The thoughtful soprano believes that art is good at questioning, challenging and provoking. But the real question, she says, is: "What happens after the provocation?" Continue Reading Provocation And Follow-Through: Read More
Music
The talented Canadian composer and songwriter creates an ensemble in their bedroom for our Tiny Desk quarantine series. Continue Reading Owen Pallett Layers Instruments, Voice And His Own Story For An NPR Tiny Desk Read More
Pulitzer-winning composer Anthony Davis based You Have The Right To Remain Silent, released this week as a virtual performance, on his own experience with police. Continue Reading A Tense New Classical Work Bottles The Feeling Read More
Dr. Sydney Freeman Jr., an associate professor at the University of Idaho, uses his voice and his role to make higher education inclusive. He started the Progressive Black Caucus at Oakwood University in Alabama and brought the mission to Idaho to create a more efficient and welcoming environment for students of color. Read More
The usual Thanksgiving spreads may be too big for this year's holiday. Instead, Chefs Anita Lo, Aarón Sánchez and Sohla El-Waylly share recipes for a relatively unfussy but still delicious meal. Continue Reading 3 Recipes For Cooking Up A Read More
"The Last Shall Be First: The JCR Records Story, Vol. 1" is a collection of gospel music first recorded in 1970s Memphis and released for the first time after years spent tracking down master tapes. Continue Reading ‘The Last Shall Read More
Since the pandemic started, musicians have been trying to find ways to play together in real time online. Two platforms — Audio Movers and Jack Trip — offer promise. Continue Reading Musicians Turn To New Software To Play Together OnlineRead More
Angus Young and Brian Johnson discuss the band's new album, a tribute to Young's late brother Malcolm and an unlikely comeback from all kinds of loss. Continue Reading AC/DC Returns To Rock The Masses With ‘Power Up’Read More
Lewiston resident Lilienne Shore Kilgore-Brown actively takes part in protests now. So did her grandmother Susan Kilgore in the 1970s. On StoryCorps Northwest, Susan tells Lilienne what she was protesting and what she learned from those experiences. Read More
A trio of musicians gather at Aaron Copland's longtime home. Watch them play the iconic American composer's music at his own piano and beside his own writing desk. Continue Reading Music Of ‘America’s Composer’ Read More
Facing a pandemic lockdown, huge political upheavals and ongoing uncertainty about the future, musicians including Oumou Sangare and Songhoy Blues offer lessons in creativity and optimism. Continue Reading Musicians From Mali Offer Advice On Read More
On this special edition of All Songs Considered, NPR Music's Ann Powers and Bob Boilen explore early works of Joni Mitchell and play selections from the new box set from Rhino Continue Reading Hear Joni Mitchell’s Previously Unreleased Early RecordingsRead More
The pop-meet-classical duo perform a quarantine concert from their New York City apartment. Continue Reading Pop Plus Classical Equals One Beautiful Tiny Desk (Home) Concert From Gracie And RachelRead More
An audacious concert film, an unwitting viral hit and a second Rock Hall induction: That's just the past two years for Nicks, who says that at 72 she's finally comfortable doing everything she wants. Continue Reading Stevie Nicks On TikTok, Tom Petty Read More
What would Beethoven do when he was hungry? He’d have mac and cheese! The Viennese version, of course: Kaesespaetzle, or "cheese noodles;" tiny dumplings topped with crispy onions. For Ludwig’s 250th anniversary year, may we suggest he spice things up with a pepper and a sprig of rosemary? How about some Cougar Gold instead of that Parmigiano-Reggiano? Keep reading Read More
The blues prodigy performs a special Tiny Desk show at the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Miss. Continue Reading Phenom Christone ‘Kingfish’ Ingram Brings Delta Blues Style To A Tiny Desk (Home) Read More
Nez Perce tribal member Mary Jane Miles was two when her mother died. That was the start of a series of difficult events in Mary Jane’s life. But she persevered to earn an education and come to terms with alcohol addiction. She spoke with her friend and colleague, Kayeloni Scott, for StoryCorps Northwest. Read More
Created by Pulitzer-winning composer Ellen Reid, Soundwalk lets visitors score their socially distanced walks around the park with an ever-changing, GPS-sensitive soundtrack. Continue Reading Central Park Is Alive With Read More
Nathan Chan talks about his pandemic pick-me-ups, Yo-Yo Ma and TikTok. Before he could read, let alone read sheet music, theSeattle Symphony cellist had already conducted an orchestra through Mozart’s Variations. At 3 years old, Chan directed the San Jose Chamber Orchestra — and had to stand on a chair to see over the podium. Read More
On this show, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis invite the Sesame Street gang onstage. Plus, trombonist Joe Fielder's Open Sesame share rare songs from the Sesame songbook. Continue Reading Swinging The Clouds Away: Jazz Takes Read More
From the '80s on, Kondo stood with a new generation of free-form players, collaborating with a long list of fellow iconoclasts. Continue Reading Toshinori Kondo, Trailblazing Modern Trumpeter, Dies At 71Read More
Global superstar Ozuna performs five songs in quarantine for Tiny Desk. For someone whose work often operates at galactic proportions, this performance of five songs makes room for Ozuna's sweet tenor to take center-desk in a love letter to the global communities that supported and streamed him to god tier status. Read More
Darren Aronofsky's 2000 film Requiem for a Dream spawned a musical motif that's rippled through media — and jumpstarted a new career for Clint Mansell, the composer of its haunted score. Continue Reading Requiem For A Theme: Read More
The gifted American pianist Simone Dinnerstein has always taken a thoughtful--even bold--approach to her art. Now, Dinnerstein has emerged from a pandemic-induced period of reflection with an impressive new recording, “A Character of Quiet,” which combines etudes by Philip Glass with Franz Schubert’s last sonata. She and her longtime producer laid down the tracks over two Read More
