One of Mexico's most renowned classical composers, Ortiz's latest work was commissioned by Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic and inspired by Mexico's first liberator of slaves. Continue Reading Gabriela Ortiz’s Read More
The classical flutist came back from the hospital after receiving an Alzheimer's diagnosis and felt compelled to write. The result is a stunning memoir that mixes poetry and prose. Continue Reading Flutist Eugenia Zukerman Read More
What do Gertrude Stein, Billy Joel and Robert Burns have in common? Their words all show up in a new song by Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw. Continue Reading WATCH: Classical Singer And Pulitzer Music Winner Caroline Read More
Intended only for home use, the Mellotron became a sonic tool for The Beatles, The Moody Blues and David Bowie. Now it's inspiring a new generation of musicians. Continue Reading On ‘Mellotron Variations,’ A Read More
This week, two Native American men, Faran Sohappy and Tim Brooks, who live in the Grand Coulee area, are going back east to complete what has been a surprising adventure. They are finalists, along with Chicago singer/songwriter Joan Hammel (who is not Native), for a Native American Music Award. Read More
NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to WNYC's Jad Abumrad about his new podcast which explores the life and legacy of the prolific songwriter and her ability to bridge the divide in America. Continue Reading A New Podcast From Radiolab’s Read More
Onstage, Joplin oozed confidence, sexuality and exuberance, but biographer Holly George-Warren describes the singer as a bookworm who worked hard to create her "blues feelin' mama" musical persona. Continue Reading Fresh Air: New Read More
Neil Young and Crazy Horse have put out music together for 50 years. Young talks to NPR's David Greene about their latest album, Colorado. Continue Reading A Legendary Collaboration Continues: Neil Young And Crazy Read More
It's not easy to see that history is being made when it's happening right in front of you — just ask the critics tasked with assessing these classic, ahead-of-their-time recordings. Continue Reading First Reviled, Now Revered: The Historic Albums Of Read More
The British conductor, harpsichordist and scholar helped reignite interest in works by composers like Monteverdi — but he also championed new works and wrote notable film scores of his own. Continue Reading Conductor And Read More
The past 10 years in classical music, which this episode of All Songs Considered explores, has been a roller coaster ride of high points and derailments. Hence the dramatic title, "A Decade of Reckoning." Continue Reading The 2010s: Classical Music’s Read More
The band couldn't afford instruments. So they made their own out of scavenged items, like kitchen pots and air-conditioner parts. On their U.S. tour, they stopped by NPR's Tiny Desk. Continue Reading Congo’s KOKOKO! Makes Joyful Dance Read More
The Alabama Shakes singer and guitarist brought an eight-piece backing band to the Tiny Desk for a set of deeply personal and affecting songs. Continue Reading Brittany Howard Brings Commitment And Passion To NPR’s Tiny Desk Read More
In a new memoir, the actress writes about the films and creative collaborations — like Mary Poppins and The Sound of Music — that marked the height of her fame. Continue Reading How Julie Andrews Made Herself At ‘Home’ In Read More
Jazz drummer, bandleader and mentor Art Blakey was born 100 years ago. The Jazz Messengers came to be called Blakey's University and graduated stars Donald Byrd, Wayne Shorter and Wynton Marsalis. Continue Reading Art Blakey’s Jazz Legacy: A Read More
The Grammy Award-winning group's self-titled album is packed with political messaging and brims with hope. Continue Reading La Santa Cecilia: ‘We Are As American As Apple Pie And Tacos’Read More
Ten years ago, Costanzo had surgery that threatened to destroy his singing voice. Now the countertenor is starring as a gender-fluid Egyptian pharaoh in a new production by the Metropolitan Opera. Continue Reading Read More
Roseanne Cash has been making great records for forty years, but she's never played or written better music than she's doing right now. Continue Reading Rosanne Cash Brings Fire And Ice For NPR Tiny Desk ConcertRead More
For more than twenty years, Imani Winds has inspired audiences and young musicians of all backgrounds with their energetic performances, outreach endeavors and adventurous programming. Anjuli Dodhia caught up with horn player/composer Jeff Scott and bassoonist Monica Ellis at an Imani Winds rehearsal. Read More
This year, Turning the Tables focused on music's "founding mothers." Watch the season-opening concert at Lincoln Center Out of Doors, featuring Rhiannon Giddens, Lizz Wright and more. Continue Reading Turning The Tables: Read More
Norman was one of the leading African American opera figures in a time when there were fewer than now. The soprano won four Grammys and the National Medal of Arts. Continue Reading Grammy-Winning Opera Singer Jessye Norman Dies At 74Read More
The creators of a new musical work called “Nuclear Dreams” highlight the dreams and nightmares of people who work and live near Hanford in Washington’s Tri-Cities.
