Relevant Tones Seth Boustead

Castor and Patience is a new opera by composer Gregory Spears and libretto by former poet laureate and Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy K. Smith. 

The opera takes on the pervasive barriers to land ownership for Black Americans by telling the story of two cousins' struggles to own and keep property long held by their family.

Stephen Rawson attended the premiere and talked with Spears and Smith about the opera. 

Join us as we celebrate and honor the centennial of Charles Mingus! This episode will take a deep dive into his album Mingus Plays the Piano. Charles Mingus was a pioneer of the modern jazz movement and this album speaks to that.

Amongst his vast discography, this album takes a slight departure from his typical music styles. The listener will hear various influences of early 20th c. composers along with Mingus’ own amount of spice.

In the episode we will feature the album along with excerpts from the biography Beneath the Underdog: His World as Composed by Charles Mingus.

Host Austin Williams explores the cross roads of experimental music and Jazz. Many artists featured on today’s show come from the Twin Cities area which has a large free and experimental jazz scene.

Much like one might see in an improvising chamber group or players working from a graphic score, the music you hear is incredibly collaborative and raw in nature. Some groups will directly reference new classical music while others will show it through their practice and aesthetic

Taking a break from all your worries sure would help a lot. Wouldn't you like to get away? Hey, isn't that from the "Cheers" theme song?  Yes it is but after the last couple of weeks who can disagree?  Join host Austin Williams for a much-needed musical escape...

Music by Robert Honstein, Cassie Wieland, Wally Gunn.

The former front man of experimental rock band Battles, Tyondai Braxton has since ventured out into composing a wide array of wildly inventive original music.

He has been commissioned to write pieces for ensembles such as The Bang on a Can All Stars, Kronos Quartet, Alarm Will Sound, and Brooklyn Rider.

Host Austin Williams plays a few of his favorites.

Host Austin Williams features a variety of pieces that incorporate spoken word in some way.  Featuring music by Pamela Z, Tori & Ashley, Nina and Redacted Bell.