"Beethoven" (1936). A new study suggests the German composer and pianist may have suffered from lead poisoning. The Print Collector/Getty Images hide caption
Classical Classical music performances and features from NPR news, NPR cultural programs, and NPR Music stations.
Classical
Lara Downes and John Holiday NPR hide caption
Countertenor John Holiday isn't trying to make you love him
Classical California KDFC
Nathy Peluso Ivan Resnik/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Marian Anderson arrives in London in 1952. On June 8, 2024, the Philadelphia Orchestra named its main performance hall in her honor. Douglas Miller/Getty Images hide caption
Lara Downes and Brittney Spencer. Nickolai Hammar hide caption
Brittney Spencer brings her culture to country music
Classical California KDFC
Yo-Yo Ma performs in Washington, D.C., on June 25, 2018. Larry French/Getty Images North America hide caption
Yo-Yo Ma on ‘touching infinity’ through his nearly 300-year-old cello, Petunia
A new album by pianist Inna Faliks features world premiere recordings of works by five composers. Rosalind Wong/Inna Faliks hide caption
Pianist Inna Faliks traces musical odyssey from Soviet Ukraine via Faustian fantasy
Ukrainian composer Valentin Silvestrov fled his hometown of Kyiv for Berlin in early 2022. Dmitri Matveyev/Naxos hide caption
Speranza Scappucci conducts singers on stage and the orchestra in the pit for the Washington National Opera's production of Turandot. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
One of opera's greatest hits gets a new and happy ending in Washington
Pulitzer-winning composer Tyshawn Sorey. John Rogers/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Black Thought and Your Old Droog feature on Madlib's new track, "REEKYOD." Mathieu Bitton/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Moments of Enlightenment with Broadway's Brian Stokes Mitchell
Classical California KUSC
Conductor Andrew Davis, right, raises his arms as he takes a bow, accompanied by Renee Fleming, and Peter Rose, center, during the final dress rehearsal of Richard Strauss's Capriccio in the Metropolitan Opera at New York's Lincoln Center, March 25, 2011. Richard Drew/AP hide caption
Lise Davidsen performs a Tiny Desk concert at NPR Music in Washington, D.C. Zayrha Rodriguez/NPR hide caption
There's a trio of fantastic records featuring drummer Jim White all out in the first half of 2024. Anna White/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Cellist Maya Beiser has reimagined Terry Riley's pioneering work In C, which helped launch the style of music called minimalism. Boyang Hu/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä has just been announced as the next music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Francois Guillot/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
28-year-old conductor Klaus Mäkelä will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
Víkingur Ólafsson performs a Tiny Desk concert. Estefania Mitre/NPR hide caption
Composer Anna Clyne — one of the most performed living composers — embraces melody in her music as a vehicle to connect with listeners. Christina Kernohan/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Cellis Maya Beiser offers a remarkable interpretation of Terry Riley's In C on her latest album. Boyang Hu/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
San Francisco Symphony music director Esa-Pekka Salonen. Chris Pizzello/Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP hide caption
Jennifer Koh and Missy Mazzoli perform a Tiny Desk concert at NPR Music in Washington, D.C. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption