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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Locks Out Musicians As Contract Dispute Continues
Contract and salary negotiations between musicians and management have stalled, leaving BSO players picketing outside their concert hall.
(17 June)
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John Luther Adams' 'Become Desert' Shimmers In Majestic Stillness
The composer's musical evocation of the desert is an expansive journey in symphonic stillness, and a sequel to his Pulitzer-winning Become Ocean.
(14 June)
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Pavarotti Documentary Misses All The Right Notes
Ron Howard's new Pavarotti film fails to make us feel much for its subject, and does little to bolster the magical, complicated art called opera.
(7 June)
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First Listen: John Luther Adams, 'Become Desert'
The composer's musical evocation of the desert is an expansive journey in symphonic stillness, and a sequel to his Pulitzer-winning Become Ocean.
(6 June)
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'They Know That I'm The Real Deal': Transgender Baritone Makes Opera History
In her U.S. debut as Don Giovanni, Lucia Lucas became the first known trans woman to sing a principal role on an American opera stage.
(1 June)
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Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Suddenly Cancels Summer Season
The financially embattled organization surprised its musicians, and its audience, by shortening its season and cutting the players pay and vacation, it announced Thursday.
(31 May)
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A Conversation With Jonny Greenwood, On Chaos And The Element Of Surprise
Radiohead guitarist Jonny Greenwood talks about his classical music featured on NPR Music's Tiny Desk, his love for the recorder and his composer heroes such as Steve Reich and Krzysztof Penderecki.
(31 May)
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'They Know That I'm The Real Deal': Transgender Baritone Makes Opera History
In her U.S. debut as Don Giovanni, Lucia Lucas became the first known trans person to sing a principal role on an American opera stage.
(31 May)
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Kishi Bashi Uses The History Of Japanese Internment To Explore America Today
To make his latest album, Omoiyari, the Japanese-American artist decided to turn to the past. He visited Japanese internment camps and made music inspired by the stories he found there.
(29 May)
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Jeremy Dutcher: Tiny Desk Concert
There is no one making music like this 27-year-old, classically trained opera tenor and pianist. Watch and see why.
(22 May)
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Ensemble Signal Plays Jonny Greenwood: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch members of the New York-based group give the world premiere video performances of two recent pieces by Radiohead guitarist and composer Jonny Greenwood.
(20 May)
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Magos Herrera and Brooklyn Rider: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch what happens when the smoky-voiced jazz singer from Mexico conspires with an adventuresome string quartet for songs steeped in Latin American traditions.
(15 May)
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Kelsey Lu, A Classically Trained Rule Breaker
Kelsey Lu knew she wanted to play music from a young age. So, at 18, she left home to deepen that study. On her debut album, Blood, Lu explores what that decision meant.
(1 May)
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Kelsey Lu, A Classically-Trained Rule Breaker
Kelsey Lu knew she wanted to play music from a young age. So, at 18, she left home to deepen that study. On her debut album, Blood, Lu explores what that decision meant.
(1 May)
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From Betty Boop To Popeye, Franz Von Suppé Survives In Cartoons
You may not recognize the Austrian composer by name, but if you like cartoons, you've heard the music of Franz von Suppé.
(29 April)
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The Calidore String Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert
The Calidore String Quartet confirms that the centuries-old formula — two violins, a viola and a cello — is still very much alive and evolving.
(24 April)
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Top Dutch Orchestra And Ousted Conductor Daniele Gatti Settle Dispute
The acclaimed Concertgebouw Orchestra issued a warmly worded statement Tuesday saying its disagreements with the conductor have been resolved by both parties.
(24 April)
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After The Flames, Notre Dame's Centuries-Old Organ May Never Be The Same Again
Chief organist Olivier Latry looks ahead at the church's extensive renovation process after the Notre Dame cathedral fire on April 15.
(22 April)
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The Calidore String Quartet: Tiny Desk Concert
The Calidore String Quartet confirms that the centuries-old formula – two violins, a viola and a cello – is still very much alive and evolving.
(22 April)
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Caroline Shaw's Love Letter To The String Quartet
On Orange, an album devoted entirely to her work, the young, Pulitzer-winning composer salutes a centuries-old genre.
(19 April)
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Readjusting Your Reality: Ellen Reid Wins Music Pulitzer For 'P r i s m'
The young composer's opera, which debuted at the Los Angeles Opera, was inspired by her own experience as a survivor of sexual assault.
(16 April)
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Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach In Shadow Of Border Crossing
The world-renowned cellist brought his Bach Project to the sister cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, on Saturday.
