Free Online Classical Radio Stations

I have loads of Classical Music in my iTunes library, but every so often I want to hear something new. Something I haven't heard before, maybe. Or something that I like, but wouldn't necessarily buy. The country I live in has several brilliant classical radio stations, but I prefer listening to English speaking announcers and news broadcasts, because listening to it in a foreign language makes me have to stop working/writing and actively translate what's being said. That's a distraction I prefer not having while writing a book, article, or designing a blog.

Fortunately, the internet has put a wealth of (free) classical music out there for anyone interested in listening. The following are classical stations which I listen to in iTunes -- but they also offer live streaming from their individual websites. These stations are my personal faves, but there are others out there as well. If you have a station you would like added to this list, send me an email -- please do not leave links in the comments.

Sky.FM Mostly Classical

(www.sky.fm)

Sky FM's Mostly Classical station was already in my iTunes radio list when I first opened it. If it's not already in yours, simply visit the website, use the drop down menu, choose MP3 stream, and then you can open it with iTunes and add it to your list. This is a very laid back channel, I really enjoy listening to it.

Sky.FM Simply Soundtracks

(www.sky.fm)

I am a HUGE fan of movie soundtracks. Love them. This station has a good selection of them, and it buffers better than some of the other soundtrack stations I've tried. This one was not in my iTunes radio list already, but I added it easily via the method I mentioned previously.

Sky FM Classical & Flamenco Guitar

(www.sky.fm)

I am not a huge fan of classical guitar, but every once in a while I like to listen to it. This is a good station to get that fix from, as they have interesting selections that don't make you feel like you're listening to the same song over and over again.

Otto's Opera House

(www.1.fm)

Otto's Opera House (don't you just love that name?) has loads of fab opera going on. This was already in my iTunes radio list, but you can visit the website as well. Otto has a few other classical stations as well, which you may want to have a listen to while you're there.

96.3 WQXR.FM Iowa

(www.wqxr.com)

I like this station because they have New York Times news clips, and, as I've said, I like hearing the news in English, even if most of it revolves around a country I don't live in anymore. The music is good, have a listen.

BlueFM

(www.bluefm.net)

This one is a mix of classical and easy listening and some chillout type stuff. It's good, though. If you like classical, I think you'll like listening to this. It's very similar to what you would hear on the soundtrack stations.