Podcasts · Kids & Family

Classical Sprouts

Interlochen Public Radio

80 episodes

Kate Botello makes classical music fun, funny and interactive on Classical Sprouts, the AWESOME classical music podcast for kids from Interlochen Public Radio! Classical Sprouts brings families together to plant seeds of classical music curiosity.

Episodes page 1 of 2

  1. All about the celesta

    · 7:45

    It looks like a small upright piano, but is shaped like an organ and sounds like a glockenspiel... It’s the Celesta! We’re learning about and listening to music that features the celesta, a bell-like keyboard…

  2. The art of listening with Evelyn Glennie

    · 8:43

    Scottish percussionist Dame Evelyn Glennie has been a rockstar in the classical music world for decades. She’s performed at an Olympic opening ceremony, has traveled all over the world to perform a wide variety of…

  3. Partying With Respighi's 'The Birds'

    · 17 min

    Was that a bird or a violin? Fluttering wings, scratching feet, pecking beaks: Italian composer Ottorino Respighi captured these sounds and more in his piece for small orchestra called "The Birds" (or, in Italian, "Gli…

  4. Cécile Chaminade's Flute Concertino

    · 9:23

    Her music was played at Queen Victoria’s funeral, she composed an opera, multiple works for orchestra, was an accomplished pianist herself, and wrote a very famous concertino for flute. We’re learning about French…

  5. Yo-Yo Ma and that one Bach cello suite

    · 6:50

    Yo-Yo Ma has been playing the same Bach cello suite since he was only 4 years old, right as he started learning the cello. Now, he's using his fame (and performances of that same cello suite) to promote what he…

  6. Amy Beach

    · 19 min

    Composer Amy Beach was a lot of "firsts" - the first woman to have a symphony performed by a major orchestra, one of the first composers to train exclusively in the United States and more.

  7. Pachelbel's Canon

    · 8:37

    It's chord progression appears in countless pop songs, it's played at tons of weddings and repeats the same 8 notes over and over again… what is it? It’s Pachelbel’s Canon! We’ll get into what makes this piece so…

  8. Classical Sprouts: Saint-Saens 'The Swan'

    · 7:27

    It was the only movement of Camille Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals" that he allowed to be performed while he was still alive. "The Swan" depicts a majestic bird gliding along the water and is now standard…

  9. Meet The Kanneh-Masons

    · 18 min

    This sibling septet of violinists, cellists and pianists ranging in age from 14 to 27 is known around the world for their impressive musicianship.

  10. Vivaldi's "Spring"

    · 7:45

    Snow is melting, the air no longer feels sharp, and the sun has returned! How should we celebrate? With Antonio Vivialdi of course! We’re listening for the sounds of warmer weather in the "Spring" movement of Vivaldi’s…

  11. What is a sonata?

    · 6:56

    It’s in the name of countless pieces of music… but what makes a sonata, a sonata? We’re going to figure out the building blocks of a sonata using Mozart’s Sonata No. 16 in C Major this week on Classical Sprouts.

  12. Season 7 is sprouting!

    · 1:37

    Spring is just around the corner, which means it's time for our newest season of Classical Sprouts - the Awesome Classical Music Podcast for Kids!

  13. Linda Ronstadt and The Anatomy of a Musical Joke

    · 5:07

    American rock and pop singer Linda Ronstadt sang the role of Mabel in the 1983 movie version of Gilbert and Sullivan's operetta, "The Pirates of Penzance." But she wasn't known as an opera singer. Hear how she used…

  14. Ravel's 'Boléro'

    · 8:21

    How did composer Maurice Ravel write a piece of music that lasts for 15 whole minutes and only has one rhythm and melody? What did audiences think?? Find out this week on Classical Sprouts.

  15. L'Elisir d'Amore

    · 19 min

    Love! Handsome soldiers! Quack doctors! Weddings! And love potions? Learn all about this romantic opera on Classical Sprouts!

  16. Composers Of African Descent With William Chapman Nyaho

    · 18 min

    We're hanging out with this acclaimed Ghanaian-American pianist as we learn about some of his favorite composers of African descent!

  17. QuinTango

    · 20 min

    What makes tango tango? Find out this week with the acclaimed tango ensemble QuinTango!

  18. 'Sleeping Beauty' and the Garland Waltz

    · 7:08

    Did you know the melody from Disney's "Sleeping Beauty" love duet "Once Upon a Dream" was actually written by Tchaikovsky? We're listening to the Garland Waltz this week on Classical Sprouts.

  19. Holst's 'The Planets: Jupiter'

    · 6:22

    This week on Classical Sprouts, we're going to space with composer Gustav Holst, as we explore "Jupiter" from his suite, "The Planets."

  20. 'The Blue Danube'

    · 6:14

    It's played every year on New Year's Day, but what is Johann Strauss II's "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" about?

  21. 'Coppélia'

    · 20 min

    Get out your pointe shoes - we're exploring Léo Delibes' ballet, Coppélia!

  22. Tchaikovsky's 'The Nutcracker'

    · 18 min

    Life-size dolls, mouse soldiers, dancing snowflakes, candies, flowers and a beautiful ballet princess . . .

  23. The Music Of 'West Side Story'

    · 18 min

    Learn more about how this hit Broadway show changed the sound of musical theater.

