45 episodes
The Open Ears Project WQXR & WNYC Studios
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- Music
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4.9 • 36 Ratings
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Part mixtape, part sonic love-letter, The Open Ears Project is a podcast in which people share the classical track that means the most to them and why. Created by journalist and former WQXR Creative Director Clemency Burton-Hill, each episode offers a brief and soulful glimpse into human lives, helping us to hear this music — and each other — differently. Guests from the worlds of film, books, dance, comedy and fashion as well as firefighters, taxi drivers, and teachers share cherished musical memories and remind us that extraordinary things happen when we simply stop and listen.
Transcripts are posted to individual episode pages as they become available.
The Open Ears Project is produced by WQXR and WNYC Studios.
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Anne-Sophie Mutter on Why Bach Is Always the Answer
Acclaimed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter muses on how Bach’s music has accompanied her through moments of sorrow and joy alike.
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Víkingur Ólafsson on the Unpredictable Futurism of Rameau
Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson, known for his facility with canonic and contemporary music alike, muses on the unpredictability of both his homeland of Iceland and the Baroque “futurist” Rameau.
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Garth Greenwell on Finding Refuge in the Music of Britten and Pears
Novelist Garth Greenwell reflects on growing up in rural Kentucky and how he found hope and an example of queer love in Benjamin Britten’s music.
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Jennifer Egan on Chopin's Narrative Masterclass
Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Jennifer Egan explains what Chopin’s music taught her about writing.
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Rowan Williams on Bach and the Daily Discipline of Silence
The former Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams reflects on how listening to Bach feels a lot like prayer.
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Dexter Filkins on Tension, Tenderness, and Ravel
While covering the Iraq War, journalist Dexter Filkins witnessed impossible scenes of suffering. Here, he speaks about finding respite in the music of Ravel.
Customer Reviews
Lovely
This podcast is a gift! My favourite by far, I am so glad they brought it back. The most beautiful part of my day every time I listen to it.
Wonder
In a creative writing class, we were asked to play with the notion of “wonder” and to share the words that elicit it’s meaning. This podcast and the selection of pieces propelled me into that exercise and facilitated the exploration of the meaning of wonder much more easily than simply trying to somehow spontaneously conjure its meaning. Each piece, each voice, each story and each note invite us into the exploration of the meaning of wonder. A warm, kind, and powerful invitation to immerse oneself, to let oneself be swept away, to allow oneself to be swayed to and fro from memory to feeling to deep emotional reckoning...an invitation to let go of thoughts.... to let the mind wander, and to allow the body to wake, to hear with all of our senses....what a wonderous and wonderful and wonder provoking gift.
Brilliant
What a brilliant idea for a podcast. Lovely short and sweet episodes. I started with Eddie Izzard’s episode and now I’m hooked.