(15 April)
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White Singers In Hungary Claim To Be African-American, For An Opera
The Gershwin estate stipulates that Porgy and Bess should be performed by an all-black cast. The Hungarian State Opera in Budapest reportedly asked its mostly white cast to say that they are black.
(12 April)
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For Conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Making Music Is 'Like A Religious Call'
Nézet-Séguin uses every part of his body when he conducts — including his eyes, eyebrows, shoulders and feet. He's the music director at New York's Metropolitan Opera and the Philadelphia Orchestra.
(4 April)
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From A Piano Virtuoso, An Album For Beginners
Steve Inskeep speaks with superstar pianist Lang Lang about his new album, Piano Book, a reexamination of the classical music repertory he learned as child.
(2 April)
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The Valkyrie Who Maxed Out Her Credit Cards: Christine Goerke Sings Brünnhilde
Goerke, who's singing in the current Metropolitan Opera Ring cycle, overcame a vocal crisis to become one of today's leading dramatic sopranos.
(30 March)
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Majority Of James Levine's Defamation Claims Against Met Opera Dismissed
The New York State Supreme Court dismissed most of the fallen music director's claims against the Metropolitan Opera and its general manager, Peter Gelb. Even so, both sides are claiming victory.
(27 March)
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Jeremy Denk's Musical Odyssey Through 7 Centuries Of Music
On his new album titled c.1300-c.2000, the pianist begins with a medieval song by Machaut and ends with an étude by Philip Glass.
(16 March)
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2 Sides In Chicago Symphony Orchestra Strike To Meet On Friday
The musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra are on strike. At issue are salary and pensions. The contract expired Sunday night.
(13 March)
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At 92, The Man Who Wrote The Book On Berlioz Resumes His Case
To mark the sesquicentennial of the composer's death — and a new box set of recordings — Berlioz biographer David Cairns celebrates the one-time musical misfit from France.
(8 March)
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After 20 Years, Ryuichi Sakamoto's Rare 'BTTB' Is Available For Streaming
The composer and multi-instrumentalist's newly reissued 14th album is an intimate collection of brief solo piano compositions, first released in Japan in 1998 and hard to find since.
(1 March)
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André Previn, Musical Polymath, Has Died At Age 89
André Previn died Thursday morning in Manhattan. He was a composer of Oscar-winning film music, conductor, pianist and music director of major orchestras.
(28 February)
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From Funerals To Festivals, The Curious Journey Of The 'Adagio For Strings'
How did Samuel Barber's stirring, lush work for strings — music that has become America's semi-official music of mourning — morph into a beloved and endlessly remixed dance floor anthem?
(25 February)
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An Italian Town Fell Silent So The Sounds Of A Stradivarius Could Be Preserved
The mayor of Cremona, Italy, blocked traffic during five weeks of recording and asked residents to please keep quiet so master musicians could play four instruments — note by note — for posterity.
(25 February)
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Top Flutist Settles Gender Pay-Gap Suit With Boston Symphony Orchestra
Elizabeth Rowe, the symphony's principal flutist, filed suit against the orchestra last July. It was among the first lawsuits regarding gender pay gaps filed under a new Massachusetts law.
(25 February)
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Dominick Argento, Literature-Loving And Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer, Dead At 91
Argento began his career in earnest in the '60s, before rising to international prominence in the '70s for works that often mined the written word for inspiration.
(25 February)
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First Listen: Ryuichi Sakamoto, 'BTTB (20th Anniversary Edition)'
The composer and multi-instrumentalist's newly reissued 14th album is an intimate collection of brief solo piano compositions, first released in Japan in 1998 and hard to find since.
(21 February)
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Jeremy Denk Maps Centuries of Music History on 'c.1300-c.2000'
Hear the resourceful pianist trace 700 years of Western music, from the delicate medieval counterpoint of Guillaume de Machaut to the minimalism of Philip Glass.
(8 February)
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Heavy Rotation: 10 Songs Public Radio Can't Stop Playing
A new collaboration from Karen O and Danger Mouse, a fresh new beat from French producer FKJ and a new single from Jack White's The Raconteurs are among this month's favorites.
(2 February)
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Sanford Sylvan, A Baritone On His Own Terms, Dies At 65
The warm-voiced, and much admired, singer eschewed the glitzy life of an opera star to concentrate on the art of vocal communication.
