April 20, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Rick Linsk, reporter at the St. Paul Pioneer Press, about Vang Pao Foundation. The non-profit foundation named for General Vang Pao, a leader in the Hmong community, faces a law suit from the office of State Attorney General Mike Hatch. The suit alleges that the Vang Pao Foundation engaged in questionable spending, and bypassed state charity laws.
April 11, 2005 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews U.S. Poet Laureate Ted Kooser. They discuss Kooser winning the Pulitzer Prize. Segment also includes Kooser reading two poems.
January 21, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews Eric Nesheim, executive director of the Minnesota Literacy Council, about social service agencies struggling to keep up with the demand for services in an era of budget shortfalls.
January 5, 2005 - All Things Considered’s Tom Crann interviews one of Minnesota's most celebrated composers, Dominick Argento. In a new memoir, Argento says he has as little insight as anyone into what happens when he sits down to compose. So instead, he offers a series of reflections on his lifetime of work, the individual pieces, and teaching and learning in Minnesota. Those memories include his first impression of the state, when he was called to teach at the University of Minnesota on the first weekend of the school year in 1958.
February 6, 2004 - MPR Classical Music host Tom Crann talks with Dale Warland about the song "Walden Revisited" from the CD "Walden Pond" by the Dale Warland Singers being nominated for a Grammy in the Best Choral Performance category.
June 6, 2003 - In episode 10 of American Mavericks series, the evolution of the orchestra is explored. Program includes music segments of highlighted composers and interviews with various people in the classical music world, including Vivian Perlis, John Adams, Tan Dun, Michael Torke, Lou Harrison, Steve Reich, Steven Mackey, and David Del Tredici.
January 10, 2002 - MPR’s Tom Crann talks with composer Daniel Schnyder about The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra world premiere of "Krisis," a symphony honoring the victims of the September 11th attacks. The piece has three movements reflecting stages in human reactions to tragedy.
August 6, 2001 - Robert Spaethling isn't the first person to translate Mozart's letters, but he went to great lengths to be the most precise. The German professor chose 275 letters and postscripts written by Mozart over a span of 22 years. Spaethling tells MPR's Tom Crann it was especially difficult to translate the poems Mozart wrote, like one he sent to his mother in January of 1778.
February 8, 2001 - MPR Classical Music Host Tom Crann interviews John Adams, one of the best known living American composers. Adams returns to St. Paul to conduct his own work, and some of the work that he says has inspired him over the years. John Adams will lead The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra as it plays works by Debussy, Satie Ravel, and his own Violin Concerto.
November 23, 2000 - MPR’s Tom Crann interviews Irish virtuoso flute player James Galway. The two discuss conductor Herbert von Karajan, religious aspects of Mozart compositions, challenges as a conductor, and Galway’s personal success.