28-year-old conductor Klaus Mäkelä will lead the Chicago Symphony Orchestra
When he takes over, in the fall of 2027, he will be the youngest music director in the orchestra's 133-year history.
Music & Culture
On 'Cowboy Carter,' Beyoncé's country is as broad as the public she serves
The Houston-bred artist's new album uses country as a trapdoor into a sweeping genre expression. By adopting the role of the outlaw, she's free to toss all rules into the trash heap.
Beyoncé bucks the country industry establishment with sprawling 'Cowboy Carter'
While Beyoncé's new album suggests the country-music industry's problematic history of excluding Black artists, the collection as a whole is as much a celebration as it is a critique.
Public Radio's Favorite SXSW 2024 Discoveries
A handful of NPR music stations attended the annual music conference. This is what they'll bring back to their airwaves.
Jeff Lynne's Electric Light Orchestra is saying goodbye
The group is going on a 31-show, North American farewell tour. Known for hits including "Xanadu" and "Mr. Blue Sky," ELO has sold more than 50 million albums since the band formed in the 1970s.
The symbolism of the American flag on the cover of Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter'
NPR's A Martinez speaks to author and scholar Janell Hobson about the symbolism of the American flag on the cover of Beyonce's new album, which has been divisive among some fans.
Tarta Relena: Tiny Desk x globalFEST 2024
The Spanish duo's timeless, poetic songs evoke images of lyricists and vocalists from centuries past.
8 Tracks: Samba shoegaze, cherry blossom jazz and an 8-bit K-pop crush
Sonhos Tomam Conta captures an oceanic dream, Fuubutsushi soundtracks a pastoral adventure and ILLIT is pure bubblegum. Those and more are the 8 Tracks to know this week.
Remembering musician Casey Benjamin of the Robert Glasper Experiment, dead at 45
The saxophonist best known for his work as part of the Grammy Award-winning Robert Glasper Experiment was 45.
What The Beatles and Beyoncé's 'Blackbird' means to this Little Rock Nine member
A fan of both The Beatles and Beyoncé, 82-year-old Melba Pattillo Beals says the song is more special to her than ever. She is one of the Black students who helped desegregate U.S. public schools.