(1 February)
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First Listen: Jeremy Denk, 'c.1300–c.2000'
Hear the resourceful pianist trace 700 years of Western music, from the delicate medieval counterpoint of Guillaume de Machaut to the minimalism of Philip Glass.
(31 January)
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Opera Star David Daniels And Husband Arrested On Sexual Assault Charges
The two were arrested Tuesday night in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and are awaiting extradition to Texas. A young singer has accused the pair of drugging and raping him in 2010.
(30 January)
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Leyla McCalla Sings 'The Capitalist Blues' With Feeling and Wisdom
On her bustling third album, the former Carolina Chocolate Drops member maps her vision of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora while gently taking Anglocentricism (and capitalism) down a notch.
(25 January)
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Revisiting The Pioneering Composer Florence Price
A new recording spotlights the tenacious composer, who was the first African-American woman to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra.
(22 January)
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First Listen: Leyla McCalla, 'The Capitalist Blues'
On her bustling third album, the former Carolina Chocolate Drops member maps her vision of the Afro-Caribbean diaspora while gently taking Anglocentricism (and capitalism) down a notch.
(17 January)
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Finding God, Love And The Meaning Of Life In Messiaen's 'Turangalîla-Symphonie'
Baltimore Symphony music director Marin Alsop traces her discovery of the rollicking 75-minute symphony and the man behind the music.
(12 January)
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Carolina Eyck and Clarice Jensen: Tiny Desk Concert
Carolina Eyck, the first artist to bring a theremin to the Tiny Desk, plays the air with the kind of lyrical phrasing and "fingered" articulation that takes a special kind of virtuosity.
(11 January)
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For Opera Singers, Life After Retirement — At Least At One Very Special Rest Home
Founded by composer Giuseppe Verdi and funded by royalties from his popular operas, Casa Verdi in Milan opened a century ago as a home for opera musicians in their golden years.
(11 January)
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NPR Music's Best Classical Albums Of 2018
The music on our list takes you to Tsarist Russia, the New Mexico desert, 18th century Spain, the austere landscapes of Iceland and Vienna, at the dawn of the 20th century. Happy travelling.
(8 January)
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Andrea Bocelli Passes The Art Of Expressive Singing To His Son
Superstar Andrea Bocelli has sung with just about everyone, from Celine Dion to Ariana Grande. On his latest album, Sì, Bocelli tries something new — singing with his son.
(3 January)
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For One Violinist, Elevating Music By Black Composers Is A 20-Year Mission
Composers of color have long had to compete with dead white men for space on the concert stage. A new project, spearheaded by Rachel Barton Pine, seeks to correct that for the next generation.
(2 January)
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NPR Music's Best Classical Albums Of 2018
The music on our list takes you to Tsarist Russia, the New Mexico desert, 18th century Spain, the austere landscapes of Iceland and Vienna, at the dawn of the 20th century. Happy travelling.
(18 December)
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Karim Wasfi's 'Spontaneous Compositions' Aid Stability In Iraq
Renowned Iraqi conductor and cellist Karim Wasfi tells NPR's Scott Simon about his music, the challenges of his work and his commitment to his country.
(15 December)
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Jacob Collier Makes Staggering, Complex Music Feel Effortless
Host Ari Shapiro speaks with singer and multi-instrumentalist Jacob Collier about his latest project, a four-album odyssey called Djesse, the first volume of which is out now.
(13 December)
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Cleveland Orchestra At 100: The Heartland Band With The World Class Sound
Who knew that a little orchestra in America's Midwest, born in 1918, could grow up to be one of the world's best? Through a century of trials and triumphs, the Cleveland Orchestra still shines.
(12 December)
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San Francisco Symphony Names Esa-Pekka Salonen As Its Music Director
In a surprise move, the orchestra announced Wednesday that it is bringing composer and conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen aboard as its music director, beginning in September 2020.
(5 December)
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University Of Michigan Ensemble 'Gives A Voice' To Nazi Prisoners Through Unearthed Music
While conducting research at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum, a music theory professor discovered manuscripts of music that haven't been heard since World War II.
(2 December)
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Why Is The Chinese Government Trying To Buy A School In New Jersey?
An elite music college in Princeton, N.J., is up for sale. Its prospective buyer is a for-profit Chinese company — which is partially owned by the Beijing municipal government.
(30 November)
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28 Trombonists Play 'Bohemian Rhapsody,' Will Send Shivers Down Your Spine
Recorded during the 2018 International Trombone Festival, this brass choir elevates the cover game.
