Music

Dr. Billy Taylor comes to celebrate MLK
There is a rare treat for Twin Cities music fans this weekend when jazz piano legend Dr. Billy Taylor comes to perform with the VocalEssence.
Pierre-Laurent Aimard, a musician's musician
Having just finished three years as a St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Artistic Partner, pianist and conductor Pierre-Laurent Aimard reflects back on music making with such a willing group, from introducing new music and truly "partnering" in the complete cycle of Beethoven piano concertos.
Looking for love songs
Mark Wheat is looking for love songs. Every Valentine's Day, he hosts a special program on 89.3 The Current featuring some of the greatest love songs of all time. There are some songs that come up over and over again. But every year brings new surprises.
Jon Hassell takes the trumpet to the Fourth World
Trumpeter Jon Hassell knows the phrase "new music" is enough to get some people to turn and run. He includes himself in that group. That's a little strange because he has been at the forefront of new music for decades. Now he's on his first U.S. tour in two decades.
An Exuberance of Cellos
Bakken Trio member Mina Fisher and cellist Kirsten Whitson talk about the upcoming cello festival.
New Classical Tracks: The cello, impassioned and personal
On his latest disc, the young cellist Zuill Bailey turns in committed performances of two landmark pieces from the Russian repertory: Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations and Shostakovich's First Concerto.
Savage Aural Hotbed at 20
Take the driving intensity of Japanese Taiko drumming. Add the rhythmic precision of drum and bugle music. Then place it in a post-industrial setting, and you have Savage Aural Hotbed, which turns 20 this year.
Bringing a message of change - from Africa
Vusi Mahlasela is known as "The Voice" in his native South Africa. A singer, guitarist, percussionist and poet, he came of age during the turmoil of the waning days of apartheid. He now plays around the world, singing of the joys and challenges of his homeland. This week, Mahlasela launches a U.S. tour with a concert Saturday night at the Ordway Center in St Paul.
Hedwig comes to town
A local producer is launching a new interactive movie program in the Twin Cities, and as a result, Hedwig is coming to town. Later this week the creator, star and director of the cult film "Hedwig and the Angry Inch" will appear as the first guest of "The Talkies" at the Heights Theater in Columbia Heights.