Junctions & Sidetracks

Series produced by KBEM

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Junctions & Sidetracks, the story behind the creation of Empire Builder a musical about a time traveling train. Conversations about family, history, race and forgiveness. Music by George Mauer. Libretto by Ann Bertram. Funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

This 12-part radio series is a companion to George’s first full-length musical, “Empire Builder,” featuring in-depth interviews on family, history, race and forgiveness. George created it with lyricist Anne Bertram to provide an over-the-shoulder look at the creation of “Empire Builder” and the personal stories that inspired their art.

Junctions and Sidetracks: is an original radio series conceptualized by George Maurer and Anne Bertram, and created by Pine Curtain Productions for KBEM-FM, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

It is the story behind the creation of Empire Builder; a musical about a time-travelling train, conversations about family, history, race and forgiveness.
Three travelers, each on the cusp of a painful decision, meet on the Empire Builder train westbound from Chicago. The train becomes a time machine, taking them to major junctions in the past and transforming what they believe, what they remember, and what they are willing to forgive.

Empire Builder is about the ways the past is still present – in a world where the next station stop is 1889. But it may not be the past we think it was.

Sound-designed and edited by George Maurer.
Music by George Maurer, libretto by Anne Bertram.
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This 12-part radio series is a companion to George’s first full-length musical, “Empire Builder,” featuring in-depth interviews on family, history, race and forgiveness. George created it with lyricist Anne Bertram to provide an over-the-shoulder look at the creation of “Empire Builder” and the personal stories that inspired their art.

Junctions and Sidetracks: is an original radio series conceptualized by George Maurer and Anne Bertram, and created by Pine Curtain Productions for KBEM-FM, Minneapolis-St. Paul, MN. Funded by the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

It is the story behind the creation of Empire Builder; a musical about a time-travelling train, conversations about family, history, race and forgiveness.
Three travelers, each on the cusp of a painful decision, meet... Show full description


12 Pieces

Order by: Newest First | Oldest First
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Twin Cities Pianist and Composer George Mauer shares the inspiration of Empire Builder. From George's initial dream to the workshop where Anne and ...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:52
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Three travelers, each on the cusp of a painful decision, meet on the Empire Builder train westbound from Chicago. The train becomes a time machine,...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:34
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George Mauer and Anne Bertram examine the characters, Jimmy, Skye and Dr. Holder, in Scene II Act I of Empire Builder. George talks with Honorable ...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:37
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George Mauer and Anne Bertram examine the scene where the Empire Builder's conductor announces the first stop, starting with 1889. Anne and George ...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:22
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Anne and George contemplate the people they met and their experiences from National Train Day on how it will affect the characters and motif of the...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:22
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George and Anne talk with Affirmative Action lawyer David Goldstein about the history of Affirmative Action and about his reaction to the next scen...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:34
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George talks family, history, race and football with comedian C. Willi Myles and musician Jack Gladstone.

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:38
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It's the next stop on the time traveling Empire Builder; The year is 1919. Jack Gladstone and C. Willi Myles react to a scene from the musical Empi...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:35
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Anne calls upon an old friend Pei-Lin Yu, an anthropology and archaeology professor from Boise State University, for insight on the main characters...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:18
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The last scene of Act I. George and Anne contemplate the characters in the last scene. Anne relates her family and their experiences to her thought...

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:26
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The first act of the musical Empire Builder in its entirety.

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:35
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The conclusion of Act I of Empire Builder

  • Added: Mar 28, 2019
  • Length: 29:31