Latest Classical music News
Mimis Plessas, a mild-mannered giant of modern Greek music, dies at 99
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Mimis Plessas, a beloved Greek composer whose music featured in scores of films, television shows and theatrical productions and who provided the soundtrack to millions of Greeks’ lives, has died just a week shy of his 100th birthday. His death was...
Q&A: RZA on the nostalgic origins of his first classical album, 'A Ballet Through Mud'
LOS ANGELES (AP) — RZA’s hoarding habit led to his newest adventure in music: a ballet and surprisingly traditional classical album he calls “A Ballet Through Mud.” Early in the pandemic, the 55-year-old Wu-Tang Clan founder, born Robert Diggs, was rummaging through a bag of...
AP PHOTOS: A blind pianist from Nagaland says music is 'one thing that has kept me alive'
KOHIMA, India (AP) — Takosangba Pongen had his vision for 14 years. He has been blind for the past 13. But in front of a piano, nobody can tell. “Playing the piano transports me to another dimension. After losing my vision, music has been one thing that has kept me alive. It...
Kennedy Center's opening gala is back on after musicians strike ends with a new deal
WASHINGTON (AP) — The Kennedy Center and the union representing musicians in the National Symphony Orchestra have come to an agreement on a short-term contract after a brief strike that threatened to derail Saturday's season-opening gala. The DC Federation of Musicians, local...
The Cure announces a new album and releases its first new song in 16 years, 'Alone'
NEW YORK (AP) — Goths, rejoice: At long last, The Cure has released new music. “Alone,” their first new song in 16 years, premiered on Mary Anne Hobbs’ BBC 6 Music radio show Thursday morning. The English band also announced a new album, “Songs of A Lost...
Last original member of Kool & the Gang to represent group at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
NEW YORK (AP) — You can call the music of Kool & the Gang funky or R&B, soulful or disco, pop or dance. What you cannot call it is partisan. When Iowa’s delegation at this summer’s Democratic National Convention in Chicago announced its vote for the Harris-Walz ticket,...
Jazz saxophonist and composer Benny Golson dies at 95
NEW YORK (AP) — Jazz great Benny Golson, a tenor saxophonist and composer of standards such as “Killer Joe” and “Along Came Betty," has died. He was 95. Golson died Saturday at his home in Manhattan after a short illness, said Golson’s longtime agent, Jason Franklin. ...
Jeanine Tesori becomes first woman composer to open Met Opera season with reworked `Grounded'
NEW YORK (AP) — Jeanine Tesori watched the world premiere run of her “Grounded” with director Michael Mayer last fall at the Kennedy Center and noticed audience fidgeting. “It didn’t need a transplant of a liver, but what it needed was maybe just a different approach,”...
New York Philharmonic musicians agree to 30% raise over 3-year contract
NEW YORK (AP) — The New York Philharmonic and its musicians' union settled on a collective bargaining agreement Thursday that includes a 30% raise over three years. The deal with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians calls for raises of about 15% in 2024-25, and 7.5%...
Suki Waterhouse pens a 'Memoir of a Sparklemuffin' on her wide-ranging sophomore album
NEW YORK (AP) — Suki Waterhouse discovered the Sparklemuffin spider during a late-night scroll. “He’s wildly colored. He’s cute,” she said. Best of all: He dances. “I felt somewhat akin to him.” The spider became a foil and a mascot for Waterhouse's...
