Video break: on the back stairs with Cantus

When you work for a radio station, you tend to notice the acoustics of the space you're in. So it wasn't long after MPR staffers moved into our expanded digs in downtown Saint Paul that folks began to take note of the back stairwell. I once caught classical host Jeff Esworthy practicing his sitar there, and other enthusiasts even started a series of lunchtime stairwell concerts by MPR talent - accordians, violins, you name it.

Yep, that's right - we have world class studios in our building, and yet we've fallen in love with a bare, cold section of the building most people never see.

So it was no surprise when I heard that MPR's Marc Sanchez was taking our "musicians-in- residence," Cantus, to the back stairs. It might seem like some sort of arcane punishment ('hey guys, thanks for the free holiday concert in the UBS Forum, now could you come over here for a minute? oh and bring your sweaters'), but true to their enthusiastic form, the men of Cantus were pretty impressed, and filled the MPR stairwell with beautiful rich sound. Take a listen - and a peek - for yourself:

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