Producer who worked with Franklin recalls great performances

Ken Ehrlich recalls some of his favorite memories working with “Queen of Soul” Aretha Franklin.

‘Queen of Soul’ Aretha Franklin has died

DETROIT (AP) — Aretha Franklin, the undisputed “Queen of Soul,” has died at age 76 from advanced pancreatic cancer.

Tenor Lawrence Brownlee on the Artists Who Have Inspired Him the Most and Why Black Composers Matter

Learn how Lawrence Brownlee, hailed as one of the world’s leading tenors, is developing new works that respond to issues facing men of color today.

You’re Guaranteed to Get “So Emotional” Watching Whitney Houston Sing With Luciano Pavarotti

If you get “so emotional” every time you hear Whitney Houston sing, this video may make you reach for the tissues. This video will have you wondering just what Whitney Houston couldn’t do as a singer. She steals the show from opera powerhouse Luciano Pavarotti, and renowned musicians Sting and Elton John in this video of the singers sharing a …

This Chicagoan Never Expected To Sing Opera. Now She’s Singing on One of the World’s Largest Stages.

Soprano Whitney Morrison began singing before she could even speak. Through her early years of singing in church, she never thought she would pursue a career in opera. Now, Morrison is one of 12 young artists selected for the 2017/2018 ensemble at Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. The Ryan Opera Center is one …

Hearing George Shirley, the Met’s First Black Tenor, Sing Mozart Will Melt Your Heart

In 2015, former President Barack Obama awarded Shirley with the National Medal of Arts.

Stream: This Rare Live Recording of ‘Queen of Gospel’ Mahalia Jackson Will Take You to Church

Hear a rarely-heard live performance by Mahalia Jackson’s broadcast from the Morrison Hotel in 1975 courtesy of the Studs Terkel Radio Archive.

Hear What Maya Angelou, ‘I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings’ Author, Sounds Like Singing the Blues

Author and activist Maya Angelou is best for her autobiographical memoir I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. But have you heard Angelou sing?

The 1 Concert That Inspired Riccardo Muti to Create the CSO’s African American Network

Maestro Muti sat down with Sheila Jones, coordinator of the CSO’s African American Network, years ago to ask, “How do we bring the African American community into Symphony Center?”

Frederick Douglass Owned a Copy of a Stradivarius, His Grandson Played for Two Presidents

Frederick Douglass wasn’t just an abolitionist leader, author, and statesman – he was also a music lover. He wrote passionately about the importance of music in communities of enslaved people in his autobiography, Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass. In fact, he wrote that music gave him his “first glimmering conception of the dehumanizing character of slavery. I can never …

“High Priestess” or “Master of an Art of Singing”? Changing the Conversation about Mahalia Jackson

Mahalia Jackson is undoubtedly one of the most influential singers of the 20th century. Learn about how musicians and music historians are changing the conversation about the “Queen of Gospel.”

Signifyin’ in Song: How the Sounds of Slavery Changed Music Forever

Music and dance provided an outlet for enslaved people to express their sorrow, though often their cries of pain sounded quite the opposite to slave owners.

What If Nina Simone Had Been a Classical Pianist?

Before Nina Simone became one of America’s most iconic jazz musicians, she wanted to have a career as a classical pianist.