Larry Clott helped to lay the foundation for disabilities rights in the United States. He spoke with his daughter about a car accident that made him a quadriplegic, and how he came to fight for disability rights in this episode of StoryCorps Northwest, recorded virtually. Read More
This is the first time that the New York Philharmonic has been forced to cancel its entire concert season. No previously scheduled concerts will happen before June 2021. Continue Reading New York Philharmonic Cancels Its Entire Read More
Smith entered the 2020 Tiny Desk Contest with his band Britton & The Sting. He says "Blackstronauts" is about finding joy: "I want us all to put on our freedom suits and fly together," he says. Continue Reading ‘Dust Off Your Read More
Americana music's most famous couple perform a Tiny Desk quarantine set in their barn, backed by gorgeous stain-glassed windows. Continue Reading Jason Isbell And Amanda Shires Hit Their Barn For An Emotional Tiny Desk Read More
One of Cuba's best-known singers and songwriters, Rodríguez says this pandemic-era album — whose title translates to "For the Wait" — is all about dealing with uncertainty. Continue Reading On ‘Para La Espera,’ Silvio Read More
With a voice by turns soaring and haunting, Shajarian was considered one of his nation's treasures — and then ran afoul of the regime. He died Thursday in Tehran at age 80. Continue Reading Master Singer Mohammad Reza Shajarian, A Voice Of Read More
Larry Clott discusses his car accident and how he felt about his nurse in this StoryCorps Northwest episode. It originally aired on NWPB’s Morning Edition on Oct. 7, 2020. It was recorded as part of NWPB’s 2020 partnership with StoryCorps. Read More
La Maestra, held in Paris this September, is the first fully realized competition solely for women conductors — an effort to help balance a male-dominated field. Continue Reading Women Conductors Are The Rule, Not The Exception, At A Read More
The celebrated soprano died suddenly a year ago, leaving her fans, including one NPR producer, in grief, but with many fond memories. Continue Reading Remembering The Unforgettable Opera Soprano Jessye Norman, One Year After Read More
Nearly 150 years ago, the McGregor family started ranching and farming on the Palouse region of southeastern Washington and north-central Idaho. The family passed down an appreciation for rural life and a love of small towns. Continue Reading StoryCorps Read More
When young composers explore old musical formulas, exciting things can happen. Mass for the Endangered is a contemporary twist on an ancient tradition. Continue Reading MUSIC REVIEW: Sarah Kirkland Snider’s Mass, Rebooted For The Read More
In 1965, two young fans heard the jazz giant John Coltrane play at a San Francisco club and had a religious epiphany. Their church is an idiosyncratic and joyful blend of devotion to the divine — and to jazz. Continue Reading Five Read More
In his version of “Goldberg Variations,” Gould adapted the sounds of ancient period instruments, harpsichord and organ, to modern piano playing. Lang Lang says this inspired him to learn how to play the harpsichord, studying with Andreas Staier in Cologne, Germany. Read More
As jazz experienced an awakening in the late '60s and early '70s , a record label from Oakland was at the forefront of capturing it. Now, those records are finally returning. Continue Reading Rediscovering The Enormous Social And Read More
Opera fans will have to wait another whole year for live performances at the famed New York house. In a press release Wednesday, the Metropolitan Opera says it plans to reopen on Sept. 27, 2021. Continue Reading Met Opera Says It Won’t Return Until Fall Read More
Jose Riera is a survivor of electric shock therapy. Before coming to Washington State University, he had the corporate office and all of life’s conveniences. But it all unraveled. Continue Reading StoryCorps Northwest: Surviving Electric Shock Therapy And Read More
One of the British jazz scene's rising stars performs a quarantine concert on the River Thames. Nubya Garcia's (home) concert took place on a boat — a first in Tiny Desk history — because she was in between homes. Continue Reading Nubya Garcia Read More
They point to a real estate deal that could drain two-thirds of the American Guild of Musical Artists' financial reserves and a secretive, failed deal with disgraced opera star Plácido Domingo. Continue Reading Whistleblowers Read More
Every year, the Tiny Desk Contest attracts thousands of unsigned musicians — like powerhouse singer Danielle Ponder. Her entry, "Poor Man's Pain," was inspired by her work as a public defender. Continue Reading Tiny Desk Read More
Robert Norwood of Walla Walla went to a one-room school then joined the Navy on a whim. After service he enjoyed a rewarding career as a school counselor. He talked to his son, Mike, about his schooling experience for StoryCorps Northwest, recorded virtually. Read More
Jones is the first African American woman ever nominated for an Emmy for an original television score. She got her start because producer/writer Lena Waithe took a chance on her. Continue Reading Keeping Up With Amanda Jones, Score Composer On The Read More
Ronald Bell, along with his brother, Robert "Kool" Bell, brought generations of music fans together on the dancefloor with hits like "Celebration," "Get Down On It" and "Jungle Boogie." Continue Reading Ronald Bell, Co-Founder, Read More
Growing up in Chelan, Susan Little knew early being gay was unacceptable in her small town. In today’s StoryCorps Northwest, Susan and her wife Marianne Patton talk about those early days, and how much has changed for gays and lesbians since they fell in love 35 years ago. Continue Read More
While a valiant endeavor, the Metropolitan Opera's new series of steaming concerts can't seem to shake off opera's fusty, aristocratic traditions. Continue Reading MUSIC REVIEW: The Met Opera’s Live Streaming Series Sticks To Read More
The quartet, known colloquially as Goat Rodeo, jammed out from four different homes in this Tiny Desk quarantine performance. Continue Reading Yo-Yo Ma, Stuart Duncan, Edgar Meyer And Chris Thile Combine For A Tiny Desk Read More
