Music News

James Levine, shown leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra in 2007, has been suspended by the Metropolitan Opera following allegations of sexual abuse.

Music & Culture

Sexual Abuse Allegations Against James Levine Spell Trouble For Met Opera

4:42pm December 04, 2017

by Anastasia Tsioulcas

Following published accusations of sexual abuse and molestation against conductor James Levine, the Metropolitan Opera has suspended him after a four-decade relationship.

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The five recipients of the 40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors (clockwise from left):LL Cool J; Lionel Richie; Gloria Estefan; Norman Lear and Carmen de Lavallade.

Music & Culture

40th Annual Kennedy Center Honors Recognize Hip-Hop For The First Time

2:21pm December 04, 2017

by Sidney Madden

LL Cool J, Lionel Richie, Gloria Estefan, Norman Lear and Carmen de Lavallade are honored as President Trump skips the ceremony.

Members of BTS attend 2017 Mnet Asian Music Awards at Asia World-Expo in Hong Kong.

Music & Culture

This Three-Country, Four-Night Asian Music Awards Show Is A K-Pop Promotion Machine

11:31am December 04, 2017

by Patrick St. Michel

The Mnet Asian Music Awards aren't as catholic as its unabbreviated name suggests — rather, the show has evolved into a sort of Trojan horse for the K-pop genre across the continent.

Victoria Williams performs during Stagecoach: California's Country Music Festival in 2010. The singer continues to make music despite being diagnosed with MS more than 20 years ago.

Music & Culture

The Resilience Of Victoria Williams

5:27pm December 02, 2017

by Alex Cohen

After a fast rise to near-fame, a multiple sclerosis diagnosis nearly ruined her career — before a helping hand came in the form of some of the country's most-famed bands.

Complexity Of Touring With Rosewood Instruments May Soon Be Eased

4:41pm December 01, 2017

by Robert Benincasa

Complex regulations around the material, including a confusing permit process for musicians, may be much easier to navigate after a meeting today in Geneva.

Hip-Hop Mogul Russell Simmons Steps Down After 2nd Sexual Assault Accusation

11:25am December 01, 2017

by Eric Deggans

Russell Simmons has stepped-down as head of his businesses Def Jam Recordings and Rush Communications following accusations of sexual assault in 1991 from actress and screenwriter Jenny Lumet.

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This weekend, hundreds of people, ranging from Philadelphia Orchestra musicians to school kids, will play broken instruments owned by the Philadelphia public school system in hopes of getting them fixed.

Music & Culture

The Healing Sound Of A Broken Orchestra

4:36pm November 30, 2017

by Neda Ulaby

Philadelphia's public school system has over 1,000 broken instruments.

Russell Simmons, co-founder of the hip-hop label Def Jam, announced he would step down from the leadership of the businesses he founded.

Music & Culture

Russell Simmons 'Removing' Himself After 2nd Allegation Of Sexual Assault

3:03pm November 30, 2017

by Andrew Flanagan

The hip-hop mogul announced he would step down from leadership roles at his companies after an allegation of sexual assault was directed at him by the writer Jenny Lumet.

Cellos are lined up backstage at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra before a Nov. 8 rehearsal of Schubert's Ninth Symphony. The CITES Rosewood regulations have made some musicians apprehensive about taking instruments containing the wood across international

The Tree That Rocked The Music Industry

12:10pm November 30, 2017

by Robert Benincasa

This year, new international regulations on rosewood have reverberated through the music industry, costing tens of millions in lost sales and extra administrative costs.

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A lot factors come into play in creating a guitar's sound.There's size and shape of the instrument and its parts. Then, there's the skill and the approach of the musician to consider.

Music & Culture

A Battle Of Guitar Tonewoods: Can You Hear The Difference?

9:43am November 30, 2017

by Kevin Wait

An NPR sound engineer evaluated the difference in sound between Mahogany and Rosewood guitars. See if you can tell the two instruments apart.