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Two special occasions: Halloween and the Presidential election. Both are scary and exciting. Both share in the mysteries of the Unknown.
On Halloween we thrill to imagine the dangerous, macabre, and supernatural, but usually Halloween doesn’t have lasting consequences beyond tooth cavities and rotten pumpkins. By the next day we’re more or less back to normal. […]

Haitian-American violinist, pianist, and composer Daniel Bernard Roumain (DBR) has created a genre unto himself by fusing his classical music roots with a myriad of soundscapes. Roumain sat in with me in the studio to play his music and talk about his new vocal chamber concerto, Darwin’s Meditation for the People of Lincoln, which is […]

I’m bringing you a lot on your radio: WNYC’s fundraiser (concluding this Friday night!); an Ear to Ear interview with composer Laura Andel Saturday night; a Sacred Sunday interview with composer Douglas J. Cuomo Sunday night; theremin music on Spinning On Air; plenty of special music throughout the weekend, and I’m planning a big Halloween […]

A week ago, one Evening Music Listener asked me to name my ten favorite composers. Aside from the difficulty of trying to narrow the list to ten, that query led me to question the variety of music and composers regularly represented on the show (perhaps I’m not as musically inclusive as I’d like to believe).
Based […]

On Tuesday and Wednesday I got out of town, and into autumn. I learned just recently (by listening to the Leonard Lopate Show!) that the reason New York City has muted fall foliage is that we have few maples. Up in Dutchess County the maples offered brilliant reds and oranges against a bright blue sky. […]

Guest Blog by WNYC’s Aaron Cohen
Le Marche is one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. I had the great pleasure of spending a week there in early August with author & journalist Fred Plotkin. Fred’s three great areas of expertise are Italy, food, and opera, and many people know him through his books, articles and […]

Reportedly, Thelonious Monk’s wife Nellie described his music with the phrase “Melodious Thunk.”
That’s not just a funny play on words; it’s a very concise, apt description. Monk’s compositions and piano playing were so idiosyncratic that despite general acknowledgment of his genius, and a degree of influence, Monk’s music remains a world of its own.
We’ll visit […]