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Contemporary

Celtic Wonder Carlos Nuñez Visits Somerville


By WGBH Music
You may not have known about the roots and branches of Celtic music that reach all the way into Spain, but bagpipe player Carlos Nuñez, known in Europe as "the 7th Chieftain", shows audiences profound musical connections between cultures around the globe.
WORLD MUSIC

Of Monsters and Men appear on Sound Tracks


By WGBH
The Nordic pop group Of Monsters and Men performs their smash hit, "Little Talks", for the new World music show on PBS: Sound Tracks.
WGBH Music

Liz Longley Sings in Harvard Square


By WGBH Music
Singer-songwriter Liz Longley stopped by Harvard Square on a late summer afternoon to perform her award winning song "When You've Got Trouble" for WGBH Music.
Music

The good life returns to Prowse Farm



By Scott McLennan
The Life is good Festival just doesn’t make sense. Or more correctly, the success of the Life is good Festival just doesn’t make sense; it presents the best in kids and family music alongside marquee names in pop and rock.
Music

Preview: Jamaica Plain Music Festival



By Scott McLennan
The JP Music Fest popped up last year after a few plugged-in residents of this musically rich Boston neighborhood decided it was time to show off the talent making its home in Jamaica Plain.
Music

WGBH Opera Bash: Niobe, Regina di Tebe


GET THE OPERA BASH SCHEDULE
By Classical New England
Listen to this revival of Agostino Steffani's 1688 opera, where a cast of complex characters brings to life Ovid's timeless tale of love, pride and divided loyalties. It's part of this weekend's annual WGBH Opera Bash, featuring some of today's biggest opera stars and incredible masterpieces, on WGBH 2 and 44, and on Classical New England.
Caught in the Act

Tanglewood: The Music Mecca of Western Mass.

By Jared Bowen
This summer Tanglewood celebrates its 75th anniversary and a legacy that has evolved from a simple summer music festival into what composer John Williams calls “the spiritual home of music in America.”
Music

VIDEO: Lunasa at The Burren Irish Pub


WATCH MORE WGBH MUSIC VIDEOS
By WGBH Arts
Earlier this month the Irish acoustic band Lunasa played at The Burren Irish Pub in Somerville. WGBH radio host Brian O'Donovan hosted the event as part The Burren Backroom Series.
Jazz

Eric Jackson on Listening to Jazz


By Boston Public Radio
WGBH's "Dean of Boston Jazz Radio"  discusses the recent Newport Jazz Festival, the concerts he's most looking forward to and why he doesn't give listeners a Top Ten list of Jazz hits.
Music

Music: Gregory Porter and "Be Good"



By Bridgit Brown
Porter has had a theater career and two very successful CDs; both India Arie and Erykah Badu have invited him to collaborate. One of his personal goals is to work with the musician Herbie Hancock, which might just happen because Porter is just that good.
SUMMER ARTS WEEKEND

The Boston Globe and WGBH Summer Arts Weekend Roundup

By WGBHArts
Revisit the incredible weekend of music and fun in Copley Square as seen through the tweets and videos of the WGBHArts contributors and friends.
Music

Music And Art: O'Keefe and Still (from the CNE Journal)


By Cathy Fuller
1927 in art and music, inspired by the new Art of the Americas wing at Boston's Museum of Fine Arts.
Music

Music and Art: Homer and MacDowell (from the CNE Journal)


By Cathy Fuller
This installment focuses on Winslow Homer, who was born here in Boston and spent his adolescence in Cambridge.
Music

Music: The Naukabout Music Festival



By Scott McLennan
The Naukabout Music Festival in East Falmouth is testament to how fertile our musical fields are here in the Bay State.
Music

Music: The Heart of Metal Beats in Worcester



By Scott McLennan
Why the Palladium matters so much will be on display tonight when the Summer Slaughter tour rolls into the building with nationally touring acts plus a whole second stage of heavy metal bands from Massachusetts and neighboring locales.
Music

