MPR People

Melissa Ousley

Host, Classical 24
Minnesota Public Radio
mousley@mpr.org

Melissa Ousley stumbled into a career in broadcasting many years ago when she moved to Wichita, Kansas to be near her soon-to-be husband. The attraction (to radio work, that is) was immediate and the chance to be around great music without having to practice piano was irresistible. After establishing herself as a host and producer in Kansas, Melissa moved to Minnesota and continued her work at WCAL in Northfield and Minnesota Public Radio in St. Paul. Her morning classical show at WCAL was twice named "Best Classical Radio Program" by the Twin Cities paper City Pages. Melissa grew up near New York City. As a teenager, she attended the Preparatory Division of the Manhattan School of Music. Her bachelor's degree in music education is from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. When she's away from the airwaves, Melissa loves to run, read, and spend time with her family.

Melissa Ousley Feature Archive

RSS

Bringing Brahms to lakes festival

The Alexandria Festival of the Lakes opens on Friday with a concert celebrating the 175th anniversary of Brahms' birth. A few of the participating musicians stopped by Minnesota Public Radio for a sampling. (08/07/2008)

Minnesota International Piano e-Competition

If you have a fondness for piano music -- perhaps you play or once did, or maybe you're the parent of a budding young musician -- you might want to carve out some time this afternoon to catch the Semi-Final Round of the Minnesota International e-Piano Junior Competition. The first e-Comp took place in 2002 and has occurred every two years since, just like the Olympics. And, like this year's Olympic athletes, these musicians are from all over the world and playing at the top of their game. (07/08/2008)

Schubert Club Competition Winners: Daniel Larson

Tuba player Daniel Larson of St. Olaf College is one of the Schubert Club Scholarship Competition winners. He stopped by Minnesota Public Radio to share his musical talents. (05/02/2008)

Schubert Club Competition Winners: Teresa Yang

Several winners of the Schubert Club's Scholarship Competition visited Minnesota Public Radio to share their artistry. Among them is pianist Teresa Yang, 16, of St. Paul Central High School. (04/29/2008)

Emerging composers learning the score

Seven emerging composers are in town this week for the Minnesota Orchestra's 7th Annual Composer Institute. The event culminates on Friday with Osmo Vanska conducting each of the composers' works in concert. Minnesota Public Radio's Melissa Ousley is there and shares her impressions. (10/23/2007)

Finding success through Bach

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein has become one the hottest artists in classical music for her performances of Bach's "Goldberg Variations." During a visit to Minnesota Public Radio, she spoke with host Melissa Ousley and played music from Bach's keyboard masterpiece. (10/18/2007)