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A classical pianist on her genre’s ‘golden time’ — and Ray Charles
“Music entered my life before I knew it,” says classical pianist Jeanne Stark. Stark grew up in Belgium during what she calls a “golden time” for classical music and was granted a scholarship by the queen herself, who recognized Stark’s…
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The ‘white heat’ and vulnerability of improvisational jazz
What is improvisational jazz all about? Saxophonist Joshua Redman and pianist Brad Mehldau agree that the answer is vulnerability. Their musical genre requires players to follow one another’s lead -- often letting another performer dictate the musical conversation. Jeffrey Brown…
How a composer turned 6 abandoned pianos into a unique concert
Composer Nathan Felix was living in Los Angeles when he decided to write a piece for six pianos played at once. The catch? He doesn't play the piano.
Why the mentor-musician bond is so important for classical pianist Yuja Wang
When Michael Tilson Thomas works with precocious young musicians, they generally show up with an entourage. But not Yuja Wang.
Before we ring in 2015, we want to reflect on some of the great Art Beat stories from this past year. So who did we listen to in 2014?…
Danish singer/songwriter Agnes Obel grew up surrounded by guitars, pianos, marimbas and double basses. Her father collected and sold instruments and her mother was a classical pianist, so perhaps music was in her blood.
Pianist Jeremy Denk spoke to Jeffrey Brown before a recital at the Kennedy Center.
Van Cliburn first gained worldwide attention when he won the first International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at 23. Cliburn died at home at the age of 78 after a battle with bone cancer. In 2008, Jeffrey Brown profiled the…
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