away, you can keep trying!

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"Dolly" - Opus 56. No. 1 "Berceuse"
Gabriel Fauré
Sally Pinkas and Evan Hirsch, four-hand piano

Here's today's Kids Commute:

Happy Friday! We’ve been bugging you all week on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio. Spiders, ants, butterflies, mantises, and mayflies all have gotten in on the action during “The Spider’s Feast”- a ballet composed by Albert Roussel in 1912.

How will this bug drama end? So far, the spider has triumphantly captured a butterfly and picked a fight with mantises over fruit worms. Will the spider continue to feast on every bug that’s unlucky enough to get stuck in its web? Will the mantises continue to try to steal its feast? Will they all get squished by the gardener? We’re not going to give away the answer, but we will give you the answer to this week’s Quizlet after the music.

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"The Spider's Feast"
Albert Roussel
Rotislav Dubinsky/BBC Philharmonic

Here's today's Kids Commute:

Spider Snack Week continues on Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio! It’s been a fun week as we shrink down to bug size and witness the adventures of a spider trying to snag a tasty snack. This week we listen to “The Spider’s Feast” -  a ballet by French composer Albert Roussel.

Our story so far has taken us from the spider building its web, a poor butterfly getting stuck, and a battle between our spider and some mantises fighting over fruit worms. Today, we’ll listen to music for mayflies. Mayflies have an incredibly short life - usually a day or less! Today’s music is the soundtrack to a mayfly hatching and having a little dance before meeting its fate.

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"The Spider's Feast"
Albert Roussel
Rotislav Dubinsky/BBC Philharmonic

Here's today's Kids Commute:

Happy Websday, oops - WEDNESDAY! from the Kids Commute team at Interlochen Public Radio! It’s the middle of Spider Snack Week as we listen to music from French composer Albert Roussel’s ballet, “The Spider’s Feast.”

So far, we’ve heard music to accompany the spider building its web and catching its first meal. In today’s show, we shrink ourselves down to bug size to observe some major bug drama. An apple has crashed to the ground, bringing fruit worms with it. Those fruit worms sure look tasty to the spider, but they also look tasty to the spider’s rival - praying mantises who think those fruit worms look really tasty too! How would you feel if somebody tried to steal your lunch? You’d probably be pretty upset, and so is our spider who fights for its right to a decent lunch. The ants from Monday’s show circle around the mantises and the spider and cheer on the action!

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"The Spider's Feast"
Albert Roussel
Rotislav Dubinsky/BBC Philharmonic

Here's today's Kids Commute:

Welcome back to Kids Commute from Interlochen Public Radio! This week, we’re listening to highlights from Albert Roussel’s ballet, “The Spider’s Feast”, written in 1912. Listen to the story develop and after the music, you’ll get a hint at the answer to this week’s Quizlet.

In yesterday’s show, we heard the music that accompanies our garden spider as it builds its web to catch a tasty meal. Today’s show is bad news for butterflies, or rather, one butterfly in particular. Our spider’s web has worked! Listen to the music of a butterfly gracefully flying, then struggling as it realizes it’s stuck in the web.

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"The Spider's Feast"
Albert Roussel
Rotislav Dubsinsky

Here's today's Kids Commute: