Franz Liszt once said, “Mournful and grand is the destiny of an artist.” Was he referring to the seemingly large proportion of artists that suffer from some sort of mental disorder? Sergei Rachmaninoff was one. He dealt with depression throughout his life, but not only did he mostly overcome it, his management of it fueled his composing.Read More
Music
In a bid to stay afloat, the company that has outfitted many of the world's top musicians says that in its turnaround effort, it will focus on making guitars, Read More
The fourth annual Tiny Desk Contest winner has been revealed. Get to know the Georgia-hailing guitarist who won over the hearts of our judges this year. Read More
Dorough spent two decades as a jazz player, singer, conductor and arranger in New York before being approached, at his advertising day job, to explain math to children via music.Read More
If it’s time for you to put on the kettle, ask this: What music do you choose to match your tea? We once matched composers and cocktails, but let’s face it - not everyone wants an adult beverage at 9 a.m. So here we go: Let’s match some music to tea varieties! Read More
Leonard Bernstein loved the stories behind the music he conducted, and insisted that every story has a moral. As a young man, Bernstein discovered many specific sources of inspiration. Read More
The venerated songwriter discusses learning to love his voice and how years of scribbled lyrics on yellow legal pads became The Tree of Forgiveness, his first album of new material in over a decade.Read More
Sometimes frenetic, sometimes slow and luxurious, the grooves the band creates are the perfect cushion for Jenny Ball's impassioned singing and engaging stage presence.Read More
Heynderickx — a Portland, Ore. songwriter and NPR Slingshot artist — entered the Contest three years in a row. She says the Contest has helped her musical career in ways she never expected.Read More
Good music and good food: two indulgences that go well together. Composers have been writing music to accompany banquets, dinners and parties for centuries. Think of Telemann’s Tafelmusik (“Table Music,” in English), or the Divertimenti Mozart wrote for the wind band hired to play during the Emperor’s lunch. But one composer stands out as someone who created both the music Read More
Is Vivaldi a composer or a potato? We put our staff to the test to see how well they do with this quiz from Classic FM.</p> <p> Related Stories: FILM […]Read More
CREDIT: DUTCH NATIONAL ARCHIVESWIKIMEDIA COMMONS Andres Segovia in recital at the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, 1962 The “grandfather” of his instrument. Virtuoso, transcriber, mentor, innovator. Andres Segovia, the quintessential master of the […]Read More
The producer, studio head and Oscar-winning actress would have been the envy of today's industry women. How did she get all that power a century ago? It started with her popularity as a star.Read More
Every year, when spring begins to consider the possibility of a return, eager singers gather to prepare their concerts of Handel’s inspiring music.Read More
Fifty years ago, "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" made its television debut. Nearly 20 years after its final episode and 15 years after Fred Rogers' death, his "neighbors" still look to him for comfort. Read More
Send us a video of you or your band playing an original song behind a desk (any desk). You could win a chance to play your own Tiny Desk concert and tour the U.S. with NPR Music.Read More
This year’s Olympics will sound slightly different – the PyeongChang games will be the first in which figure skaters can use music with vocals during their performances. But classical music […]Read More
The original Mozartkugel is a rich little layered confection: pistachio marzipan enveloped by nougat, surrounded by chocolate, and wrapped in foil decorated with a portrait of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. It […]Read More
Leonard Bernstein in 1971, during rehearsals for his “Mass” CREDIT: MARION S. TRIKOSKO/U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT With the start of 2018 comes a major anniversary on the world’s musical […]Read More
Tchaikovsky’s ‘The Nutcracker’ has been a major soundtrack of the season since its premiere in 1892. gabrielsaldana / Flickr ‘Tis the season for all manner of festivities, from celebrations […]Read More
So it’s true! All these years, you’ve carefully pronounced the “beet” in Beethoven’s surname as “bait,” you well-educated music lover. And you’re right, you’re right. But dig a little bit, […]Read More
From the wheat fields of the Palouse to the recording studios of Hollywood, Paul Henning has found success in the Los Angeles music industry. Henning grew up near Pullman, Washington, […]Read More
Thanksgiving is on the way – a day of gratitude, family, music, food and reflection. Spend your Thanksgiving with Northwest Public Radio for a day of holiday specials full of […]Read More
Big personalities are no stranger to classical music – the people behind the compositions are remembered through letters, reviews and their own journals. NWPR has taken these colorful characters and […]Read More
Thomas Dausgaard with OSESP Photo by Natalia Kikuch The Seattle Symphony has taken a major step toward continuity on the podium, naming Danish conductor Thomas Dausgaard as its music […]Read More
A program at Pullman Regional Hospital is using the power of music to tap deep into the memories of dementia patients. Music & Memory is a national program that brings digital music to elderly […]Read More
Less than a week before their first performance, the Washington Idaho Symphony starts rehearsal for their 40th Annual Domey/Gillespie Young Artist Concert. The concert is a major event, but a […]Read More
Thanks to a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, Daniel Ott brings music and parks together around a Northwest Landmark: Mount Rainier. PAULA GRAY / TUMBLR A […]Read More
Hear Walla Walla Chamber Music Festival Artistic Director Timothy Christie perform Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13 on January 16 as part of the Winter Festival. Walla […]Read More
Prince Leopold of Anhalt-Cothen employed Johann Sebastian Bach as his court’s music master, and even sat in himself to jam with the players on harpsichord or violin. Eccentric businesswoman Nadezhda […]Read More
Violinst Augustin Hadelich SEATTLE SYMPHONY Congratulations, Seattle Symphony! Another Grammy! The 2016 Grammy award for best classical instrumental solo went to violinist Augustin Hadelich, for Dutilleux: Violin Concerto, L’Arbre Des […]Read More
Antonin Dvorak’s 8th Symphony (1890) is one of several significant works which premiered on February 2. WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Music history refreshes itself every time you enjoy a favorite piece, […]Read More
“The H8ful Eight” marks the fifth film colaboration for director Quentin Tarantino and composer Ennio Morricone, pictured here. Olivier Strecker / Creative Commons As the annual Academy Awards presentation […]Read More
Classical music host, Gigi Yellen fries up her latke goodness! GIGI YELLEN / NWPR The original Hanukkah lights were wicks floating in oil. So the holiday’s ancient legend gives […]Read More
Anything but delicate, Peter Schickele will turn 80 this year. Credit Peter Schickele / http://www.schickele.com/index.htm What’s your favorite P.D.Q. Bach bit? How about two sports announcers doing a play-by-play […]Read More
SEBÁSTIAN FREIRE FROM RIO DE JANEIRO, BRASIL OK, it’s not a prescription. It is cold-weather comfort: help warm your insides or the person you care about feel better and […]Read More
The Musikverein is home to the Vienna Philharmonic – spend New Year’s Day with this world famous orchestra and NWPR on their yearly radio special. Clemens Pfeiffer / Wikimedia […]Read More
Conductor Alondra de la Parra at a concert in New York, 2014. FEAST OF MUSIC / FLICKR Mexican conductor Alondra de la Parra is known for her energetic, animated conducting. Take a […]Read More
NWPR’s Steve Reeder and Dr. Nikolas Caoile, Music Director of the Wenatchee Valley Symphony at a performance in 2015. Keep an eye out for Steve at concerts during the […]Read More
Frank Dominguez is your guide to music from Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and the Latin world Concierto, WDAV Classical Public Radio Gigi Yellen and Concierto host Frank Dominguez […]Read More
Beethovenian? Digging into information for the tidbits you hear next to the classical music on NWPR, we run across some interesting phenomena. Like the use of a composer’s name […]Read More
You read about music for mom earlier this year – now it’s time to celebrate dad in the classical music world. Throughout music history, famous fathers have come in all […]Read More
The Arlington National Cemetery showing the tradition of honoring grave stones of veterans with the American flag on Memorial Day. CREDIT WIKIMEDIA COMMONS Music for Memorial Day serves two […]Read More
Every day is a day to be thankful for the moms of the world, but the second Sunday of every May is set aside as a nice reminder to show […]Read More
Guests are treated to classical performances on a regular basis at the Rimsky-Korsakoffee house. Credit Andrew Jacobs The Rimsky-Korsakoffee House in Portland, OR recently became the topic of conversation […]Read More
Asad Ali, 63, was unemployed for four years when Pakistan clamped down on live music in 1977. He now plays the guitar for Sachal Studios Orchestra around the globe […]Read More
Composer Julia Wolfe has won the 2015 Pulitzer Prize for music for Anthracite Fields, an oratorio about coal miners and their families. CREDIT PETER SERLING / HTTP://WWW.NPR.ORG/ Northwest Public […]Read More
Seymour Bernstein and Ethan Hawke in Hawke’s Seymour: An Introduction. CREDIT RAMSEY FENDALL / RISK LOVE LLC When actor-director Ethan Hawke (star of Boyhood) found himself seated next to a […]Read More
A painting of Ludwig van Beethoven. One of our favorite NPR shows plus Beethoven’s famous little piano piece adds up to a must-listen moment! From Fresh Air with Terry Gross […]Read More
Matt Haimovitz and Christopher O’Riley performing for Tiny Desk Concerts. CREDIT NPR / NPR.ORG The host of your Sunday noontime show “From the Top,” pianist Christopher O’Riley, and cellist […]Read More