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Opium Moon, A Band Of Immigrants, Reflects On The Global Refugee Crisis
The band's latest song and video, "Caravan," dreams of a more inclusive, kinder world.
(11 July)
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Oliver Knussen, Composer And Conductor, Dies At 66
Knussen, who wrote symphonies, chamber music and operas, is likely best known for his collaborations with children's author Maurice Sendak on adaptions like 1979's Where The Wild Things Are.
(10 July)
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Seeking Pay Equity, Female Flutist Sues Boston Symphony Orchestra
The orchestra's top flutist, Elizabeth Rowe, says that she is paid substantially less than her closest counterpart — a man. Her suit may be the first filed under a new Massachusetts pay equity law.
(5 July)
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From The Top: Tiny Desk Concert
A handful of teenagers, and a 12-year-old violinist, from the radio show From the Top, give sparkling performances, proving there's a bright future for classical music.
(22 June)
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A Viola Sings Of Strength In Sadness
In this video premiere, Jonah Sirota's viola parts orbit one another restlessly, fueled by improvisation, melancholy and a vibrating set of austere images.
(21 June)
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Max Richter's 'Blue Notebooks' Offers Moving Portrait For Elisabeth Moss
To mark the reissue of The Blue Notebooks, Richter has released a short film featuring The Handmaid's Tale star and a potent piece of music from the 2004 album.
(21 June)
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Gennady Rozhdestvensky, An Influential Russian Conductor, Has Died
With work spanning much of the Soviet era, the conductor served as an important and prominent conduit between Russia and the West. He died Saturday at age 87.
(20 June)
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The Sound Of Silence: Female Composers At The Symphony
America's top orchestras are presenting little if any music written by women next season. Why is that?
(20 June)
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Nils Frahm Goes Against Summer's Grain On Surprise 'Encores 1'
The neoclassical minimalist composer follows up a lauded new record with a quiet batch of castaways.
(1 June)
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Third Coast Percussion: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch the Chicago-based ensemble conjure otherworldly sounds from steel pipes, tuned cowbells and a bowl that sings.
(29 May)
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'My Voice Should Be Heard': #MeToo And The Women Of Opera
Three women — a soprano, a mezzo-soprano, and a vice president of opera programming — join NPR's Lulu Garcia-Navarro for a conversation about harassment and inequity in the opera world.
(27 May)
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Thea Musgrave, The 90-Year-Old Composer With 80 Players In The Bullpen
The Scottish-born musician, still busy writing music, celebrates her 90th birthday on May 27.
(25 May)
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'On Chesil Beach': Story Of An Unconsummated Love And Marriage
Saoirse Ronan stars in the new film On Chesil Beach, based on the story by Ian McEwan. Ronan and McEwan talk with NPR's Scott Simon, and joke about who plays the lead character best: Ronan or McEwan.
(21 May)
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'Cello Bae' Sheku Kanneh-Mason Wins Worldwide Fans After Royal Wedding
Watch the moving performance from 19-year-old award-winner during the wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle.
(21 May)
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James Levine Accused Of Sexual Misconduct By 5 More Men
Their allegations against the former Metropolitan Opera conductor were made public in a counter lawsuit filed by the Met on Friday in New York.
(19 May)
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Classical Music Captures A Young Wife's Anxiety In 'On Chesil Beach'
Based on the novel by Ian McEwan, the film tells the story of a troubled honeymoon. The new bride is a violinist in a string quartet; the music was composed by Dan Jones and is played by Esther Yoo.
(19 May)
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Glenn Branca Helped Me Hear The Music In Noise
In the early 1980s, hearing the work of the avant-garde guitarist for the first time — familiar sounds layered into something overwhelming and powerful — was a form of liberation.
(17 May)
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Remembering The Soprano Who Sang Like A Laser Beam
With a voice of gleaming steel that soared effortlessly above 100-piece orchestras, Swedish dramatic soprano Birgit Nilsson, who was born 100 years ago, was force of nature.
(17 May)
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A Vibraphone Workout With A Tinfoil Twist
Watch percussionist Doug Perkins power through a sizzling new piece, enhanced with a little aluminum wrap.
(16 May)
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Composer And Leading Avant-Garde Guitarist Glenn Branca Has Died At 69
The composer and guitarist who merged noise and art music in sheer walls of sound died on May 13. His collaborators included a huge range of artists, from David Bowie to Kronos Quartet.
