On a Knife’s Edge: Cooking, Music, History Come Together in Okpebholo’s Cook-Off
In Chicago composer Shawn E. Okpebholo’s new opera, three chefs vie for cooking show glory — and $100K — by tackling the classically American dish macaroni and cheese.
Don't Miss a Beat
The Earliest Opera Is Over 800 Years Old… And It Was Written By a Woman
The extraordinary story of Hildegard von Bingen.
The One Classical Album That Almost Caused Cuban Musician Roberto Fonseca to Quit Playing the Piano
"In Cuba you will find any type of music: mariachi, heavy metal, dubstep, or even free jazz... It's a mystery — it's something magical that you will find there in any type of music."
Chiara String Quartet Plays Complete Bartók Quartets Completely By Heart
"Once we have gotten over the initial hump of memorizing, we've found it allow us to improvise as a group in a much more agile way."
Playlist: The Best Classical Music to Serve at Your Next Cookout
As you fire up the grill, we have the perfect soundtrack for you: some of our favorite American works, from classics like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to modern masterpieces like John Adams’ City Noir.
Video: This Dog Wanted to Hear Mendelssohn Better, So It Took a Seat Next to the First Violinist
Dog image: SixtyWeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons This cute Labrador may be the biggest Mendelssohn fan you’ve seen. A dog joined the Vienna Chamber Orchestra during a recent performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 at the 31st International İzmir Festival in İzmir, Turkey. This outdoor annual festival brings live concerts to the historic stage of the Grand Theater of Ephesus, ...
Listen to the One Cuban Singer That Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club Wants Everyone to Hear
Omara Portuondo is proud to be compared to Édith Piaf, but she also wants the world to know more about Cuban artists.
Quiz: Latin American Food or Instrument?
Can you tell the difference between Latin American foods and instruments? Take this quiz and find out.
6 Songs to Send You “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Judy Garland introduced “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in The Wizard of Oz, and she sang it for the rest of her life. Operatic soprano Renata Scotto used it as her signature encore at solo recitals. And more recently, and very memorably, Ariana Grande sang it to end One Love Manchester, her benefit for the victims of terrorism in the British ...
VIDEO: Learn How to Make Pasta alla Norma With ‘Norma’ Conductor Riccardo Frizza
Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma is so beautiful, it has inspired a dish: pasta alla Norma. When conductor and cook Riccardo Frizza led performances of "Norma" in Chicago, he shared his recipe.
Why the Beats of Bomba and Plena are as Essential to Puerto Rican Culture as Beans and Rice
Arroz con gandules – a version of beans and rice using pigeon peas – is a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine. Because the dish is so affordable to prepare, it nourishes people from all walks of life and economic backgrounds. Bomba and plena, two forms of Puerto Rican folk music, have similarly nourished the commonwealth by uplifting working-class narratives and ...
