The World Music Education of Philip Glass
In his new memoir, Music Without Words, the composer explains how a chance meeting with Ravi Shankar sparked a fascination with the cultures of the world and their music.
Music & Culture
Rap City: Sweat, Hope & Hip-Hop In Dakar
Around the world, hip-hop gives a voice to the voiceless. Our photo essay spotlights rappers in Senegal, who shout out their frustrations about living in poverty and their dreams of a better future.
The Hard Work And Close Bonds Of Competitive College A Cappella
Pitch Perfect may have made the International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella look like a personality contest, but the real competition takes long hours and exacting musicianship.
Waka Flocka Flame Is Hiring
The rapper isn't using a headhunter. He's interviewing applicants for the position of fulltime blunt roller himself.
Drum Fill Friday, With Cayetana's Kelly Olsen
Our recurring puzzler for careful listeners, this week featuring a selection of fills handpicked by Kelly Olsen, drummer for the band Cayetana. Hear the fill (or intro) and match it to the song.
Dwight Yoakam's 'Second Hand Heart' Is First Class
Fresh Air rock critic Ken Tucker says the album is one of Yoakam's most stylistically diverse.
This Date In History: Wham! (Awkwardly) Opens Doors In China
30 years ago this month, Wham! became the first Western band to perform in communist China. NPR's Rachel Martin reflects on the anniversary.
How The Met Opera's Chorus Master Gets 150 To Sound Like One
Donald Palumbo is the Metropolitan Opera's chorus master. He tells Fresh Air about "stagger breathing," the ways singers protect their voices and his own lack of formal training.
The Nearly Lost Story Of Cambodian Rock 'N' Roll
Before the Khmer Rouge regime, a thriving pop and rock scene adapted Western music heard on U.S. military radio stations. The documentary Don't Think I've Forgotten took 10 years to make.
Julia Wolfe Wins Music Pulitzer For 'Anthracite Fields'
The composer is the second from the New York music collective Bang on a Can to win the award with a choral work. Her oratorio explores the lives of coal miners and their families a century ago.