(29 November)
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How The 'New World' Symphony Introduced American Music To Itself
Sometimes it takes an outsider to see a culture clearly. Czech composer Antonin Dvorak's Ninth Symphony was an ode to what American music could become.
(24 November)
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'Let's Turkey Trot': Festive Music About Fowl
From bourgeois turkeys to Mother Goose, music commentator Miles Hoffman introduces us to classical music about fowls.
(22 November)
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Missy Mazzoli Is The 21st Century's Gatecrasher Of New Classical Music
Classical music has a gatekeeping problem. Through her label-defying music and commitment to mentorship, Mazzoli is fighting to correct that.
(16 November)
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Raising the Dead — And A Few Questions — With Maria Callas' Hologram
The legendary opera diva is on tour, as a hologram, with a live orchestra. But behind the dramatic music, truth and fiction are blurred.
(6 November)
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Vote For Your Favorite New Musician Of 2018
Slingshot, VuHaus public radio stations and NPR Music's emerging artist series, spotlighted 40 artists over the course of the past 10 months. Now it's time for you to tell us your favorite.
(2 November)
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Vote For Your Favorite New Musician Of 2018
Slingshot, NPR Music's emerging artist series, spotlighted 40 artists over the course of the past 10 months. Now it's time for you to tell us your favorite.
(2 November)
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Tilda Swinton's Spaniels Are A Lot To Handel
A new video, co-directed by actress Tilda Swinton, breaks the joy meter, as her vivacious dogs frolic to the strains of a Handel opera.
(1 November)
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A 'Cosmic Connection' Between 2 Violinists
For decades, Cologne-based violinist Geoffry Wharton has played jazzy crowd-pleasing encores written in the 1930s by an obscure composer, Audrey Call. Wharton discovered a spooky connection with her.
(27 October)
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Second Man Accuses Opera Star David Daniels Of Sexual Assault
For the second time in just over two months, famed opera star David Daniels has been accused of drugging and then sexually assaulting a young singer.
(26 October)
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Cleveland Orchestra Fires 2 Leading Musicians After Sexual Misconduct Investigation
The Cleveland Orchestra announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has fired concertmaster William Preucil and principal trombonist Massimo La Rosa for multiple alleged incidents of sexual misconduct.
(25 October)
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Cleveland Orchestra Fires Two Leading Musicians After Sexual Misconduct Investigation
The Cleveland Orchestra announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has fired concertmaster William Preucil and principal trombonist Massimo La Rosa for multiple alleged incidents of sexual misconduct.
(25 October)
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MacArthur Fellow Vijay Gupta On Making Music Accessible For All
Violinist and social justice advocate Vijay Gupta, one of the 2018 winners of the MacArthur Fellowship, speaks about his work in under-resourced communities in Los Angeles and what's next.
(14 October)
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Dreaming Of Rachmaninov On A Train
The celebrated young pianist Daniil Trifonov steals aboard a steam locomotive, chugging through the Rockies to the strains of Rachmaninov's Fourth Concerto.
(11 October)
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The Rise Of The LA Philharmonic To 'America's Most Important Orchestra'
The Los Angeles Philharmonic, which begins to mark its centennial this fall, is credited with helping to bring high culture and great composers to L.A.
(10 October)
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Two More Women Accuse Violinist William Preucil Of Misconduct
Two female violinists allege that the Cleveland Orchestra concertmaster — currently suspended from his job due to a previous allegation — acted inappropriately towards them during lessons.
(10 October)
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The Tale Of The Stolen Totenberg Stradivarius Ends With A New Legacy
When the FBI recovered virtuoso violinist Roman Totenberg's stolen Stradivarius after his death, his daughters wanted the instrument to be played everywhere. Ensuring that was not so simple.
(9 October)
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One Mesmerizing Moment With Soprano Montserrat Caballé
The revered Spanish soprano, who died Saturday, spins out silvery threads of tone in her recordings, the likes of which no one has ever matched.
(9 October)
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Back To Bach: Hilary Hahn Rekindles An Old Love
When the violinist was just 17, a stunning Bach debut album launched her career. Over two decades later, she returns to finish up the set of pieces she started as a teenager.
(7 October)
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Watch Yo-Yo Ma Perform 'Song Of The Birds' Live In The Studio
The world-renowned cellist performs the delicate piece both gently and with absolute surety.
(4 October)
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MacArthur Fellow Matthew Aucoin Talks Composing And Donating His 'Genius' Money
The 28-year-old polymath from Boston discusses his new award, his precocious youth and how he perceives all human language as a form of musical communication.
