Music

The 2021 Kennedy Center honorees: (left to right) opera star Justino Díaz, Saturday Night Live creator Lorne Michaels, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entertainer Bette Midler and Motown founder Berry Gordy.

Kennedy Center honors creative excellence in the arts at annual gala

3:46pm December 06, 2021

by Elizabeth Blair

Motown founder Berry Gordy, opera star Justino Díaz, singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell, entertainer Bette Midler and television impresario Lorne Michaels were among those celebrated this weekend.

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Olga Neuwirth's bold gender-bending opera has won the Grawemeyer Award

10:20am December 06, 2021

by Steve Smith

Neuwirth, an Austrian composer and multimedia artist known for works of elemental power, was honored for her opera 'Orlando,' produced by the Vienna State Opera in 2019.

Meric Long of the Bay Area band The Dodos found his voice in a distinctive guitar style. While writing the new album Grizzly Peak, he watched that ability begin to slip away.

When Making Music Breaks Your Body

11:50am December 04, 2021

by Grayson Haver Currin

An arthritis diagnosis means the latest album by the Bay Area band The Dodos is likely its last. It is a striking reminder of the oft-overlooked physical strains of music careers.

Fiona Ritchie and Cerys Matthews at the BBC Music studios.

Music & Culture

The Thistle & Shamrock: 'A Child's Christmas In Wales'

11:32am December 04, 2021

Fiona Ritchie presents a musical holiday selection from Cerys Matthews, Mindy Gledhill, Joel Mabus, Eileen Ivers and more.

Julieta Salvo (left) and Claudia Cornejo only knew each other online before meeting for the first time at the concert. Salvo, originally from Argentina, currently lives in South Korea while Cornejo, originally from Mexico, lives in Michigan.

BTS returns to the stage reuniting their ARMY of fans after a 2-year hiatus

11:18am December 04, 2021

by Hannah Yoon

Fans from across the country and the world came to see the Korean boy band perform in Los Angeles for their first live concert in two years. Photographer Hannah Yoon documented fans before the show.

World Cafe celebrates 30 years with a 1998 playlist.

Music & Culture

World Cafe 30th Anniversary Playlist: 1998

1:12pm December 03, 2021

by Bruce Warren

In 1998, we saw the release of Air's Moon Safari, In The Aeroplane Over The Sea by Neutral Milk Hotel, Lauryn Hill's legendary Miseducation, Elliott Smith's XO and many more. Let's take a look back.

Zazie Beetz and David Rysdahl are American actors.

Music & Culture

Tiny Desk Playlist: Zazie Beetz and David Rysdahl's favorite Tiny Desk concerts

10:50am December 03, 2021

Actors Zazie Beetz and David Rysdahl pick their favorite Tiny Desk concerts, and the ones that made them first fall in love with the series.

Strata-East Records founders, from left: Trumpeter Charles Tolliver and pianist Stanley Cowell, photographed in 1970.

Music & Culture

Strata-East at 50: How a revolutionary record label put control in artists' hands

10:34am December 03, 2021

To celebrate their 50-year anniversary, we trace the history and legacy of the independent jazz record label Strata-East founded by trumpeter Charles Tolliver and the late pianist Stanley Cowell.

Music & Culture

Talia Goddess, 'Poster Girl'

10:12am December 03, 2021

by Cat Sposato

Accompanied by a funky bassline, stacked harmony line and fascinating drum section, "Poster Girl" is an enchanting siren song.

Asleep At The Wheel performs during a live taping of Mountain Stage at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on Sun., Oct. 24, 2021.

Music & Culture

Asleep At The Wheel on Mountain Stage

10:00am December 03, 2021

In October 2020, Asleep At The Wheel joined a special Mountain Stage roadshow at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C.