Amplify With Lara Downes : NPR

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Tarriona 'Tank' Ball unleashes the radical power of joy

Classical California KDFC

January 30, 2025 • The Tank and the Bangas frontwoman talks about the strength and versatility of her words — alone and within her music.

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Jon Batiste traces the blues back to Beethoven and beyond

Classical California KDFC

December 5, 2024 • The Grammy winner and former Late Show bandleader unravels the crisscrossing threads of musical lineage from Beethoven's own personal blues to the musical art form that undergirds Batiste's Louisiana roots.

Opera star Denyce Graves’ global compassion in red, white and blue

Classical California KDFC

October 31, 2024 • Whether she’s singing in the world’s great opera houses, the White House or in prisons, the celebrated mezzo-soprano and U.S. Global Music Ambassador understands how music can move people.

Words, sounds and the art of listening with Aja Monet

Classical California KDFC

September 27, 2024 • The self-described “surreal blues poet” savors the significance of words and the noisy poetry of city life.

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Conductor Jonathon Heyward is breaking barriers

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August 29, 2024 • As music director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra, Heyward is the youngest to lead a major American orchestra and the first Black music director in the organization’s 107-year history.

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Conductor Thomas Wilkins asks orchestras to 'jump off a cliff' with him

Classical California KDFC

July 30, 2024 • The principal conductor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra radiates an empathetic, Yoda-like wisdom when it comes to conjuring beautiful sounds from both pros and students.

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Countertenor John Holiday isn't trying to make you love him

Classical California KDFC

June 27, 2024 • The versatile singer, who emphasizes self-acceptance, says his mission is to be a bridge from the classical community to pop, jazz and R&B. And if you’re not a fan, that’s okay.

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Brittney Spencer brings her culture to country music

Classical California KDFC

May 30, 2024 • The rising young singer-songwriter, who tours with Willie Nelson and sings on Beyoncé's latest album, is making a name for herself in a new era of more inclusive country music.

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Moments of Enlightenment with Broadway's Brian Stokes Mitchell

Classical California KUSC

April 25, 2024 • The acclaimed singer and actor explains how the arts have that rare ability to change minds, give hope and connect people.

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The genre-busting world of keyboardist Robert Glasper

Classical California KUSC

December 12, 2023 • From the storied Blue Note club in New York, the five-time Grammy-winner talks about the diverse audiences his eclectic music attracts and how he's reshaping the idea of musical genres.

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The curious mind — and hard work — of bassist Christian McBride

Classical California KUSC

November 16, 2023 • The Grammy-winning bassist, bandleader and broadcaster talks about his love for music, family ties in the jazz world, and the thrill of sitting in with Wynton Marsalis as a teenager.

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How Corinne Bailey Rae and Theaster Gates are preserving Black culture

Classical California KUSC

October 17, 2023 • On her album, Black Rainbows, Bailey Rae was inspired by the art, books and magazines at the Stony Island Arts Bank, a repository for Black history on Chicago's South Side, created by Gates.

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Allison Russell finds transformative musical power in community

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September 11, 2023 • With help from a sisterhood of musicians, the Canadian singer-songwriter and activist has triumphed over trauma to become a distinguished figure on the Americana scene.

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Linguist John McWhorter views American music through a wide lens

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August 3, 2023 • The Columbia University professor and New York Times columnist traces the intersecting lines of race and music in American history.

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Samora Pinderhughes promotes healing one day at a time

Classical California KUSC

July 6, 2023 • The multidisciplinary artist addresses systems of oppression by collecting and sharing stories through music, film and visual art.

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Pianist Gerald Clayton's open-hearted dialog across genres

Classical California KUSC

June 6, 2023 • The thoughtful pianist with a jazz pedigree talks about blurring the boundaries between jazz and classical, the pitfalls of music education, and harmonious rides in elevators.

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Chef Kwame Onwuachi wants everyone to have a seat at his table

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May 5, 2023 • Every dish tells a story for the award-winning New York chef, who creates menus inspired by his Nigerian, creole and South Bronx roots.

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Jazz trumpeter Terence Blanchard's unexpected path into the opera house

Classical California KUSC

April 14, 2023 • The five-time Grammy winner has mounted two operas at the Metropolitan Opera, which until 2021 had never staged a work by a Black composer. Hear him discuss the future of opera with Lara Downes.

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Jessie Montgomery, composing from a place of self-honor

Classical California KUSC

March 1, 2023 • Watch Lara Downes' conversation with the composer-in-residence of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra about balancing her roots, her craft and the shifting field of classical music.

Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

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Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

February 2, 2023 • NPR's Leila Fadel talks to pianist Lara Downes about her interview series Amplify, which examines how Black artists today might find themselves in a new cultural renaissance.

Lara Downes' season 3 of 'Amplify' launches with a theme of renaissance

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Jazz singer Samara Joy embraces the past while making music for the future

Classical California KUSC

February 2, 2023 • Watch Lara Downes' conversation with the 23-year-old, Grammy-nominated sensation about balancing the demands of a surging career and the women artists who paved the way.

Your Music Saved My Life: Ledisi Talks With Lara Downes

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Your Music Saved My Life: Ledisi Talks With Lara Downes

Classical California KUSC

August 28, 2021 • The versatile and impassioned singer was ready to throw in the towel until she heard a message in a Nina Simone song that told her, "You're going be fine. I understand how you feel. Keep going."

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Identity And Dance: Camille A. Brown Talks With Lara Downes

Classical California KUSC

August 14, 2021 • The groundbreaking choreographer, who is also the first Black director at the Metropolitan Opera, says she found self-expression through dance.

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Pandemic Lessons: Elaine Welteroth And Jonathan Singletary Talk With Lara Downes

Classical California KUSC

July 31, 2021 • The creative couple, who married in 2020, thrive on gratitude, community and the new approaches they've taken in the wake of the pandemic.