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Music

A Mighty Good Road

On October 15, 1852, the first train of the Chicago and Rock Island Railroad traveled from Chicago to Joliet, Illinois. Two years later it would bring a delegation of East Coast journalists and dignitaries to the Mississippi River as part of the Grand Excursion to Minnesota. Over the next 50 years, as the Rock Island Line grew, it carried passengers and freight through 14 states and became part of the story of the American west. Then it inspired a song that has been passed from generation to generation. Minnesota Public Radio's Jim Bickal has traced the stories of the song and the railroad and discovered that together they tell quite a tale.

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David Galligan at the Ordway

David Galligan is the new President and CEO at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul. He faces several challenges, including balancing the budget and keeping his tenants - four major arts organizations - happy.

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Composers get unique chance to hear their works

The composers who have written works for the World Choral Symposium in the Twin Cities this week have a rare opportunity - to hear a full-fledged performance of their work by some of the world's greatest singers.

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World's best coming to "choral country"

Some of the best singers in the world are in Minnesota for the next several days. The Twin Cities is hosting the triennial World Choral Symposium. It's the first time the event has ever been held in the U.S.

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International Piano-E Competition, 2002

The International Piano e-Competition is a first in many ways. There’s never been an international music competition of this scale in Minnesota before. It’s the first competition that takes advantage of digital technology, providing a live performance equivalent to two members of the jury who will be in a hotel room in Tokyo listening to the same player that the judges in St. Paul will hear, at the same time. It’s probably the first time that one can experience these young pianists live, new discoveries awaiting those who are ready to listen.

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Opera Comes to Lake Wobegon?

"Mr. and Mrs. Olson," says Garrison Keillor, "is the story of a marriage searching for romance, as all marriages do from time to time, and it is a pastiche that Andy Stein and I have cobbled together from classics, stealing here and there, as other composers do but without admitting it.

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Mark Adamo's "Little Women"

Composer Mark Adamo paid a visit to the Twin Cities for the Minnesota premiere of his opera Little Women. Based on the beloved novel by Louisa May Alcott, Little Women is a glimpse into the life of one New England family during the Civil War.

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Sound Irish, 2002

Flutist James Galway, perhaps Ireland's most acclaimed musical ambassador, and an engaging storyteller, reviews his long and distinguished career. We visit Ireland's noted Killaloe Festival, the picturesque summer home of the Irish Chamber Orchestra. It's held in the medieval St. Flannan's Cathedral on the banks of the River Shannon, and has garnered international acclaim. Sounds Irish includes a performance of a Corelli concerto by the ICO with musical director Nicholas McGegan conducting, as recorded at the Killaloe Festival.

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Bach's bible

Dr. Thomas Rossin, musical director of Twin Cities-based chamber choir and orchestra Exultate, recently brought Bach's bible to the MPR studios. He has done his doctoral dissertation on the discovery of this treasure and on the nearly 400 notations Bach made in the books.

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Instrumental Women: conducting business

In 1900 it was virtually unheard of for a woman to play in an orchestra—let alone conduct one. A century later, audiences are still surprised when the person who steps onto the podium is female. Instrumental Women: Conducting Business looks at the challenges facing women in the field of conducting—from education to community outreach.

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