"Classical Music Happy Hour" podcast shows a different side of classical music

NPR | By Mallory Yu,

Rob Schmitz, Tinbete Ermyas

Published April 19, 2026 at 5:01 PM EDT

NPR's Rob Schmitz speaks with pianist Emanuel Ax about his new podcast "Classical Music Happy Hour."

Mallory Yu

See stories by Mallory Yu

Rob Schmitz

Rob Schmitz is NPR's international correspondent based in Berlin, where he covers the human stories of a vast region reckoning with its past while it tries to guide the world toward a brighter future. From his base in the heart of Europe, Schmitz has covered Germany's levelheaded management of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of right-wing nationalist politics in Poland and creeping Chinese government influence inside the Czech Republic.

See stories by Rob Schmitz

Tinbete Ermyas

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