Classical Music Happy Hour
WNYC, WQXR
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Recent Episodes
Ray Chen - superstar violinist wants you to practice
Violinist and social media guru Ray Chen wraps up this season of Classical Music Happy Hour with an in-studio live performance. He chats with Manny about video games, performance anxiety, and his…
Paquito D’Rivera -Beef, Beans and Benny (Goodman)
Paquito D’Rivera is composer, saxophonist and clarinetist whose work spans classical, jazz and latin music. Born in Havana, Cuba, D’Rivera started his career playing with the National Theater…
Yefim Bronfman - master of the keyboard
Pianist Yefim Bronfman, “Fima,” chats with Manny about their decades-long friendship, their love of sports, their surprising anxiety around live broadcast performances. They’ll answer listeners’…
Isabel Hagen - likes a good viola joke
Comedian Isabel Hagen is a classically trained violist, and a filmmaker. As a comedian, she has been featured on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon and was a New Face of Comedy at the Just for…
Nicholas Britell - more than that one viral theme song!
The New York Times has called Nicholas Britell: “The composer at the frontier of film music.” Britell has written scores for Hollywood movies including:The Big Short, Moonlight and If Beale Street…
David Hyde Pierce - a.k.a. Niles Crane
Actor David Hyde Pierce has had a long career in film, television and the theater. He’s best known to listeners for his portrayal of Niles Crane on the sitcom "Frasier." He joins Manny to talk…
Jeanine Tesori - from “Fun Home” to the Met Opera
Composer Jeanine Tesori is a two time Tony Award winner, a two time finalist for the Pulitzer Prize and in 2024, she became the first woman composer to open the Metropolitan Opera Opera season in its…
Yo-Yo Ma - 53 years of friendship and duets
Live from Tanglewood, cellist Yo-Yo Ma chats with Manny about their long musical relationship and friendship. The two treat the live audience to a few musical performances, and they take questions…
John McWhorter - Lover of Language
Columbia University Professor of Linguistics John McWhorter, chats with Manny about swear words, Broadway, and tackles the conundrums of musical etymology. McWhorter also makes the case for the…
John Adams - not the President
Renowned American composer John Adams joins Manny to discuss his approach to opera composition, the stories behind his intriguingly titled works, and the time he was once mistaken for John Cage.…
Gabriela Ortiz - Composer and Grammy Gal
Composer Gabriela Ortiz joins Manny to talk about her grandfather’s surprising connection to Mahler, her own compositional process, and her enduring love for works by Debussy and Stravinsky.…
Marc-André Hamelin - Rocks Rachmaninoff
Composer and pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins Manny to talk about growing up with a musical father, the mechanics of piano playing, and the influences behind his prolific performing and recording…
Yuja Wang - Superstar Pianist Plays Too Many Encores
Superstar pianist Yuja Wang joins Manny Ax to talk about bad pianos, encores, what influences her musical interpretations, and her love for Prokofiev. In our Newly Dead game, Yuja puts her knowledge…
Introducing Classical Music Happy Hour with Manny Ax
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…
Our Common Nature Recommends: Classical Music Happy Hour
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…
Ana’s Thanks, Plus the Hunt for a Long-Lost Musical Masterpiece
Host Ana González is back to thank you all for sharing your amazing photos from our Common Nature! She is also sharing an episode from The Broadside Show from our friends at WUNC about the hunt for a…
Hawai‘i: Yo-Yo Ma and the Whales
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,…
Hawai‘i: Yo-Yo Ma on Moloka‘i
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…
West Virginia: Yo-Yo Ma and West Virginia Coal
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…
Alaska: Yo-Yo Ma and the Gwich’in play for the salmon
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…
Frequently Asked Questions
Classical Music Happy Hour has published 23 episodes since September 2025, covering topics in Documentary, Music.
Classical Music Happy Hour is currently active with new episodes weekly. Average episode length is 36m.
Sign up on Grep.FM to access contact details for Classical Music Happy Hour, including email and social media links.
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