Music & Culture
Classical Music Posts
With Her Recording Series ‘Rising Sun,’ Lara Downes Re-Centers Black Composers
Lara Downes will release a mini-album every month, for as long as she can keep it up, to highlight overlooked and forgotten compositions by Black artists in the classical music tradition. In honor of Women’s History Month, its latest entry focuses on some overlooked and under-appreciated bodies of work by women composers and performers.
Gustavo Dudamel And L.A. Philharmonic Reunite For Socially Distanced Virtual Concert Series
The concerts the LA Phil recorded last summer and fall are featured on the Sound/Stage series, which streams on its website. The first season opened with an episode called “Love in the Time of COVID,” complete with overhead shots of the lonely Hollywood Bowl and Los Angeles, and a reading of a Pablo Neruda poem.
Past As Prologue: How Northwest Women In Rodeo Changed Perceptions Of Ability
The women athletes of early rodeo provide a broader understanding of women’s roles in rural history. Several top cowgirls like Fannie Sperry Steele, Mabel Strickland, and the Greenough sisters were born and raised on ranches across the Northwest. By studying these women, we have learned that women gentled and trained horses, moved cattle, and managed ranch duties.
Andra Day On Portraying Billie Holiday’s Signature Voice And Power
Andra Day’s performance in the film earned the singer the Golden Globe for best actress in a drama. She is the second Black performer to ever win the award, following Whoopi Goldberg’s win in the category in 1985 for “The Color Purple.”
Bunny Wailer, Iconic Reggae Singer And Wailers Co-Founder, Has Died At Age 73
Singer, songwriter and percussionist Bunny Wailer, an icon of reggae music, died in Kingston, Jamaica, on Tuesday morning. He was 73 years old. Wailer was a founding member of The Wailers, alongside Bob Marley and Peter Tosh.
Gospel Trailblazer Kirk Franklin Brings The Energy And Hope For A Tiny Desk (Home) Concert
For nearly 30 years, Kirk Franklin has been widely regarded for revolutionizing gospel. He incorporated secular music, particularly hip-hop, while preserving the message and integrity of traditional gospel. Here, he and his powerhouse choir pace through a decades-long, sixteen Grammy award winning discography of faith, praise and encouragement while cracking plenty of jokes. I cannot recall a more moving Tiny Desk home performance.