  24. The Making of 'Florencia en el Amazonas' at the Met Pt. 2

    · 19 min

    Find out what it's like to sing in Spanish at the Metropolitan Opera with your opera idol with soprano and opera star, Gabriella Reyes.

  25. The Making of 'Florencia en el Amazonas' at the Met Pt. 1

    · 21 min

    Find out what it takes to put on a show at the Metropolitan Opera. Classical Sprouts producer Emily Duncan Wilson went to the final dress rehearsal of Daniel Catán's "Florencia en el Amazonas" and spoke with the…

  26. 'El Sapo': the unhelpful Venezuelan toad dad

    · 8:07

    Kate shares one of her favorite (but somehow also least favorite) Venezuelan folk song, 'El Sapo'!

  27. Season 6 is coming soon!

    · 1:42

    We're getting festive this season and getting ready to dance! We'll learn a Venezuelan folk song, go the the opera, play video games, and head to space!

  28. Maria Tallchief

    · 5:21

    Ballet superstar, Native American advocate ... Maria Tallchief was COOL.

  29. 'Spirit Chief Names the Animal People' with Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate

    · 17 min

    Join the trickster coyote, the lumbering bear, the swimming salmon and the majestic eagle as they get their new names from the Spirit Chief. Composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate is our guest this week on Classical…

  30. Classical Cats! with Clap For Classics

    · 16 min

    Composers have been inspired by their feline friends for a long, long time. This week on Classical Sprouts, explore cat-themed pieces of classical music and stretch in the sun, chase a mouse, walk on a keyboard and more!

  31. The Dies Irae And Where To Find It

    · 16 min

    Explore the Dies Irae, a spooky medieval melody that still shows up in all kinds of music - from Franz Liszt to Frozen!

  32. Stephen Sondheim! with Pasadena Playhouse's Danny Feldman

    · 23 min

    Go Into The Woods, to Ancient Rome and to the Tony Awards with the music of Stephen Sondheim and the Pasadena Playhouse's Producing Artistic Danny Feldman this week on Classical Sprouts.

  33. The Goat Rodeo Sessions!

    · 8:18

    What happens when you combine classical music with bluegrass? A goat rodeo! This week on Classical Sprouts, join Producer Emily as she shares some of the music from The Goat Rodeo Sessions, performed by Yo-Yo Ma, Chris…

  34. Papageno And 'The Magic Flute'

    · 14 min

    Experience Mozart's famous opera through the eyes of everyone's favorite birdcatcher, Papageno!

  35. Have you heard of Agnes Tyrrell?

    · 7:41

    This composer was a contemporary of Franz Lizst, but didn't have her work published during her lifetime. Now, Interlochen Arts Camp Instructor of Piano Jocelyn Swigger is on a mission to uncover, publish, and perform…

  36. Rossini's 'La Cenerentola'

    · 16 min

    Kindness is key in Rossini's take on Cinderella, where there's no magic: no glass slippers, no pumpkin carriage, and no fairy godmother!

  37. The Story of the Saxophone

    · 20 min

    Learn about the history of the saxophone through the actual instruments themselves! Jake Goldwasser is a saxophone player, a saxocologist, and the curating fellow with the Greenleaf Collection at Interlochen Center For…

  38. Gilbert and Sullivan's 'The Pirates of Penzance'

    · 21 min

    Soft-hearted Pirates! Fast-talking Major-Generals! Love, insomnia, battles, and love for the Queen! We’re heading to the shores of Cornwall, England with our pirate costumes as we explore the Gilbert and Sullivan…

  39. Season 5 is on its way!

    · 1:21

    We're swabbing the deck, hanging out with cats and goats, listening to some reallllly old saxophones and more this season on Classical Sprouts!

  40. 'Pictures at an Exhibition' Part 2: From a Piano to an Orchestra and Beyond!

    · 18 min

    Dig into four movements of Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and hear how they sound as the original piano score, how it grows into a piece for orchestra, and how other ensembles have imagined them!

  41. Music Of The Middle East

    · 16 min

    Heard of the oud? How about the darbuka? Find out what they are on this musical tour of the Middle East!

  42. A Venezuelan Cow Milking Song

    · 7:06

    Kate shares a Venezuelan folk song that was used to calm down cows when they are being milked!

  43. Pictures At An Exhibition Part 1: Let's Go To A Museum!

    · 16 min

    Gnomes, dancing chicks, a witch's hut ... we have lots of paintings and music to explore!

  44. Flowerpot Music

    · 8:18

    It's time to raid your patio for percussion instruments!

  45. John Philip Sousa Marches

    · 17 min

    Why were John Philip Sousa and his marches so famous? Find out here!

  46. Stravinsky's 'The Firebird'

    · 13 min

    Enchanted garden + magic bird = hit ballet

  47. A Satie Sidebar

    · 2:38

    The self-described "velvet gentleman" had all kinds of quirks.

  48. Satie's 'Sports et Divertissements'

    · 13 min

    Grab your swimsuit or lace up your tennis shoes — we're getting sporty!

  49. 'Switched-On Bach'

    · 22 min

    Wendy Carlos's surprising combination of the brand-new Moog synthesizer and Bach's music became a massive hit!

  50. Eurovision 2023

    · 8:06

    Recapping the 2023 Eurovision Song Contest!

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