(15 May)
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Matt Marks, Versatile Composer And Musician, Dies At 38
A founding member of the contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound, Marks inspired fellow musicians with his blend of "playfulness and gravity."
(15 May)
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'Something Develops Onstage Called Love': Baltimore Symphony's Bernstein Centennial
Recorded live on stage at the Meyerhoff, Scott Simon joins BSO music director Marin Alsop and Leonard Bernstein's daughter Jamie for a conversation and musical celebration.
(13 May)
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'Something Develops Onstage Called Love': Baltimore Symphony Celebrates The Bernstein Centennial
Recorded live on stage at the Meyerhoff, Scott Simon joins BSO music director Marin Alsop and Leonard Bernstein's daughter Jamie for a conversation and musical celebration.
(12 May)
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Simone Dinnerstein's 'Circles' Shares A Common Language With Bach & Glass
A world premiere recording of a new piano concerto by Philip Glass sits comfortably beside a Bach classic.
(11 May)
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First Listen: Simone Dinnerstein, 'Circles: Piano Concertos by Bach & Glass'
A world premiere recording of a new piano concerto by Philip Glass sits comfortably beside a Bach classic.
(3 May)
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What Does Life In An Orchestra Get You? In The U.K., Not Enough To Live On
A study released by the Musicians' Union in the U.K. says that many musicians with full-time, salaried jobs are struggling to pay their bills. Two-thirds say that they have considered other careers.
(3 May)
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Connecting The Dots On Arvo Pärt's Symphonic Journey
A new album of the Estonian composer's four symphonies trace the path of a brave artist who risked throwing it all away to reinvent himself.
(21 April)
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Shall We Dance: Balanchine Sets Tchaikovsky In Motion
Conductor Marin Alsop muses on the power of ballet and her memories of watching choreographer George Balanchine bring the music of Tchaikovsky to life with the New York City Ballet.
(21 April)
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Composer Tod Machover Discusses How He Created 'Philadelphia Voices'
The Philadelphia Orchestra will perform the work Tuesday at Carnegie Hall. He based the composition on recorded sounds, including the sizzle of a cheesesteak.
(11 April)
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Stephanie Richards' 'Gong' Resonates The Body's Frequency
Stephanie Richards' trumpet sounds like deep space wrapped around your head, a flood in the endless void.
(11 April)
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New Mix: Ólafur Arnalds, Khruangbin, Whyte Horses, Ari Roar, More
This week's batch of essential new songs includes a curiously gorgeous piano piece from Iceland's Ólafur Arnalds, the punk band Abuse Of Power, summery psych-pop from Whyte Horses and more.
(10 April)
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Clarice Jensen's Quiet Debut Acknowledges A Loud World
The cellist makes meditative, sometimes disorienting music with pedals, loops, sine tones and an expansive imagination.
(6 April)
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New Music Friday: April 6
Hear a quick run thru some of the best full-albums out today, including the scorching punk of Dark Times, rap phenom Cardi B, pop singer Kylie Minogue's country turn, Hop Along, Wye Oak and more.
(6 April)
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Vespers Or Vision Quest? Soulful Music For A Violin In Flight
A video premiere from violinist Olivia De Prato offers ecstatic music by Missy Mazzoli with an enigmatic take, by director James Darrah, on the evening prayer service.
(3 April)
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New Mix: Young Fathers, Confidence Man, A Stunning Tiny Desk Contest Entry, More
This week's new mix features a profound Tiny Desk Contest entry, "dorky" electropop from Australian group Confidence Man, an intimate paean to different loves from Forth Wanderers and more.
(3 April)
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A New Song Cycle Contemplates Blackness
A collaboration between three prominent artistic voices — singer Lawrence Brownlee, composer Tyshawn Sorey and poet Terrance Hayes — examines what it means to be a black man in America today.
(30 March)
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First Listen: Clarice Jensen, 'For This From That Will Be Filled'
The cellist makes meditative, sometimes disorienting music with pedals, loops, sine tones and an expansive imagination.
(29 March)
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'After Bach' Offers Brad Mehldau's Well-Tempered Jazz
Inspired by J.S. Bach, jazz pianist Brad Mehldau alternates originals from Bach's Well-Tempered Clavier with his own reinventions.
