Edward Kennedy “Duke” Ellington: bandleader, composer—pioneer—it’s impossible to imagine the big band sound without him. He created; other people worried about what to call it. Though he wrote over three thousand songs, gave thousands of shows, the constant innovation

Lyric Opera is investing a lot in this artist. She is one of the cornerstones, cast as Brunnhilde in a new Ring cycle. Now New Yorkers are catching the fever. Of Saturday’s broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s Die Frau Ohne Schatten Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times noted: “…this was a breakthrough night at the Met for the American soprano Christine Goerke

By 1930, William Grant Still had emerged as an all-American composer; all-American because he was uniquely American; he could not have come from anywhere else. His ancestry was African, European, and native-American . His musical voice was a melting pot of spirituals and European traditions. 1930 was the year of Still’s First Symphony, which he titled “Afro-American

New Release of the Week: the latest from Simone Dinnerstein. She spoke with New Releases host Lisa Flynn about drawing poetry from Bach. The Inventions and Sinfonias would seem like exercises to J.S. Bach, except they’re so musical. He set out to write one of each

Nothing speaks for the heart quite like music. Be sure your Valentine’s Day strikes the right chord by listening to WFMT. Starting at 6:00 AM, Carl Grapentine offers the most romantic music ever composed: A Kiss from Beethoven, verses from The Song of Solomon by Percy Grainger—and of course, music about the world’s greatest lovers, including Pelleas and Melisande; and an entire hour (8:00 AM – 9:00 AM) devoted to Romeo and Juliet.

Thursday’s edition of Baroque&Before features performances from the RheinVokal Festival situated in the Middle Rhine Valley. The valley is home to the Lorelei legend, which comes from the murmuring waters echoing around the cliffs. Lorelei is a mythical water sprite, akin to the Rhine maidens. According to legend, the singing maiden lures men to their deaths

Since his appointment as principal conductor in 2000, the Grant Park Orchestra has been on a roll with Carlos Kalmar. The critics love them; the programming is wonderfully adventuresome, attendance is strong, and they give concerts in one of the most spectacular venues on the face of the earth. Ditto for the Grant Park Chorus with Director Christopher Bell, who joined in 2002