A new project conceived by Lebanese American tenor Karim Sulayman recasts baroque music that by turns demonizes and exoticizes Arabs and Muslims.


Arab American singer reframes music about the Crusades

Composers Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels have brought a true story to the opera stage: the life of Omar Ibn Said, a Senegalese Muslim scholar who was enslaved and brought to the Carolinas.


Thoroughly American opera 'Omar' debuts

Reverentially known as Pandit ("teacher"), Shivkumar Sharma took the hammered dulcimer from humble folk instrument to classical concert stages around the world. He died Tuesday in Mumbai.


Celebrated Indian musician and composer Shivkumar Sharma has died at 84

A pianist widely admired by his fellow artists, Radu Lupu was known for his interpretations of Brahms, Schubert, Mozart and Beethoven, among others. Lupu retired from performing in 2019.


Radu Lupu, celebrated Romanian pianist, dies at 76

Known for his sonic brashness and unyielding artistic vision, Birtwistle was awarded a British knighthood in 1988. He was one of the U.K.'s most prominent composers for decades.


Harrison Birtwistle, an influential English composer, has died at age 87

In a year of particularly wide-ranging nominees and competitive fields, bandleader Jon Batiste and the duo Silk Sonic came away with big prizes. Ukrainian president Zelenskyy also made an appearance.


Pianist and composer Jon Batiste wins big at 2022 Grammys

The Artistic Freedom Initiative contends that consolidated state power under right-wing Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and artists' self-censorship has led to an "existential crisis."


In Hungary, the arts are being suppressed by the government, a new report says

Star performers at the famed New York opera house, including soprano Anna Netrebko and conductor Valery Gergiev, have been closely associated with Russian President Vladimir Putin.


Metropolitan Opera is among those severing ties with Putin-allied artists

A number of Russian stars from the performing arts world are using their voices and international platforms to denounce the invasion of Ukraine and speak up against Russian President Vladimir Putin.


Some Russian performing artists are speaking out against Putin

Invited to write a new work for Houston's Rothko Chapel, the composer and multi-instrumentalist Tyshawn Sorey created a work that is both intimate and vast, like those Mark Rothko paintings.


Anastasia Tsioulcas

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