Classical Music Happy Hour

9h ago

Join renowned pianist Emanuel Ax for Classical Music Happy Hour: a new podcast full of music, merriment, and conversation. Manny (Emanuel) talks with special guests about their lives, listens to some of their favorite classical gems, plays music-inspired games, and answers questions from listeners. Grab a cocktail and press play on a podcast celebrating our love of all things classical music! Episode one with guest and pianist Yuja Wang drops next week. Listen and Subscribe to Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts. Classical Music Happy Hour is supported in part by the Robert and Mercedes Eichholz Foundation and by Linda Nelson. Our production team includes Lauren Purcell-Joiner, Eileen Delahunty, Laura Boyman, Elizabeth Nonamaker, David Norville, Christine Herskovits, and Ed Yim. Our engineering team includes George Wellington, Irene Trudel, and Chase Culpon. Classical Music Happy Hour is produced by WQXR in partnership with Carnegie Hall.

6d ago

Hello Our Common Nature fans, Ana González is dropping into the feed to tell you about Classical Music Happy Hour, a new podcast you might be interested in, hosted by Yo-Yo Ma’s friend and pianist Emanuel Ax. The show is all about the joy in chatting about music with all sorts of people, including some of Manny’s dearest friends like pianist Yuja Wang, composer John Adams, actor David Hyde Pierce, and cellist Yo-Yo Ma. In every episode, Manny Ax speaks with a guest about their relationship with music. We’ll hear their favorite music selections–sometimes performed live in the studio! Manny also takes listener questions, and he and his guests play music-inspired games. To Our Common Nature fans, please join Manny for music, merriment, and conversation. And to give you a taste of what you can expect, here’s just a bit of the episode with guest Yo-Yo Ma. Follow or subscribe to this show for upcoming episodes of Classical Music Happy Hour wherever you get your podcasts.

Nov 19, 2025

Yo-Yo Ma has wanted to use his cello to communicate with whales for half his life. And, in Hawai’i he got a chance. With help from the Polyneisan Voyaging Society and hula master Snowbird Bento, Yo-Yo learns about the ancient art of Hawaiian chant, what one local singer describes to him as their “contribution to the orchestra of the world.” Then Ana and Yo-Yo board a legendary canoe, Hōkūleʻa, with local fishermen, seafaring captains, and marine biologists. The musicians play cello for whales through the hull of the ship, all in the red glow of volcano Mauna Loa’s active eruption. Featuring music by Yo-Yo Ma and Snowbird Bento Listen to the Our Common Nature EP Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana González Produced by Alan Goffinski Editing from Pearl Marvell Sound design and episode music by Alan Goffinski Mixed by Joe Plourde Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado Executive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays. Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Yo-Yo Ma wants to know: what place do you love most? What reminds you that you are part of the Earth? Snap a photo of your favorite place on the planet and share it on social with the tag # ourcommonnature Visit the website at ourcommonnaturepodcast.org

Nov 12, 2025

On the island of Molokaʻi in Hawaii, we trace the spiritual power of mana , from a sacred grove to the Kalaupapa colony, where music, story, and Yo-Yo Ma’s performance honor the resilience and memory of those who came before. Perched on a plateau on the southeast side of the island of Molokaʻi sits a grove of kukui trees. Mikiʻala Pescaia tells us that beneath the roots of these trees are the bones of Hawaiian spiritual leader Lanikaula. It holds his energy and power, his mana, a key concept in Hawaiian culture. On the north side of the same island, on a rugged peninsula called Kalaupapa , we explore the mana left behind by another history. It’s the site of a government-mandated colony for people who contracted Hansen’s disease, also known as leprosy. Historian Anwei Law tells us the story of Bernard Punikaiʻa , who came to Kalaupapa as a boy with a disease and created a life of music and community within the bounds of the colony. We reflect on how to memorialize the residents of Kalaupapa as the last remaining living residents listen to Yo-Yo play in one of the peninsula's many cemeteries. Featuring music by Yo-Yo Ma and Bernard Punikaʻia Watch a video of Bernard performing “Where Birds Never Fly” Listen to the Our Common Nature EP Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana González Produced by Alan Goffinski Editing from Pearl Marvell Sound design and episode music by Alan Goffinski Mixed by Joe Plourde Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado Executive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays. Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Yo-Yo Ma wants to know: what place do you love most? What reminds you that you are part of the Earth? Snap a photo of your favorite place on the planet and share it on social with the tag # ourcommonnature Visit the website at ourcommonnaturepodcast.org

Nov 5, 2025

West Virginia is defined by its beauty and its coal, two things that can work against each other. Yo-Yo Ma felt this as soon as stepped foot in its hills.This episode explores how music and poetry help process the emotions of a community besieged with disaster and held together by pride and duty. We travel down the Coal River with third-generation coal miner Chris Saunders, who tells us how coal has saved and threatened his life. Poet Crystal Good shares her poetry, which channels her rage and love. And musician and granddaughter of West Virginia coal miners, Kathy Mattea, explains the beauty of belting out your home state in a chorus. The end of the episode finds host Ana floating down the New River with help from a group of high schoolers and Yo-Yo Ma. Featuring music by Yo-Yo Ma, Dom Flemons, and Kathy Mattea and poetry by Crystal Good. Listen to the Our Common Nature EP . Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana González Produced by Alan Goffinski Editing Pearl Marvell Sound design and episode music by Alan Goffinski Mixed by Joe Plourde Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado Executive Producers : Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays. Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai This podcast was inspired by a project of the same name, conceived by Yo-Yo Ma and Sound Postings, with creative direction by Sophie Shackleton, in collaboration with partners all over the world. Our Common Nature is made possible with support from Emerson Collective and Tambourine Philanthropies Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Yo-Yo Ma wants to know: what place do you love most? What reminds you that you are part of the Earth? Snap a photo of your favorite place on the planet and share it on social with the tag # ourcommonnature Visit the website at ourcommonnaturepodcast.org

Oct 29, 2025

This episode begins in Fairbanks, AK. Yo-Yo Ma is at a house concert with drag queen environmentalist Pattie Gonia, singer/songwriter Quinn Christopherson and Princess Daazhraii Johnson, a writer and filmmaker from the Gwich’in Nation. They were all performing to help their communities process the negative effects of climate change in Alaska. Salmon have been disappearing for decades, but now there are laws preventing fishing along the Yukon River, an ancestral practice for many Alaska Native people. Host Ana travels up to the 2024 Gwich’in Gathering in Circle, Alaska to learn how the Gwich’in nation uses its centuries-old tools of music and discussion to speak with one voice and bring back the salmon. Featuring music by Yo-Yo Ma, Quinn Christopherson and Pattie Gonia, poetry by Princess Johnson, and traditional music by members of the Gwich’in Nation. Watch Pattie Gonia performing "Won't Give Up" featuring Yo-Yo Ma and Quinn Christopherson (video) Watch Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach in a birch forest damaged by melting permafrost on Lower Tanana Dene lands near Fairbanks, Alaska Listen to the Our Common Nature EP . Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana González Produced by Alan Goffinski With editing from Pearl Marvell Sound design and episode music by Alan Goffinski Mixed by Joe Plourde Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado Executive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays. Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai This podcast was inspired by a project of the same name, conceived by Yo-Yo Ma and Sound Postings, with creative direction by Sophie Shackleton, in collaboration with partners all over the world. Our Common Nature is made possible with support from Emerson Collective and Tambourine Philanthropies

Oct 22, 2025

In the Smoky Mountains, traditions layer and intersect. Yo-Yo Ma believes that story and song can help us grapple with America’s complicated history. This episode highlights two stories of people who are reclaiming their connections to the land. The first brings us to Cherokee, North Carolina, where Lavita Hill and Mary Crowe are working to change the name of the tallest mountain in the range back to its original Cherokee name. Then, we go to the other side of the mountains, where musician Eric Mingus meets up with some long-lost family, and grapples with the weight of his family’s history. His performance reconnects him to a lineage he never thought he’d find. Featuring music by Eric Mingus, Rhiannon Giddens and Yo-Yo Ma. “ Grinds My Bones/The Mill ” was composed and performed by Eric Mingus. Flute and vocal performance in this episode by Jarrett Wildcatt. Additional audio recording provided by Taylor MacKay. Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana González Produced by Alan Goffinski With editing from Pearl Marvell Sound design and episode music from Alan Goffinski Mixed by Joe Plourde Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado Executive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai And if you want to listen to more music from this series, you can check out the Our Common Nature EP, featuring Yo-Yo playing with Eric Mingus, Jen Kreisberg and an Icelandic choir, now available on all streaming platforms. This podcast was inspired by a project of the same name, conceived by Yo-Yo Ma and Sound Postings, with creative direction by Sophie Shackleton, in collaboration with partners all over the world. Our Common Nature is made possible with support from Emerson Collective and Tambourine Philanthropies. Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings. Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Yo-Yo Ma wants to know: what place do you love most? What reminds you that you are part of the Earth? Snap a photo of your favorite place on the planet and share it on social with the tag # ourcommonnature Visit the website at ourcommonnaturepodcast.org

Oct 15, 2025

A cave can hold secrets. Louisville Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams knows that, which is why he wrote a piece for symphony orchestra to be performed entirely underground. This episode takes us into Mammoth Cave to hear a performance that unlocks a centuries of stories preserved by the caves' seemingly endless walls. One of those is the story of Jerry Bransford , who brought the Bransford name back to Mammoth Cave 80 years after his ancestors were removed from their jobs as cave guides because of their race. Featuring original music from Louisville Symphony Orchestra conductor Teddy Abrams, performed by the Louisville Symphony Orchestra, Davóne Tines, and Yo-Yo Ma. Special thanks to: Mammoth Cave National Park and Louisville Orchestra for their recording of Mammoth used throughout this episode. Find out more about their projects and concerts by visiting louisvilleorchestra.org To learn more about all the history of enslaved guides at Mammoth Cave, read Making Their Mark: The Signature of Slavery at Mammoth Cave, written by Joy Lyons. Listen to the Our Common Nature EP . Credits: Our Common Nature is a production of WNYC and Sound Postings Hosted by Ana González Produced by Alan Goffinski Editing from Pearl Marvell Sound design and episode music by Alan Goffinski Mixed by Joe Plourde Fact-checking by Ena Alvarado Executive Producers are Emily Botein, Ben Mandelkern, Sophie Shackleton, and Jonathan Bays. Our advisors are Mira Burt-Wintonick, Kamaka Dias, Kelley Libbey, and Chris Newell Episode photo by Austin Mann; Episode and show art by Tiffany Pai This podcast was inspired by a project of the same name, conceived by Yo-Yo Ma and Sound Postings, with creative direction by Sophie Shackleton, in collaboration with partners all over the world. Our Common Nature is made possible with support from Emerson Collective and Tambourine Philanthropies