Vernon Neal on his unconventional path to YourClassical MPR host

Vernon Neal isn’t your classic classical music host.

He spent his childhood in Belize where his mom hosted a reggae and soca program at a local radio station. He joined YourClassical MPR in 2022, after running a strength and conditioning gym and immersing himself in the sounds of hip-hop, jazz, pop and metal as a self-taught musician and audio engineer.

Now, he’s discovering a passion for classical music alongside his listeners. Last year, he took over as host for the Rhapsody in Black podcast from APM, a weekly, five-minute take on a Black composer, performer or other contributor to the world of classical music, past and present.

MPR News host Angela Davis goes behind the scenes with host Vernon Neal to talk about his experience hosting, Black artists and how to make classical music accessible to more people.

Guest:  

• Vernon Neal is a national host and producer for YourClassical MPR and host of Rhapsody in Black, a podcast from APM that turns up the voices of Black artists in the world of classical music.

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Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation.