His simultaneous dismissal from two of the world's leading opera houses comes after an investigation into allegations of misconduct during a Royal Opera performance in Tokyo.Read More
Music
The guitarist, who hails from a small town on the edge of the West Siberian Plain, competed against two Americans for one of, if not the, most prestigious prizes available to younger jazz artists.Read More
In this season of holiday shopping, now is about the time when many of us get stuck and don't know what to get for someone on our gift list. There are at least three Pacific Northwest companies who may come to your rescue with ideas for unconventional presents. A hint: they involve used dolls, a precious, exotic spice and a different kind of gift card.Read More
For nearly 200 years, Beethoven's epic Ninth Symphony, with its powerful "Ode to Joy," has inspired millions. Now conductor Marin Alsop takes it on a world tour.Read More
Here is a list of ideas that will hopefully help you get your list checked off (though make sure to check it twice!), whether gifts for friends, family or even for yourself.Read More
Know someone who just LOVES Jazz? Use this guide from KJEM, the Jazz Gem of the Palouse to help you pick out a gift they will appreciate!Read More
One of classical music's most beloved and widely heard conductors died Saturday. Born in secret in Nazi-occupied Latvia, he went on to a stunning international career.Read More
They were a classical music hosts who helped make the genre approachable. Bob and Bill started at Northwest Public Radio delighting audiences with their humor and knowledge. Recently, Bob Christenson passed away. Bill Morelock remembers him. Read More
The Brooklyn-born Burgie studied at Juilliard and co-wrote many of the songs on Harry Belafonte's breakthrough album, Calypso, including his genre-defining hit, "Day-O (The Banana Boat Song)." Read More
On her new album, the restless Italian opera star sings virtuoso music composed for Farinelli, the greatest of the baroque castratos.Read More
Despite some very public bumps in his tenure, the head of the largest performing arts organization in the U.S. received a five-year extension to his contract.Read More
The classicly trained duo — whose real names are Kevin Sylvester and Wilner Baptist — formed Black Violin and found their unique sound mashing together Bach with Biggie Smalls.Read More
The insightful pianist offers a Beethoven bonanza, ranging from the mesmerizing pulse of the popular "Moonlight" Sonata to flashes of wry humor and tender beauty.Read More
Before any opera purists start wringing their hands, let's remember that the 400-year-old art form has proven itself terrifically adaptable and resilient.Read More
Special programs examine different aspects of the quintessential American holiday this month: scientific, culinary, musical and literary. Meantime, how’s your holiday prep going? If you don’t know what to do […]Read More
The singer and pianist says he's loved Porter's music since he was a little kid. Connick's latest album pays tribute to an enduring influence.Read More
It's almost impossible to pinpoint an exact moment in music history when the plates shift. But looking back at the last decade in Latin music, it's easy, now to see that the release of "Despacito" by Daddy Yankee and Luis Fonsi in early 2017 was just such a moment.Read More
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.Read More
Before Nat King Cole became known for his velvety singing voice, he was a pianist working nightly gigs to hone his craft.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.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. Read More
His radical combination of symphonic and popular music comes eight years after a controversial statement about the word "jazz."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.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
Jazz Night in America offers a three-artist sampler of vocalists. Get introduced to the gospel roots of Quiana Lynell, the salsa stylings of Jeremy Bosch and the harmonizing trio Duchess.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.Read More
We revisit pianist, singer and composer Andy Bey throughout his life: growing up in Newark, N.J., working with Horace Silver, performing during his 1990s renaissance and now, looking back at 80.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.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.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.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."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.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.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.Read More
The Grammy Award-winning group's self-titled album is packed with political messaging and brims with hope.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.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.Read 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.Read More
Rosetta Tharpe was a huge star in her era and set the template for rock and roll. So why was she absent from popular consciousness after her death — and why did it take decades to revive her legacy?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.Read More
Conductor Marin Alsop and composer Nico Muhly recall their friend and colleague who wrote deeply expressive music.Read 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. 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."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.Read More
The opera star, who has been accused by 20 women, was scheduled to perform Verdi's Macbeth starting on Wednesday night. In an email, he told Met staffers that he will never perform there again.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.Read More
Early American composers could have shaken off their European sound and mined the rich trove of African American music. They didn't. And one historian believes we're worse off because of it.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.Read More
One of opera's most popular and bankable stars is scheduled to sing at New York's famed opera house next week. But a number of Met employees say that they find the situation untenable.Read More