Celebrating Tanglewood


By Brian McCreath
Western Massachusetts is the summer home of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, where music, nature and personalities come together in a legendary setting. Here is a rundown from the WGBH's Classical New England staff about the celebration of 75 years of Tanglewood.
Music

Music: Jaimoe, Jazz, and The Allman Brothers



By Scott McLennan
He’s an unflappable and slinky rhythm keeper, etching little sonic flourishes into the Allman Brothers Band’s music since its founding in 1969, but Jaimoe is also an outright musical omnivore.
Music

Music: Boston Landmarks Orchestra Aims For 20/20 Musical Vision



By Kris Wilton
“By the year 2020,” music director Christopher Wilkins writes on the orchestra’s site, the BLO “will provide all residents of Boston’s 20 diverse neighborhoods opportunities to be involved in its programs both at the Hatch Shell and in the neighborhoods.”
Music

Music Preview: Newport Jazz Festival Flaunts Today's Talent



By Scott McLennan
You’ll find titans such as sax player Joe Lovano playing on the Harbor Stage and the legendary drummer Jack DeJohnette celebrating his 70th birthday with an all-star band on the Quad Stage, while young gun Darcy James Argue brings his Secret Society big band to the main stage.
Music

New Orleans' Queen Fills Boston with Soul


MORE FROM WGBHARTS
By WGBHArts
Irma Thomas, the legendary rhythm and blues singer from New Orleans, visited Boston to kick off WGBH's Summer Arts Weekend.
SUMMER ARTS WEEKEND

Preservation Hall Band Swings Copley


By WGBHArts
Who can sit once “When the Saints Go Marching In” fills the air? Following the lead of lindy hoppers, many in Copley got to their feet and felt the music.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Poncho Sanchez Brings Latin Soul to Boston



By Bridgit Brown
For nearly 40 years, Sanchez has performed on numerous stages throughout the world, earned a Grammy, and has even given birth to his own form of jazz, which he calls "Jazz soul."
BOSTON PUBLIC RADIO

A World of Musicians Descend on Lowell, MA


By Edgar B. Herwick III
If you want to get a heaping helping of the music that comes from hundreds of countries, cultures and traditions, there is perhaps no other place on Earth better than Lowell, Massachusetts.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Sharon Shannon Brings Cool Celtic Accordion to Boston



By Kris Wilton
Shannon’s known for her wide-ranging collaborations with both Irish and non-Irish folk including Bono, Sinead O’Connor, Jackson Browne, John Prine, Steve Earle, The Chieftains, The Waterboys, Willie Nelson, Nigel Kennedy, Alison Krauss, and Shane MacGowan.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Del McCoury Brings Bluegrass Back to Preservation Hall



By Scott McLennan
McCoury and Preservation Hall Jazz Band team up again Friday as part of the Boston Summer Arts Weekend. “Collaboration” is the buzz word at this new arts festival, as it lays the groundwork for artists to get involved in each others’ sets.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Alison Balsom on Spine-Tingling Performances



By Kris Wilton
The classical trumpeter talks about boring classical performances, imagining herself as a musical instrument, and how finding Dizzy Gillespie as a seven year old made all the difference.
Music

Preview: The Lowell Folk Festival



By Scott McLennan
The hallmark of the Lowell festival, now in its 26th year, is its ability to show how wide the definition of folk music stretches.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Real Talk with Irma Thomas, The Soul Queen of New Orleans



By Bridgit Brown
Irma Thomas was officially named the Soul Queen of New Orleans by Mayor Ray Nagin in 2007, but the title has been with the respected Grammy award-winning singer since her start in the recording industry, nearly 50 years ago.
Music

Summer Arts Festival: Paying It Forward with Dan Zanes and Friends



By Stacy Buchanan
Dan Zanes is an advocate for creative collaboration, and through his life and work, he focuses on the good that happens when everybody is brought together to connect their pasts with their futures.
SUMMER ARTS WEEKEND

