Living Classical with Tyler Kline for March 1 - 7, 2026

On this edition of Living Classical with Tyler Kline: Four soloists stand where one normally would in Jennifer Higdon's Low Brass Concerto, a work written as a portrait of the Chicago Symphony's legendary low brass section — their majesty, grace, and power. The piece alternates slow and fast sections, moving between solos, duets, and chorales. No special effects, just the challenge of the moving line.

Then: The soul of the gamelan was said to live in the lowest gong, used to summon the gods. Ellen Lindquist's Mantra was built from spectral analysis of those hanging gongs, with a sinfonietta retuned to match their overtones. The work stretches a solo gong melody across 25 minutes, repetition aiding concentration like the Sanskrit word itself.

Music by Jennifer Higdon, Ellen Lindquist, Aileen Sweeney, Nkeiru Okoye, Cassie Wieland, Mary Halvorson, Mette Nielsen, Kaitlyn Raitz, Nirmali Fenn, and Chelsea Loew.

Featuring performances by Matt Haimovitz, cello; Andy Hudson, clarinet; Joseph Alessi, trombone; Paul Jenkins, trombone; Derek W. Hawkes, trombone; Steven Brown, bass trombone; Gilbert Long, tuba with Nashville Symphony; Emily Manzo, piano; Jonas Frølund, basset clarinet; Kaya Kato Møller, violin; Daniel Śledziński, viola; Signe Ebstrup Bitsch, cello; Kaitlyn Raitz, cello; Espen Aalberg, gamelan with Trondheim Sinfonietta; Frank Morelli, bassoon; Wei-Yi Yang, piano; and Taylor Festival Choir.

Join Tyler Kline for this edition of Living Classical — exploring the full spectrum of classical music being made today.

Hour 1

Glisk by Aileen Sweeney

Nkeiru Okoye’s Breaking Bread

Hands by Cassie Wieland

Jennifer Higdon’s Low Brass Concerto

Jewelweed by Mary Halvorson

Mette Nielsen’s Together

Hour 2

Overthinker by Kaitlyn Raitz

Ellen Lindquist’s Mantra

Prayer by Nirmali Fenn

Chelsea Loew’s Give Yourself Some Flowers