(4 October)
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Bach On Tap Shoes: Tiptoeing Through The 'Goldberg Variations'
Watch Caleb Teicher tap his way through Bach's Goldberg Variations with pianist Conrad Tao at the Steinway factory in New York.
(3 October)
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'The Planets' At 100: A Listener's Guide To Holst's Solar System
Take an interplanetary trek through the English composer's symphonic blockbuster with the help of a conductor and an astronomer.
(29 September)
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Erasing Genres En Español: A Smoky-Voiced Jazz Singer Meets Classical Strings
The resourceful Mexican jazz singer Magos Herrera partners with the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, creating an album that's steeped in Latin American culture.
(28 September)
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New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Struggle To Find Their Way
The New York Philharmonic launches its season with a new music director and executive director. The Metropolitan Opera's season starts with a young music director.
(25 September)
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Anthony Roth Costanzo: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch the ambitious countertenor sing music that spans more than 250 years, connecting the dots between David Byrne, George Frideric Handel and Philip Glass.
(24 September)
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New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera Struggle To Find Their Way
The Philharmonic launches its season with a new music director and executive director. The Metropolitan Opera's season starts with a young music director.
(24 September)
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Anthony Roth Costanzo: A Countertenor For The 21st Century
The resourceful singer is unafraid to bring opera — and his high-flying top notes — to unlikely places, from sixth-grade classrooms to the offices of NPR.
(22 September)
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New York Philharmonic Musicians In Limbo After Investigation
After a five-month investigation, the New York City orchestra took action against oboist Liang Wang and trumpeter Matthew Muckey over unspecified misconduct.
(18 September)
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Helen Sung Spins Dana Gioia's Poetry Into Jazz On 'Sung With Words'
The pianist merges jazz and poetry together to make a multi-movement work that explores themes of the human condition.
(14 September)
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How Sports Met 'The Star-Spangled Banner'
"The Star-Spangled Banner" has been played at major sporting events as far back as the Civil War, even before it was officially named the national anthem. How and why did the tradition stick?
(10 September)
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How Sports Met 'The Star Spangled Banner'
"The Star Spangled Banner" has been played at major sporting events as far back as the Civil War, even before it was officially named the national anthem. How and why did the tradition stick?
(7 September)
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First Listen: Helen Sung, 'Sung With Words'
The pianist merges jazz and poetry together to make a multi-movement work that explores themes of the human condition.
(6 September)
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George Li: Tiny Desk Concert
Watch the young Harvard grad dispatch some of the most "knuckle-busting" piano repertoire with uncommon panache and precision.
(31 August)
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Renée Fleming, America's Go-To Diva, To Sing At McCain Memorial In Washington
The versatile opera star will sing an Irish classic at the memorial service of Senator John McCain Saturday at Washington's National Cathedral.
(29 August)
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Strangers On A Train: How Gabriel Kahane's Travels Inspired An Album Of Empathy
Kahane's new album, Book of Travelers is inspired by a two-week train trip the composer took across America. Kahane discusses the album and performs a few of the songs in NPR's studio.
(29 August)
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Life With Leonard Bernstein
To mark the centennial of her father's birth, Jamie Bernstein talks frankly about her new memoir, tracking her life as the daughter of the legendary composer.
(25 August)
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George Walker, Trailblazing American Composer, Dies At 96
The composer, whose music fused many styles with a singular voice, constantly broke new ground. He was the first African-American to win the Pulitzer Prize for music.
(25 August)
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The Complex Life Of Leonard Bernstein, A Once-In-A-Century Talent
Born 100 years ago on Aug. 25, 1918, Bernstein was a larger-than-life character — on stage as a conductor, at the piano as a composer, on TV as an educator and in a sometimes tangled personal life.
(24 August)
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Got 'Mambo'? A Playlist For Leonard Bernstein Fanatics And First-Timers
Need to beef up on Leonard Bernstein? Hear the musical polymath's most delightful tunes, from West Side Story classics to surprises from Aretha Franklin, Tom Waits and Selena.
(24 August)
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Opera Singer David Daniels Accused Of Rape
The celebrated artist and his husband, Scott Walters, are accused of drugging and raping a young singer in Houston, Texas, in May 2010.
(23 August)
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New Music, New Stories From Century-Old Celluloid
Watch an excerpt from The Unchanging Sea, the latest commingling of filmmaker Bill Morrison's decaying reels of silent film and Michael Gordon's undulating music.
(20 August)
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