A Classical Sunday in Copley Square


COMPLETE SUMMER ARTS WEEKEND LINEUP
By Brian McCreath
Trumpeter Alison Balsom is one of several spectacular performers featured in free performances at Copley Square on Sunday.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: The Eclectic, Ethereal Sound of The Low Anthem


By Mary Tinti
The Low Anthem’s sound is at once folksy, ethereal, harmonious, and complex – the product of impressively proficient musicians who play an astonishing amalgam of unconventional instruments with both facility and grace.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Preservation Hall Jazz Band Brings New Orleans Spirit to Boston


By Mary Tinti
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: A Conversation with Sierra Hull


By Kris Wilton
Sierra Hull has been shaking up the bluegrass establishment for years, having released her first album, Secrets, with Rounder Records in 2008, when she was just 15.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Soul Rebels Launch Brass Attack


By Scott McLennan
The Soul Rebels will blow you away, and not just because the group features six horns. Rather it’s the band’s radical gumbo of New Orleans brass band music mixed with hip-hop, soul, and funk that is lighting up all sorts of musical camps.
Music

Summer Arts Weekend: Suzanne Vega Not Alone in Celebrating Solitude



By Scott McLennan
Suzanne Vega isn’t quite done examining her past–a task she started in 2010 with the first volume of her four-part Close Up CD series. Vega is also making a detour back into Solitude Standing, her breakout sophomore album that turns 25 this year.
Music

Music: Steel Pulse Keeps the Beat Going



By Scott McLennan
From its early songs about overcoming racism and poverty, Steel Pulse has always flashed a political edge with its music, but balanced that with a calming, richly grooved hopefulness.
Music

Music: Woody Guthrie Still Resonant at 100



By Scott McLennan
The folk-music icon would have been 100 years old on July 14, and his descendents celebrated the occasion by convening at the Green River Festival this past Saturday.
FROM THE VAULT

Rock 'n' Roll Legend Dick Dale on the Origins of Surf Guitar Music


By Elizabeth Deane
The Beach Boys may have surpassed Quincy-born Dick Dale in popularity, but he owns the title "King of the Surf Guitar." Learn why in this WGBH Archives video interview from the award-winning series "Rock & Roll."
A CELTIC SOJOURN

A Celtic Tribute to Woody Guthrie at 100


By Brian O'Donovan
Host of A Celtic Sojourn, Brian O'Donovan, shares music from Celtic artists like Solas and Planxty covering Woody Guthrie songs in tribute to the folk music legend's 100th birthday.
Music

Music: Green River Festival Hosts Woody Guthrie Centennial



By Scott McLennan
The centennial of Woody Guthrie’s birth is being celebrated around the county this year. But the biggest bash stands to happen on Guthrie’s actual birthday, July 14, when his descendants gather for a performance at the Green River Festival in Greenfield, MA.
Music

Music: Harborwalk Sounds at the Institute of Contemporary Art



By Scott McLennan
Harborwalk Sounds proved so popular it is now a weekly series, with eight concerts through August 30.
Music

Debo Band Merges Traditional Song with New Sounds in Ethiopian Pop


By Scott McLennan
The award-winning, Ethiopian-pop group Debo Band, hailing from Jamaica Plain, disproves the notion that “world music” comes from someplace else and proves that innovation is essential to the tradition.
Music

The Signature Sounds of Lake Street Dive



By Scott McLennan
The band has a knack for pop smarts, but also composes and plays with a degree of sophistication that makes all the difference between confection and substance.
Music

Indian Ranch: A Stronghold for Country Music



By Scott McLennan
Its longtime allegiance to country and western shapes Indian Ranch’s style to this day. Located off of Gore Road in Webster, about 15 miles south of Worcester, the concert pavilion is part of a larger camp ground where the roads are named after country music stars.
Music

Pink Floyd's The Wall Comes to Fenway Park



By Scott McLennan
Originally a personal work, The Wall is now a broader commentary about the terrors wrought by conniving governments and misguided authority, with fresh graphics underscoring these themes alongside classic images of marching hammers and menacing mothers.
Music

