It says right in the chorus that Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is a tale of woe. But according to conductor JoAnn Falletta, so was the war experience of Maurice Ravel, and that turmoil is found in his piece La Valse.

Joel Thompson’s choral/orchestral work The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed is an example of music facing a societal conversation and traumatic event head-on. The piece was performed in Nashville two seasons ago, and it hasn’t become any less relevant in the meantime.

Evening and overnight classical music hosts Scott Blankenship and Garrett McQueen do a lot of interviews together, and are often asked how they started their radio careers. So, to shake things up a bit, we asked them to each describe the other’s start in the profession.

While protests overnight in Minneapolis following the death of George Floyd, Garrett McQueen and Scott Blankenship had the task of getting to work and hosting overnight classical music on the radio in nearby St. Paul.

Classically Speaking host Colleen Phelps was joined by a panel of musicians, activists, teachers, and clergy to discuss Joel Thompson’s choral work The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed.

In a world of music that none of us would have predicted five months ago, many musicians are making technology their new virtuoso skill. Others are ready to take this moment to reshape the classical canon.