(28 March)
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José Antonio Abreu, Venezuelan Who Envisioned Musical Education For All, Dead At 78
Abreu began El Sistema in Venezuela in 1975 with fewer than a dozen students — 40 years later, his system has been used throughout the world to unite children through musical education.
(27 March)
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José Abreu, Venezuelan Conductor Who Envisioned Musical Education For All, Dead At 78
Abreu began El Sistema in 1975 with fewer than a dozen students — 40 years later, his system has been used throughout the world to unite children through musical education.
(26 March)
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'Morning Star' Opera Sheds New Light On Triangle Shirtwaist Fire Of 1911
A production of Ricky Ian Gordon's opera in New York's Lower East Side marks the anniversary of one of America's deadliest industrial accidents.
(26 March)
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Chad Lawson Wants To Revive Piano For The 'Spotify Generation'
Lawson's new album Re:Piano aims to change perceptions of the piano by fusing it with digital filters, loops and effects.
(24 March)
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Songs We Love: Debussy, 'La Plus Que Lente'
Marking the 100th anniversary of the visionary composer's death, hear Debussy play his own music on a 1913 piano roll.
(23 March)
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Run-DMC, Pauline Oliveros, 'Rumours,' Chic And Beethoven Added To Library Of Congress
This year's batch of inductees bring the Recording Registry up to 500 entries.
(21 March)
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The Pianist Who First Climbed Beethoven's Mount Everest
Artur Schnabel was the first pianist to record all 32 of Beethoven's Piano Sonatas. The cycle, made in the 1930s, has just been entered into the Library of Congress.
(21 March)
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Making Musical Connections At Sing Sing Prison
Since 2009, the maximum security prison has been home to music workshops put on by Carnegie Hall and led by some of New York City's top musicians.
(18 March)
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South X Lullaby: Max Richter
The audience slept, dreamed and sometimes snored — it's okay, that's what it's for — through this trance-inducing experience.
(17 March)
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50 Years After The My Lai Massacre, An Opera Confronts The Past
The My Lai Massacre occurred 50 years ago this week in Vietnam. An opera featuring the Kronos Quartet and Van-Anh Vanessa Vo tells the story of an American soldier who tried to stop his own troops.
(17 March)
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James Levine Sues Met Opera, Accuses It Of 'Cynically Hijacking' #MeToo
The conductor has sued New York's storied opera house after being fired earlier this week following the Met's internal investigation into allegations of sexual abusive conduct towards young artists.
(16 March)
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Elgar's 'Enigma' Still Keeps Music Detectives Busy
When Edward Elgar debuted what came to be called his "Enigma Variations" in 1899, he left tantalizing clues in the score about a mystery contained in the music.
(16 March)
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Metropolitan Opera Fires James Levine For Sexual Misconduct
"The house that Jimmy built" has terminated its association with the conductor after an investigation found evidence of "sexually abusive and harassing conduct."
(13 March)
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Songs We Love: Peter Zummo, 'Song II: Left; On The Beat—Variations'
Discovered from 1984 rehearsal tapes, the downtown New York mainstay offers a gorgeous and loose piece of music with his quartet, featuring Arthur Russell on amplified cello.
(9 March)
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Sexual Assault Claim Against Conductor Dutoit Is Credible, Boston Symphony Says
The orchestra launched an independent investigation into an accusation made by one of its former interns. She is one of ten women to publicly accuse Dutoit of sexual misconduct.
(3 March)
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New Details Emerge In Abuse Allegations Against Conductor James Levine
On Friday the Boston Globe published allegations accusing of the conductor of sexual, emotional and physical abuse in the 1960s and '70s, in behavior that former students describe as "cult-like."
(2 March)
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The Austin 100: Sego
For fans of Beck, The Strokes and Lord Huron.
(1 March)
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Songs We Love: Kian Soltani, 'In Memory Of A Lost Beloved'
Hear the emerging artist channel his Persian heritage in music that meditates on loss while mixing Eastern and Western traditions.
(28 February)
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George Li's 'Sensible Route' To Piano Prominence
The young musician, whose career has begun to fully blossom, charts his own course, with successful stops at the Tchaikovsky Competition and Harvard University.
(21 February)
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John Corigliano On Composing At 80: 'An Adagio Is What I Look For'
With a Pulitzer, an Oscar, five Grammys and over 100 works to his credit, the American composer is still hard at work.