Music Under the Lowell Sky


MORE FROM WGBHARTS
By Scott McLennan
The Lowell Music Series is what we’ve come to expect: a mix of seasoned vets and rising stars, plus plenty of genre hopping, so nobody should feel left out of the experience.
Music

"Don't You Need To Be Back In The Arms of a Good Friend?" Matthew Sweet Resurrects "Girlfriend"



By Stacy Buchanan
He’s back, not only with a new album, Modern Art, but to also remind us apathetic early ‘90s Indie rockers that we’re getting old.
Folk Music

Local School for the Blind Celebrates Doc Watson's Life


LISTEN TO HIS MUSIC
By Cristina Quinn
An administrator says students at Perkins School for the Blind take particular inspiration from blind musicians such as folk guitarist Doc Watson, who died May 29.
Caught in the Act

Lockhart Delivers Again With This Year's Pops


By Jared Bowen
Conductor Keith Lockhart serves up a rousing series of Americana music with Bernadette Peters, John Williams, Patti Austin and comedian/banjo aficionado Steve Martin.
WGBH Jazz

A Tribute for Gil Evans on His 100th Birthday


By WGBH Jazz
Jazz legend Gil Evans would have celebrated his 100th birthday on May 13, 2012. WGBH Jazz hosts Eric Jackson and Steve Schwartz dedicate hours of listening to his compositions and arrangements, in particular his work with Miles Davis.
Music

Q & A with Scott Alarik on Pete Seeger


By WGBH News
Pete Seeger turns 93 this year. Folk music writer Scott Alarik talks with WGBH's Bob Seay about Pete Seeger's relationship to Boston and Cambridge as part of the big folk music revolution in the 1960s.
Music

Review: Europa Galante at Sanders



By Arthur Smith
Boston Early Music Festival presented the period instrumental ensemble Europa Galante at Sanders Theater, Sunday, Feb 6. Guest Street curator Arthur Smith gives the report.
Music

Baroque Strings At Sanders



By Arthur Smith
Baroque Strings At Sanders It’s been a good year for the Boston Early Music Festival. Most lauded for its biennial June performances, the group also presents a strong line-up of concerts throughout the year.
CNE Journal

Mahler Unleashed


HEAR THE CONVERSATION
By Brian McCreath
New England Conservatory of Music President Tony Woodcock talks about NEC's celebration of Gustav Mahler's music.
Film

Pearl Jam Twenty Captures A Band and An Era



By Greg Shea
Filmmaker and WGBH Producer Greg Shea offers a perspective on Cameron Crowe's new documentary, Pearl Jam Twenty.
Theater

Five Questions For Sean Panikkar



By Brian McCreath
WGBHArts contributor Brian McCreath sat down with tenor Sean Panikkar between reheasals for the Opera Boston production of Beatrice and Benedict.
Classical New England

Classical New England Welcomes You To A New Weekday Lineup


READ MORE
A new schedule for WGBH's Classical New England brings you more of your favorite voices, as well as extra Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts.
Music

The Bartok Experience



By Brian McCreath
In November 2008, thanks to the Celebrity Series of Boston, we had the chance here in Boston to experience the connections between Bartók's work and its spiritual (and sometimes actual) source material in a fiery, colorful, visceral way.
Greater Boston

A.R.T. Reimagines Porgy And Bess


MORE GREATER BOSTON
WEB EXTRA: NORM LEWIS ON PLAYING "PORGY"
By Jared Bowen
Porgy and Bess is considered the American opera and one of the most singular pieces of theater ever produced in this country. The piece has undergone a transformation of sorts by American Repertory Theater Artistic Director Diane Paulus, who was handpicked by the Gershwin estate to refashion the opera into a musical.
Mark Your Calendar

Candide at the Huntington: Tony-winner Mary Zimmerman takes on a flawed classic.



By Arthur Smith
Leonard Bernstein's problematic masterpiece bows at the Huntington.
CNE Journal

Music and Art: Cassatt and Chadwick


By Cathy Fuller
Hear music inspired by the Museum of Fine Art's new Art of the Americas wing.

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