5/23/2011 MinneCulture

Stories from KFAI's 10,000 Fresh Voices series

1. Environmental Sound Artist Philip Blackburn
Produced by Dixie Treichel
Environmental sound artist Philip Blackburn records outdoor sounds, creates large-scale activities for untrained musicians, and presents unusual public sound experiences. KFAI producer Dixie Treichel met with Blackburn, who has worked with the Flint Hills International Children’s Festival, the Minnesota Science Museum, and Public Art St. Paul.

2. Innova Records
Produced by Dixie Treichel
Innova Recordings was founded in 1982 as a contemporary record label. Located in St. Paul, it is part of the American Composers Forum and represents a wide variety of music artists who might otherwise fall through the cracks at traditional record companies. In addition to new artists, Innova preserves archived recordings of selected American composers' works. KFAI's Dixie Treichel has the story.

3. Minnesota Raptor Center
Produced by Elena Erofeeva & Michael Milligan
The Minnesota Raptor Center was established in 1974 as part of the College of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Minnesota. The Center rehabilitates more than 700 sick and injured raptors each year, and works to identify environmental issues that affect raptors. Some initiatives, including the reintroduction of the Perigirin Falcon--a bird thought to have been extinct in the Midwest--have attracted international attention. Each spring the Center holds its Raptor release, and every Saturday it offers a public tours where participants can view more than 30 birds. KFAI producers Elena Erofeeva and Michael Milligan visited the Center and filed this story. For more information on the Minnesota Raptor Center, go to cvm.umn.edu/raptor.

4. Tony Caponi's 90th Birthday
Produced by Michelle Alimoradi
This spring nearly 500 people--family, friends, and city and county officials--gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of artist and art advocate, Tony Caponi. Former chair of the arts department at Macalester College, he designed and developed Caponi Art Park, a 60-acre sculpture park in Eagan, Minnesota. KFAI's Michelle Alimoradi attended the celebration and filed this report.

5. Serenaded by a Pipe Organ at the Heights Theatre
Produced by Todd Melby
Pipe organs at movie houses didn't completely disappear with the end of silent films. The Heights Theatre in Columbia Heights, Minnesota is home to an organ with 1,100 pipes and xylophones, drums and a whoopee cushion. The local chapter of the American Theater Organ Society owns the organ and hopes to more than double its size in coming years, making it the largest theater organ in Minnesota history. Produced by Todd Melby.