Aug 14 How the talented Oscar Levant broke taboos by talking about mental health By Dr. Howard Markel In today’s socially mediated 24/7 news cycle, it is difficult to imagine just how taboo the topic of prescription opiate addiction was back then, let alone how much courage it took for Levant to bring it to such national prominence. Continue reading
Jan 01 Watch 8:18 Highlighting the best music of 2020, a year many live performances were silenced By Jeffrey Brown, Courtney Norris As with many things this past year, the typical live music scene was silenced. But there were creative attempts to provide entertainment breaking out all over, and recording artists put out new music that offered a wide range of options. Continue watching
Sep 25 Watch 5:54 This Kentucky singer-songwriter seeks to bridge the urban-rural divide By Jeffrey Brown, Gretchen Frazee As the election approaches, the country feels culturally and politically divided. Some of the starkest differences are between rural and urban areas. Now, a singer-songwriter from Western Kentucky is hoping her music can help Americans to find some common ground. Continue watching
Apr 23 Watch 6:50 Why pandemic represents 'existential crisis' for performing artists By Jeffrey Brown, Anne Azzi Davenport We look to the arts for entertainment, comfort and pleasure -- but they are also an economic engine. According to government analysis, art accounts for almost $900 billion of GDP and over five million jobs. Now, many of these people… Continue watching
Dec 17 What caused Beethoven's deafness? By Dr. Howard Markel It is a query that has invited many diagnoses over the last 200 years. Continue reading
Apr 05 Watch 5:30 On new album, Hozier makes us face the music By Leah Nagy The sophomore album of Irish singer-songwriter Hozier debuted at the top of music charts last month, five years after his hit “Take Me to Church.” Jeffrey Brown met up with the musician in Orlando, Florida, before a stop on his… Continue watching
Nov 22 Watch 3:08 Maroon 5's PJ Morton on making music 'selfishly' By Steve Goldbloom PJ Morton is the keyboardist for the band Maroon 5. Growing up the son of a preacher in New Orleans, Morton had early and formative experiences with music. He has now released a solo album, collaborated with music idol Stevie… Continue watching
Nov 20 Watch 7:51 This conductor wants you to reject an 'elitist' view of the symphony By Jeffrey Brown Gustavo Dudamel is one of the world's most celebrated classical musicians, as well as conductor of the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Striving to make music more accessible, he is working with Youth Orchestra Los Angeles (YOLA), a program that offers free,… Continue watching
Nov 10 Watch 6:17 Inside Milan's Casa Verdi, where musicians retire in harmony By Christopher Livesay When Italian composer Giuseppe Verdi in the late 1800s built a neo-Gothic mansion in Milan, he envisioned a bustling sanctuary for professional musicians who were not earning livable incomes. Since then, Casa Verdi has hosted 1,500 residents and become an… Continue watching
Nov 09 Watch 3:54 This great-grandfather lost his sight but became a rock star By Frank Carlson Robert Finley, a 64-year-old blues guitarist and singer, relaunched his career in music after years of working as a carpenter. Before he knew it, he was playing with Dan Auerbach from The Black Keys and other prominent artists. Finley spoke… Continue watching