Listening for New Orleans

By Larry Blumenfeld | Summer 2019

The sound of the city, unlike any other, has always expressed both simple pleasures and complicated tensions. In the face of rapid change, can its resonance sustain?

Rise of the Reed Quintet

By Sasha Margolis | Spring 2019

How word of a new kind of chamber ensemble spread and took hold in Europe and across the US.

Stories Across Centuries

By Eugene Holley Jr. | Spring 2019

The drummer and composer Mark Lomax II honors the 400th anniversary of the transatlantic slave trade with a massive, 12-CD concept album bridging centuries of African-American history.

Hidden in Plain Sight

By Sarosh Syed | Spring 2019

How a Boston-based presenter is utilizing its festival and an ambitious rebranding effort to draw in younger audiences.

CMA Duos: Sarah Hennies & Ingrid Laubrock

By Peter Margasak | Spring 2019

The percussionist and saxophonist discuss process, place, and Hennies' recent multimedia work Contralto

Pinnacle Win

By Claire Sykes | Spring 2019

The perennially successful Banff International String Quartet Competition continues to evolve its offerings in tandem with a changing field.

Identity Rearranged

By Claire Sykes | Winter 2019

A new recording from Miguel Zenón and the Spektral Quartet pays homage to the music, culture, and history of Puerto Rico.

Connecting the Dots

By Keith Powers | Winter 2019

PUBLIQuartet's improvisatory programs uncover hidden connections between genres, styles, and eras.

CMA Duos: Milford Graves & Jason Moran

By Peter Margasak | Winter 2019

The drummer and pianist compare notes on their years of studying, teaching, and improvising.

A Greater Power

By Larry Blumenfeld | Winter 2019

The legacy of the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians keeps growing, one musician at a time.

Feedback Loop

By Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | Fall 2018

National Sawdust inaugurates a new competition where mentorship--by and for women, trans,and non-binary composers--is central.

CMA Duos: Kris Davis & Mary Halvorson

By Peter Margasak | Fall 2018

The pianist and guitarist discuss writing lyrics, forgoing chord charts, and why playing for a distracted audience can sometimes be a blessing in disguise.

Call and Response

By Michele Mercer | Fall 2018

The We Have Voice Collective continues to deepen and expand the discussion around identity and power in the performing arts.

Life Lessons

By Ray Mark Rinaldi | Summer 2018

Inside Gabriela Lena Frank's innovative new composer academy.

CMA Duos: Okkyung Lee and Craig Taborn

By Peter Margasak | Summer 2018

Introducing CMA Duos, a new column pairing artists for far-ranging conversations on creative practice, inspirations, and the rewards and challenges of musical collaboration.

Off the Map

By Michelle Mercer | Summer 2018

How today’s composers and improvisers evoke landscapes—both familiar and imaginary—in their music.

Balancing Act

By Morgan Greenstreet | Spring 2018

In a year of reckoning around gender inequality, two jazz festivals continue their mission to create a dedicated showcase for female artists.

Remembering Robert Mann

By Sasha Margolis | Spring 2018

The visionary violinist passed away earlier this year, having left an indelible mark on the world of chamber music.

Branching Out

By Kyle MacMillian | Spring 2018

The seven year old Birdfoot Festival presented a 10-day line-up and two artist residencies–a total of twenty-two concerts this past year.

The Inside Story

By Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | Spring 2018

How Fifth house Ensemble harnesses the power of narrative to reach new audiences.

Resonant Encounters

By Michelle Mercer | Summer 2017

What is it about visual art—and the open, expansive settings in which it is often presented—that helps music audiences embrace the unfamiliar?

Flipping the Script

By Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | Spring 2017

With a thriving educational outreach program, summer camp, and international festival, PRIZM Ensemble has found a winning formula that puts community first.

Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau

By Gene Santoro | Spring 2017

A new double album by the mandolinist and pianist provides a captivating entry point into the growing canon of jazz-bluegrass fusion.

Southern Exposure

By Peter Margasak | Spring 2017

With a committed volunteer network and an inclusive programming philosophy, the Hyde Park Jazz Festival has forged a uniquely unifying musical presence on Chicago’s South Side.

Out of the Ether

By Shaya Bendix Lyon | Spring 2017

Collaborative work often emerges from relationships that begin in, or primarily occupy, digital space. But what may seem like just part of the work for some poses seemingly insurmountable barriers to others. What can artists do to get their work—and their voices—heard in the vast digital arena?

The Music’s Intention

By Gene Seymour | Winter 2017

The genre-spanning genius of Paquito D’Rivera.

San Francisco Performances’ CreativePIVOT

By Claire Sykes | Winter 2017

A new series from the established Bay Area presenter uses data-driven insights to attract—and keep—an elusive target audience.

Demanding to Be Heard

By Siddhartha Mitter | Fall 2016

Chamber musicians join the Black Lives Matter movement.

Reflecting a Planet in Peril

By Nicole Loeffler-Gladstone | Fall 2016

Through new works and innovative multidisciplinary programs, these artists are fostering creative dialogue around our threatened environment—and how we might save it.

Henry Threadgill

By Gene Santoro | Summer 2016

The uncompromising saxophonist-flutist-composer recently became the third-ever jazz musician to win a Pulitzer Prize—but he’s far from content to rest on his laurels.

Far Afield

By Michelle Mercer | Summer 2016

Three artists relocate for teaching jobs—and find new audiences where they land.

Q&A: Billy Childs

By CMA | Spring 2016

Introducing CMA's new president.

Jane Ira Bloom: Music in Motion

By Gene Santoro | Spring 2016

Few musicians have imbued the soprano sax with such a unique voice.

A Fischer Among Men

By Alicia Anstead | Winter 2016

Kenneth C. Fischer was honored with CMA’s Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award for his far-ranging, far-reaching career as an innovator and champion of chamber music.

Blurring Boundaries

By Thomas Cabaniss | Winter 2016

The worlds of arts education and community cultural development are moving closer together, providing both challenges and opportunities for growth.

The Engagement Equation

By Adam Schatz | Fall 2015

Navigating the highs and lows of social media and online engagement.

Young 'uns

By Gene Santoro | Spring 2016

Making a living in the music world can be tough. Here Gene Santoro reports how six fledgling jazz musicians are building communities and carving out careers.