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Media Releases
American Public Media to Launch Decomposed- A New Podcast Exploring the Daring Acts and Surprising Inspirations of Famous Composers
Concert pianist and host Jade Simmons’ new APM podcast shares the tales of heartbreak, scandal and sheer genius that have shaped classical music.
ST. PAUL, Minn., April 4, 2019 – Concert pianist and world-class storyteller Jade Simmons will explore some of the most captivating aspects of the lives of classical composers as host of American Public Media’s new weekly podcast, Decomposed, launching April 16.While the work of these composers is well known even centuries later, their personal stories have often turned into footnotes. Simmons will bring fascinating elements of classical music history to life for longtime fans as well as new listeners. The composer’s stories are woven together with the symphonies, operas and other masterpieces that they inspired.Listen to a trailer of Decomposed and subscribe here.By emphasizing the personal struggles of revered composers, Simmons hopes to connect audiences to the humanity of classical music. Episodes will take listeners all the way from concert halls with composers donning powdered wigs to Cold War propaganda, showcasing the wide reach of this musical genre.“As I do with my own concert experiences, I would hope Decomposed attracts new ears while reintroducing connoisseurs to composers they thought they knew,” Simmons said. “Nothing to me is more fascinating than the people behind the music, and the circumstances in their lives that caused the incredible music we know and love to come into existence. Decomposed will shed light on those most powerful moments.”Simmons has been nicknamed “Classical Music’s #1 Maverick” for her habit of blending music, real time innovation and motivation. She has quickly become the face that represents the relevance of classical music while pushing the boundaries of its presentation. As a world-renowned concert artist, keynote speaker, best-selling author and multimedia personality, Simmons is a fascinating and passionate storyteller with a strong understanding of classical music’s roots.Decomposed is made possible by Inspired by You, MPR's capital campaign and the generosity of Ruth and John Huss. It is produced in partnership with Classical Minnesota Public Radio.Listeners can find Decomposed on Apple Podcasts and other podcast platforms. Connect with the show on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.###About American Public MediaAmerican Public Media® is the national programming division of Minnesota Public Radio® and reaches 20 million listeners via approximately 1,000 radio stations nationwide each week. APM is one of the largest producers and distributors of public radio programming in the world, with a portfolio that includes BBC World Service, Marketplace®, and the leading classical music programs in the nation. APM offers a diverse array of podcasts featuring the best in food, culture, entertainment, business and investigative journalism. For more information on APM, visit americanpublicmedia.org.Source: Data are copyright Nielsen Audio, Nationwide DMA data, Persons 12+, Fall ‘18. Data are estimates only.
Intern Highlight: Daniel Shin
Hi, I’m Daniel Shin, the Marketplace Morning Report Intern for the last six months (though I recently transitioned to a Production Assistant role about 3 weeks ago). This was my first public radio internship. Prior to this, I had just recently graduated from a graduate program at CSU Northridge with a Masters in Mass Communication (May 2016). Before, I was a news reporter in South Korea for about 3 years.There’s no easy way to summarize my time working on the Marketplace Morning Report team but if I had to, I’d strongly use the term “gauntlet.” Building and producing a live broadcast multiple times in one morning is a process that requires precision, quick-thinking and real critical thinking. If you don’t have those skills developed when you start this internship, you develop them. And I’m happy to say that I’m coming away from this experience with real, translatable skills.Of course, none of that is possible without the team here at MMR. The supportive and professional team of David Brancaccio and producers Nicole Childers, Justin Ho, Katie Long, Beidi Zhang, Chris Olin, and Janet Nguyen really helped me thrive and grow as a producer.I’m also continuously surprised (and pleased) by the workplace flexibility of Marketplace I’ve experienced. Recently, Marketplace Tech did their own week-long series in celebration for the 50th anniversary of ‘Star Trek,’ one of my favorite franchises. I wanted to contribute something and even though the pitch was a bit last minute, our digital team was very open to the idea. And frankly, I’m very proud of my piece on how the number 47 played an important role in Star Trek (we are a numbers show after all!) Check it out here:http://www.marketplace.org/2016/09/07/world/star-trek-and-47-conspiracymore from the Inside APMG Blog
Cube Crawl 2016 @Marketplace Los Angeles
Submitted by Jeni HatfieldMap by Kristina LopezCity Planners included: Jeni Hatfield, Raghu Manavalan, Kristina Lopez, Arjuna Soriano, Katie Long and Donna Tam If there is one thing us Angelinos agree on, it’s that we don’t agree on which local neighborhood is best. In all fairness, there are a lot. Los Angeles is known for its sprawling, quilt-like patches of neighborhoods—each with its own vibe. And where you eat, play and live is taken very seriously.
One afternoon here at the LA office, a casual conversation began among coworkers as we jokingly compared the cubicle sprawl of the office to the sprawl of the city’s neighborhoods. And much like actual LA, it can be tough and daunting (thanks, traffic!) to leave your own neighborhood. If you have not paid a visit to the Downtown LA office shared by Marketplace and Dinner Party Download, picture a complicated maze of corridors and cube areas. With some recent seating changes, it can be confusing to staff as well as guests.A few jokes and one Slack channel later, and a full-fledged conversation imagining our office space as city neighborhoods took on a life of its own. A healthy debate ensued. Deep analysis and inspired arguments filled the Slack channel for naming areas of the office after real life neighborhoods based on our own internal geography and vibes. This is public radio, after all. The result? A carefully planned office map – complete with “metro stops” at each major seating section. Plus the ability to say: “Oh, that reporter sits over in Highland Park! Just walk through Koreatown and hang a right in Silverlake.”
To inaugurate our new office neighborhoods, we took another page from the city and decided to host a public Cube Crawl. Each area brought some treats representing their neighborhood, and we gathered at 9:45 AM one Monday morning at the Studio City/North Hollywood stop to begin. Everyone received their official Marketplace tote bag and started sampling the goodies as we followed the map. And the neighborhoods did not disappoint. From candy sushi to represent Studio City’s sushi row and tamales in Culver City to trendy La Croix at LA’s original hipster neighborhood of Silverlake. Along the way we placed an official city sign in each area and had fun visiting each other’s neighborhoods.Talks of a Fall Cube Crawl are already in the works. And if any local residents want to change the name of their neighborhood, they can always take it up with the “Zoning Commission” on Slack.