(20 February)
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John Corigliano On Composing At 80: 'An Adagio Is What I Look For'
With a Pultizer, an Oscar, five Grammys and over 100 works to his credit, the American composer is still hard at work.
(18 February)
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Review: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet, 'Landfall'
With a dream-like blend of electronics, acoustic instruments, high-tech software and voice overs, Anderson ruminates on loss and the meaning behind a devastating storm.
(16 February)
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Classical Music's Greatest Love Stories, On And Offstage
Just in time for Valentine's Day, commentator Miles Hoffman highlights the most notable of classical music couples.
(13 February)
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Watch A Full Jóhann Jóhannsson Performance At KEXP
To celebrate the life of the late Icelandic composer, we revisit his KEXP studio session from 2017.
(12 February)
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Oscar-Nominated Composer Jóhann Jóhannsson Dies At 48
The renowned film composer, who scored Arrival and The Theory of Everything, died Friday in Berlin, Germany.
(10 February)
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Review: Niklas Paschburg, 'Oceanic'
This is likely to be one of the most beautiful albums you'll hear in 2018.
(9 February)
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Songs We Love: Florence Price, 'Violin Concerto No. 2'
Like her violin concertos, which were recently rediscovered in an abandoned house, Florence Price's undervalued reputation is undergoing some richly deserved restoration.
(9 February)
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First Listen: Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet, 'Landfall'
With a dream-like blend of electronics, acoustic instruments, high-tech software and voice overs, Anderson ruminates on loss and the meaning behind a devastating storm.
(8 February)
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A Teenage Cellist Celebrates Bob Marley
Watch the young British sensation Sheku Kanneh-Mason's lovely, classical-inspired take on "No Woman, No Cry."
(6 February)
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Frasier At The Opera: Kelsey Grammer Stars In 'Candide'
The actor best known as Dr. Frasier Crane discusses his first opera performance, as Dr. Pangloss in Leonard Bernstein's Candide at the Los Angeles Opera.
(6 February)
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Songs We Love: Third Coast Percussion, 'Madeira River'
Hear the group's subtle makeover of "Madeira River," a rippling portrait of one of the Amazon's grandest tributaries.
(2 February)
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First Listen: Niklas Paschburg, 'Oceanic'
This is likely to be one of the most beautiful albums you'll hear in 2018.
(1 February)
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Read 'Em And Weep: Celebrating 35 Years Of Opera Supertitles
In 1983, the Canadian Opera Company was the first to use simultaneous translations projected above the stage. Now it's an expected part of the opera-going experience.
(30 January)
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Review: Nils Frahm, 'All Melody'
The composer's new album is a feast for the ears that is companionable, symphonically expansive, danceable and (as its title suggests) ripe with melodies.
(26 January)
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'Tabasco' Opera Makes Fiery Return In New Orleans
New Orleans conductor Paul Mauffray lifts the lid on a hot sauce opera that had been bottled up for a century. The show ran on Broadway in the late 1800s, and yes, it's about Tabasco.
(26 January)
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Barbara Hannigan: Tiny Desk Concert
Eavesdrop on a beautiful recital of German songs from fin de siècle Vienna, when music was transitioning from the swells of romanticism to the uncharted waters of modernism.
(26 January)
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First Listen: Nils Frahm, 'All Melody'
The composer's new album is a feast for the ears that is companionable, symphonically expansive, danceable and (as its title suggests) ripe with melodies.
(22 January)
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Read 'Em And Weep: Celebrating 35 Years Of Opera Supertitles
In 1983, the Canadian Opera Company was the first to use simultaneous translations projected above the stage. Now it's an expected part of the opera-going experience.
(21 January)
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Songs We Love: Lea Bertucci, 'Patterns For Alto'
Bertucci unleashes a cascade of overlapping saxophone lines, with each small repetition spawning a new wave of curling, blending sounds.
(17 January)
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Daniil Trifonov: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch the young Russian musician, who The Times of London calls "the most astounding pianist of our age," play a smart, Chopin-focused concert on a grand piano, precisely wedged behind the Tiny Desk.
(12 January)
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Charles Dutoit Facing New Sexual Assault Accusations, Royal Philharmonic Cuts Ties
Accused of sexual harassment and shunned by the major American orchestras, Dutoit's relationship with the organization was described as "untenable."
