Brooke Knoll
Digital Audience Specialist & On-Air Host, Classical KCBrooke Knoll is the digital audience specialist and on-air host for Classical KC. A Minnesota native, she comes to Kansas City from the Twin Cities, where she received her BSB in Entrepreneurial and Public Non-Profit Management from the University of Minnesota - Carlson School of Management, as well as a major in harp performance. She was the on-air host of Radio K’s all-classical show, Rock Me, Amadeus, during her college years before joining YourClassical Minnesota Public Radio as a digital producer and board operator.
An advocate for arts accessibility, she has previously worked with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, Cuban American Youth Orchestra and Minnesota Orchestra on their initiatives to engage younger audiences and cultivate the next generation of classical music lovers.
When not obsessing over all things classical radio, you can find her hiking, playing harp, starting a new craft, or searching for vinyl to add to her growing collection.
Brooke is the host of the Kansas City Local Feature and can also be heard weekdays from 3-5 p.m. on Classical KC.
You can reach Brooke at brooke@classicalkc.org.
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Kansas City's Midwest Chamber Ensemble has been presenting diverse concert programs and eclectic performance opportunities for over a decade. Brooke Knoll speaks with artistic director and violist Kathryn Hilger about the group's mission, recording projects and upcoming season. We'll hear music by Claude Debussy, Igor Stravinsky, Joan Tower and Robert Schumann.
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As a gathering place for all classical music lovers in Kansas City, Classical KC presents as many upcoming concert seasons by local groups as we can get our hands on.
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Composer Max Reger wrote that Bach’s music is “powerful and inexhaustible medicine.” This week we have JS Bach suites for orchestra, solo cello, and solo piano. They are masterfully performed and are indeed a tonic for our hectic lives.
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The globe-trotting, multi-disciplinary musician and composer Matthias Pintscher will take over the reigns of the Kansas City Symphony from Michael Stern this summer. Brooke Knoll speaks with him about his early life, how he got the gig in Kansas City and what his plans are for the orchestra. We'll hear his original compositions, plus music by Sergei Rachmaninoff.
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The musical form known as “serenade” goes back to the troubadours of old. Later composers used the term to describe multi-movement works for small ensemble or large orchestra. This week we have two gorgeous serenades: one for full orchestra by Max Reger and the other for strings by Sir Edward Elgar.
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Celebrating 25 years as one of Ireland's most acclaimed musical ambassadors, the Irish Tenors are set to perform in Kansas City on March 6. Christy L'Esperance speaks with all three about their early inspirations, Irish culture in America and what makes their performances unique.
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Born in Prairie Village, tenor Ben Bliss has a very busy international performing career, including performances at the Metropolitan Opera and the great opera houses of Europe. He will be starring in the Lyric Opera of Kansas City's upcoming production of "Romeo et Juliette." Brooke Knoll speaks with Bliss about his journey from Kansas to the great concert halls of the world, meeting his Juliet and what's on the horizon for him.
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Music for strings is often associated with heartfelt emotion, and for good reason. We’ve heard it in movies, television and anytime the drama requires a special tug at our heartstrings. We have gorgeous music by Richard Strauss, Anton Bruckner and a familiar work with a mysterious past.
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Hear two 20th century first symphonies born of very different circumstances. One was created under extreme hardship during World War II, the other an affectionate tribute to the composer’s immigrant parents.
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While they’re known as violin sonatas, these masterworks are an equal partnership between the piano and violin. We’ll hear superb examples in two contrasting sonatas by Hugo Alfven and Ludwig van Beethoven.