Listen

NPR's Scott Simon speaks with Anthony Tommasini, chief classical music critic for The New York Times, about his storied career and pending retirement.

In this week’s New Classical Tracks, Ronn McFarlane and Carolyn Surrick, who are usually quite busy during the holidays, had the time and space to finally make music together. That special musical connection has just produced their second recording, ‘A Star in the East.’ Enter for a chance to win a CD!

Celebrate the season with song! Steve Staruch hosts this one-hour program of holiday favorites, new and old, presented live in concert by Chanticleer, the superb 12-man ensemble known as "an orchestra of voices."

The St. Olaf Christmas Festival has become one of the nation's most cherished holiday celebrations. This year's presentation, “Love Divine,” features more than 400 student musicians performing from the college in Northfield, Minn.

Each December, the Center for Faith and Life at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, rings out with the sacred and the exuberant: the sounds of the Christmas season.

Leonard Bernstein composed ‘West Side Story’ more than 70 years ago — today, we examine that vibrant work through the lens of two jazz artists, drummer Bobby Sanabria and saxophonist Ted Nash.

In this week’s New Classical Tracks, conductor Eric Jacobsen and violinist Christina Courtin collaborate with their orchestra, the Knights, for the new album ‘Before Christmas.’

Sondheim, who died Nov. 26, was the lyricist and composer who gave us Sweeney Todd, Into the Woods and other shows. In 2010 he spoke about his writing process, from rhyming to finding the right note.

In this week’s New Classical Tracks, pianist Emanuel Ax teams up with longtime friend and collaborator Yo-Yo Ma to re-record Beethoven's cello sonatas for their new album, Hope Amid Tears.

Lynne Warfel, host of Saturday Cinema, takes you on a one-hour musical retrospective of some of Hollywood's most cherished Christmas themed movies. Including scores from "Scrooge, the Musical", "A Muppet Christmas Carol", "The Polar Express", "It's A Wonderful Life" and many more.