Continue Reading Oratorio Performed Inside Read More
In his second visit to the Tiny Desk, Josh Ritter had America on his mind. "We all have to fight against this notion that we're not all human beings." Continue Reading Moscow, Idaho Native Josh Ritter Brings Enthusiasm And Read More
Recorded after a traumatic period in the singer's life, Gloria Gaynor's disco hit quickly found its true audience: LGBT communities, survivors of domestic violence and others pushed aside by society. Continue Reading American Read More
The battle between management and musicians, which reached a low point with a June lockout by management, ended Monday with the ratification of a new one-year contract. Continue Reading Baltimore Symphony Orchestra And Musicians End Read More
As a true diva, Cruz was of her time and capable of transcending it. Her voice carried lessons in presence and stamina, and her enduring legacy has created a space for feminist interventions in salsa. Continue Reading Turning The Tables With A Read More
Natalie Hemby and Amanda Shires talk about the formation of their new all-female supergroup, a gutsy move within a male-dominated genre. Continue Reading Country’s New Supergroup ‘The Highwomen’ Unite To Make Read More
In his latest compendium of American culture, filmmaker Ken Burns, along with writer Dayton Duncan, explores the history of “Country Music” in a new 16-hour documentary. Burns said that story-songs are a phenomenon that can be traced back centuries, to long, multi-verse ballads that were handed down from generation to generation. Read More
In 1954, after several draining decades as a jazz composer, performer and mentor, Mary Lou Williams quit. When she returned, she claimed her true power as one of jazz's fiercest advocates. Continue Reading Turning The Tables With Mary Lou Williams, Read More
Ella Fitzgerald's musical genius and influence is still being felt today. Latinx musicians Mabiland and Daymé Arocena explain how Fitzgerald inspires their music. Continue Reading How Ella Fitzgerald Is Influencing A New Generation Of Read More
Watch a young cellist on the rise, offering music of virtuosity, sweet lyricism and a little fire from his Persian roots. Continue Reading Cellist Kian Soltani Plays With Authority And Poetry For NPR’s Tiny Desk Read More
The early recording – and a remixed version of the song – are being shared ahead of a 50th anniversary edition of the band's penultimate studio album, Abbey Road. Continue Reading Hear An Early Outtake Of The Beatles’ ‘Oh! Read More
The reasons for the sudden end of Dan Maher's "Inland Folk" are murky, and have led to speculation and questions among fans and associates. Continue Reading ‘Inland Folk With Dan Maher’ Came To An Abrupt End. Why?Read More
Hold music is camouflaged sound — it needs to obviously exist, while also barely doing so. Small wonder, then, that its biggest "hit" does none of that. Continue Reading The Many Requirements Of Hold Music, A Genre For No OneRead More
In the 1970s, Fitzgerald became the face (and glass-shattering voice) of Memorex tapes. It fueled a career revival that extended her relevance and positioned her to pass the torch to a new generation. Continue Reading Ella Fitzgerald: The Voice That Shattered Read More
On her new album, Fire in My Mouth, the Pulitzer-winning composer documents the tragedy behind New York City's 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire. Continue Reading Tragic Fire Sparks Julia Wolfe’s Latest Look At American Read More
The Black contralto put European art music and African-American spirituals in parity — and in her art, paved the way for generations of singers after her, both inside and outside classical music. Continue Reading Marian Anderson: A Classical Read More
After first shooting to fame in the 1970s, Tucker is back with her first full-length studio album in more than a decade called While I'm Livin'. Continue Reading With A New Album, Tanya Tucker Is Back And Taking No PrisonersRead More
A trio of critics discuss the mercurial pianist's personal take on Beethoven and Rachmaninoff and what it means to color outside the lines in classical music. Continue Reading A Confrontation With Music: Classical Pianist Read More
Coltrane recorded the album in New Jersey, at the admiring behest of a Québécois filmmaker named Gilles Groulx, who used it to score his docufictional film Le chat dans le sac. Continue Reading A Lost Album From John Coltrane, Read More
Augustin Hadelich dazzles in an album of odd bedfellows, which pairs Johannes Brahms' romantic war horse with György Ligeti's modernist stunner. Continue Reading MUSIC REVIEW: Opposites Attract With Augustin Hadelich’s Read More
Isata Kanneh-Mason, one of seven siblings in a British family bursting with promising music careers, showcases the long-overlooked music of Clara Schumann on her debut. Continue Reading In a Family Filled With Musicians, Read More
Bessie Smith's songs are tales of liberated women who are not afraid to speak openly about what they want, what they need and what they are tired of. Continue Reading How Bessie Smith Influenced A Century Of Popular MusicRead More
On the 50th anniversary of the band's landmark album Green River, we dig into how the band formulated its singular sound, its legacy and how Creedence's music still resonates today. Continue Reading Creedence Clearwater Read More
These women made some of the most significant music of the past century. They originated genres, broke political boundaries, nurtured generations of followers and in most cases, became icons. Continue Reading Turning The Tables: 8 Women Who Read More
American Anthem: In U2’s ‘I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For,’ A Restless Search For Meaning
Inspired by gospel, the standout from U2's American experiment, The Joshua Tree, has become a rock 'n' roll hymn, even finding its way into real-life church services. Continue Reading American Anthem: In Read More
In December of 1968, some of the biggest names in rock and roll came together to film The Rolling Stones' Rock and Roll Circus. The film was recently given a 4K restoration. Continue Reading Resurrected Rolling Stones Film Finds Pivot Read More
In the wake of Napster's downfall, but before the iTunes Store began to legitimize digital music, Audiogalaxy emerged from the darkness to (illegally) fill the void. Continue Reading A Requiem For Audiogalaxy, The Digital Wild Read More
Twenty five years after he scored the original The Lion King, which won an Oscar, Hans Zimmer returns to Pride Rock to revisit the classic musical themes for a re-imagined tale. Continue Reading 25 Years After Scoring Read More
A recent Pop Culture Happy Hour trip to New York took the team to see Rigoletto at the Metropolitan Opera. A jester in a rat pack? We saw it. Continue Reading ‘Rigoletto’ In Vegas And The Pleasures Of The Metropolitan Read More