(12 January)
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London's Royal Philharmonic Ends Its Relationship With Conductor Charles Dutoit
Accused of sexual harassment and shunned by the major American orchestras, Dutoit's relationship with the organization was described as "untenable."
(11 January)
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Meet An Audience Of Alley Cats And One Fine Fiddler
Violinist Augustin Hadelich unveils the world premiere of an adorable animated short film where the music of Paganini and a clowder of music-loving felines collide.
(10 January)
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10 Interviews Celebrating Robert Siegel's Love For Classical Music
In 30 years of hosting All Things Considered, Robert Siegel says he's enjoyed "peeking inside the brains" of today's most intriguing classical musicians. Hear a few of his favorite interviews.
(6 January)
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The True Story Of A Spanish Royal And The Very High Voice That Healed Him
The new Broadway musical drama Farinelli And The King tells the tale of the bipolar King Philippe V and the famous 18th-century operatic castrato whose singing nurses him back to health.
(4 January)
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Robert Mann, A Founder Of The Juilliard String Quartet, Has Died
The violinist, composer, conductor and mentor of generations of string players was 97 years old.
(4 January)
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John Williams, Classical Guitar's Standard-Bearer, Still Recording In Retirement
His precise technique and big ears made him the "Michael Jordan" of his instrument. These days, he doesn't tour any more, but he's still making albums for his own label.
(28 December)
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The Story Behind 'The Christmas Song'
Mel Tormé famously co-wrote one of the most well-known carols of all time in 1945. His son, James, tells the story of how the song came to be.
(25 December)
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From Skid Row To The San Francisco Conservatory Of Music
Ben Shirley's addictions landed him on the streets of Los Angeles. Now, at 53, he's turning his life around with the help of music.
(23 December)
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Goran Bregovic Reconciles Religion With Music On 'Three Letters From Sarajevo'
"I like to understand music as a conversation," the Balkan singer says. "Music is language."
(22 December)
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Goran Bregovic Reconciles Religion With Music On 'Three Letters From Sarajevo'
"I like to understand music as a conversation," the Balkan singer says. "Music is language."
(21 December)
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Another Famous Conductor, Charles Dutoit, Accused Of Sexual Assault
Charles Dutoit has been accused by four women of sexual assault in incidents that allegedly occurred between 1985 and 2010.
(21 December)
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Goran Bregovic Reconciles Religion With Music On 'Three Letters From Sarajevo'
"I like to understand music as a conversation," the Balkan singer says. "Music is language."
(21 December)
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NPR Music's Top 10 Classical Albums Of 2017
From tributes to Philip Glass and French opera to the roaring silences of Morton Feldman and virtuosic choral singing, 2017 proved to be another vibrant year in classical music.
(19 December)
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Watch Kronos Quartet's Testament To Collaboration At NPR Music's 10th Anniversary
The storied quartet wove styles and collaborators together in their performance at NPR Music's 10th anniversary celebration in Washington, D.C.
(19 December)
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The Dominican Sisters Of Mary Shares The 'True Beauty' Of Christmas With New Album
Members of the Ann Arbor, Mich. convent perform in the NPR studios and discuss their holiday album.
(16 December)
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A Jazz Piano Christmas 2017
This year, Abelita Mateus, Marcia Ball, Helen Sung and Joanne Brackeen create a toe-tapping meditation on peace and the holidays.
(16 December)
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After Assault Allegations, Classical Institutions Rush To Distance From James Levine
The conductor, trailed by "scurrilous rumors" for years, has now been publicly accused by four former proteges of sexual assault when they were either teenagers or young adults.
(7 December)
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Songs We Love: Bang On A Can All-Stars, 'The Brief And Neverending Blur'
Hear a new piece by Arcade Fire's Richard Reed Parry that pulsates in time to the heartbeats of the musicians who play it.
(6 December)
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Vintage Nordic Folk Tunes, With Strings Attached
Members of the Danish String Quartet carry on Scandinavian folk traditions by refurbishing old songs and writing a few new ones of their own.
(6 December)
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Sexual Abuse Allegations Against James Levine Spell Trouble For Met Opera
Following published accusations of sexual abuse and molestation against conductor James Levine, the Metropolitan Opera has suspended him after a four-decade relationship.
(5 December)
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The Healing Sound Of A Broken Orchestra
Philadelphia's public school system has over 1,000 broken instruments.
(1 December)
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