Tom Huizenga

The irrepressible harpist proves that the instrument can be as tempestuous as a tango, as complex as a Bach fugue and sing as serenely as a church choir.

NPR Music staffers Marissa Lorusso and Tom Huizenga give out superlatives for the best moments in music this past year, including a single breath of operatic singing and an epic guitar solo.

As a new decade approaches, hear 10 extraordinary classical albums well-equipped to propel the music into the future.

On her new album, the restless Italian opera star sings virtuoso music composed for Farinelli, the greatest of the baroque castratos.

The insightful pianist offers a Beethoven bonanza, ranging from the mesmerizing pulse of the popular "Moonlight" Sonata to flashes of wry humor and tender beauty.

Before any opera purists start wringing their hands, let's remember that the 400-year-old art form has proven itself terrifically adaptable and resilient.

What do Gertrude Stein, Billy Joel and Robert Burns have in common? Their words all show up in a new song by Pulitzer-winning composer Caroline Shaw.

The singer crafted a distinctive career that spanned decades and styles. Though a leading figure in her field, Norman's repertoire, fanbase and achievements stretched far beyond the opera house.

The battle between management and musicians, which reached a low point with a June lockout by management, ended Monday with the ratification of a new one-year contract.

Conductor Marin Alsop and composer Nico Muhly recall their friend and colleague who wrote deeply expressive music.

Early American composers could have shaken off their European sound and mined the rich trove of African American music. They didn't. And one historian believes we're worse off because of it.

After nearly a year, the 103-year-old orchestra's musicians and management are still at odds over a new contract. Its new season is scheduled to begin on Saturday.

On her new album, Fire in My Mouth, the Pulitzer-winning composer documents the tragedy behind New York City's 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

A trio of critics discuss the mercurial pianist's personal take on Beethoven and Rachmaninoff and what it means to color outside the lines in classical music.

Watch a young cellist on the rise, offering music of virtuosity, sweet lyricism and a little fire from his Persian roots.

To mark the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 lunar landing, a far-reaching playlist of off-the-beaten-orbit tracks for your space travels.

Augustin Hadelich dazzles in an album of odd bedfellows, which pairs Johannes Brahms' romantic war horse with György Ligeti's modernist stunner.

Need a deep discovery experience? Try 1000 years of music. Our mantra: Bach, Beethoven, before and beyond.

Contract and salary negotiations between musicians and management have stalled, leaving BSO players picketing outside their concert hall.

Ron Howard's new Pavarotti film fails to make us feel much for its subject, and does little to bolster the magical, complicated art called opera.