Latest in Classical Music

Since the 1940s, Hugh Downs has been known to most Americans as a television host on programs including "Tonight: Starring Jack Paar," "Today" and "20/20."

Downs, who died July 1 at the age of 99, was also a composer of classical music. He hosted the PBS classical music program "Live from Lincoln Center" during the 1990s.

Trumpeter Walter White was a little disappointed when the television show "Breaking Bad" starting becoming popular. 

White says that he used to be at the top of the Google searches for his name, or in second place after the longtime NAACP leader Walter Francis White.

The rodents that thrive in dry sandy fields at Interlochen are called thirteen-lined ground squirrels. At least, that’s what we call them now.

Around Independence Day, I like to recall their original common name: federation squirrels.

These grasslands creatures have thirteen stripes, alternating dark and light, that are interspersed with little dots that look rather like stars.

The Little Betsie River connects the two lakes at Interlochen. Then the Betsie River flows from Green Lake to Lake Michigan.

They were named for a duck: a merganser.

Early maps of Lake Michigan bear names given by the French. They called the Betsie "la Reviere du Bec-Scie," or "the River of the Saw Beaks."

The French called mergansers “saw beaks” because of the serrations on the ducks’ narrow  bills. These sawtooth edges aid the birds in capturing and holding onto the slippery fish that make up the bulk of their diet.

This week on Classical IPR in Concert, the program features chamber music performed by faculty members of the 2019 Interlochen Arts Camp. 

Listen Friday at 8 p.m., Sunday at 12 p.m. or any time on demand below.

At Interlochen, breath control is a big deal. 

Singers, wind players, actors and dancers all have to deal with the basic need to have enough breath to produce their art.

Our beloved loons have breath control under control.  These remarkable birds can dive and stay under water for about three minutes, maybe more. And that is while undergoing strenuous exercise!

You can watch them disappear beneath the surface, but it is anybody’s guess where they might resurface.

After Mort Achter won a boxing competition at a sports camp in the summer of 1947, his parents were worried.

They told him he'd have to go to music camp at Interlochen the next summer. If he didn't like it, he could return to sports camp the following year.

Starting in 1948, Achter would spend every summer for over a decade at Interlochen's National Music Camp.

Classical IPR is proud to continue the tradition of presenting the World Youth Symphony Orchestra on Sunday evenings.

This week, we begin our season sharing performances from the Interlochen archives.

Tune in Sunday at 8 p.m., or listen below at any time.

On the program:

Rossini: The Thieving Magpie Overture, WYSO (2000)

Hanson: A Sea Symphony, WYSO and High School Choir (1977)

Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture, National High School Orchestra (1961)

Berlioz: Beatrice and Benedict Overture, WYSO (2005)

For many years, it's been a summertime tradition to come to the Interlochen campus on Saturday nights to hear performances of the World Youth Wind Symphony (WYWS).

This year, we're celebrating in a new way, with concerts on the radio!

Tune in to Classical IPR for three Saturday nights for "An Evening with the World Youth Wind Symphony."

Listen to the first episode this coming Saturday, June 27, or listen any time below.

PROGRAM FOR JUNE 27, 2020

  This week on GAMEPLAY: we explore beloved music from one of the most successful fantasy role-playing games of all time: The Elder Scrolls V: SKYRIM!

Millions of gamers have gotten pleasantly lost in this rich wintry world since 2011, with its deep story and detailed history, politics, and mythology that are easily comparable to Game of Thrones or the Lord of the Rings.

This week’s full episode and playlist are available below.

  There’s nothing like the thrilling sound of many voices coming together!

On this week’s episode of GAMEPLAY, we celebrate the chorus in videogames.

We’ll hear the first piece of game music to win a Grammy, and we’ll enjoy singing in languages living, dead, and created too, from English and Latin to Swahili, Old Norse, and a magical tongue spoken by dragons!  

This week’s full episode and playlist are available below.

Welcome to another Singalong Soiree on Classical IPR! This time, we've pulled together a collection of popular showtunes for you to show off your pipes!

Many of our songs come from IPR's Vinyl Vault, which contains original vinyl pressings of many classic Tony-nominated musicals, but we've got a couple of recent hits, too.

SHOWTUNES IN THE SOIREE

Classical IPR is broadcasting the sounds of Interlochen this summer, and we want you to be a part of it!

Starting Monday, June 29, we'll share audio postcards from Interlochen camp alumni during our local broadcasts. 

If you're an Interlochen camp alum or a member of the faculty or staff, we want to hear from you.