Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho was always searching for new timbres of instrumental sound. Raphael Gaillarde/Getty Images hide caption
Classical Classical music performances and features from NPR news, NPR cultural programs, and NPR Music stations.
Classical
Residents listen as Sound Impact musicians play during the final performance of their three-day residency at the Northern Virginia Juvenile Detention Center in Alexandria, Va. Shuran Huang For NPR hide caption
Actors Jeremy Strong (from left), Sarah Snook and Kieran Culkin are pictured in an episode of Succession, which ends on Sunday. Claudette Barius/HBO hide caption
Anna Thorvaldsdottir begins her composing process by drawing shapes and writing words to help store musical information. Her scores themselves are finely detailed. Hrafn Asgeirsson/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Grace Bumbry, in a 1963 portrait. Erich Auerbach/Getty Images hide caption
Trailblazing opera star Grace Bumbry dies at age 86
Chef Kwame Onwuachi wants everyone to have a seat at his table
Classical California
Belgian soprano Gwendoline Blondeel performs as la Folie (madness) in the Opera Lafayette production of Jean-Philippe Rameau's recently completed 18th century opera Io. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
Benjamin Matthews, one of the founders of Opera Ebony. Opera Ebony hide caption
Writer Neil Gaiman (center) makes music with FourPlay (L-R: Peter Hollo, Shenton Gregory aka Shenzo Gregorio, Lara Goodridge and Tim Hollo) Chris Frape/Riot Act Media hide caption
Bill Orcutt Guitar Quartet performs a Tiny Desk concert. Grace Widyatmadja/NPR hide caption
Pianist Lara Downes has released a new album of contemporary and historical works called Love at Last. Max Barrett/Lara Downes hide caption
The "digital portrait" of Ludwig van Beethoven that appears in the new Apple Classical streaming app. Apple hide caption
Thomas Adès Marco Borggreve/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Gianandrea Noseda talks with Marissa Regni about the loaned instruments. Keren Carrión/NPR hide caption
yMusic Max Wanger/Courtesy of the artist hide caption
Ryan Speedo Green as Young Emile Griffith in Terence Blanchard's Champion. Zenith Richards/Met Opera hide caption
Thomas Bangalter, half of the former Daft Punk duo, composed the score for the ballet Mythologies, choreographed by fellow Frenchman Angelin Preljocaj. Jean-Claude Carbonne/Biz 3 hide caption
Ryuichi Sakamoto posing for a portrait in Paris in 1996. Thomas Coex/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Soprano Jessye Norman left a number of recordings in the vault at the time of her death. Now some of them have been released for the first time. Decca Archives hide caption
Scientists say they have sequenced the genome of composer Ludwig van Beethoven. INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images hide caption
Den Tepfer. Josh Goleman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption