MUSIC

Harry H. Pace, The founder of Black Swan Records. Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons / Wikimedia Commons (Public Domain). History occasionally introduces individuals who understand the future before the rest of society has found the language to describe it. Harry Herbert Pace was one of those individuals. Today, Black Swan Records is frequently remembered as America’s first major Black-owned record company. The description is accurate, yet profoundly incomplete. To reduce Black Sw

How Canto Vocal Programs Is Reimagining Kurt Weill Through Music, Memory, and Humanity Few composers have lived a life as extraordinary or as emblematic of the twentieth century as Kurt Weill. Born in Germany, shaped by the vibrant artistic world of Weimar Berlin, welcomed for a time in Paris, and ultimately reinvented in the United States after fleeing Nazi persecution, Weill transformed every chapter of his life into music. His works crossed borders as effortlessly as he di

No Doubt's Sphere residency delivered more than a concert. From immersive visuals and vibrating seats to Gwen Stefani's magnetic stage presence, the evening became a celebration of music, friendship, and the nostalgia that united an entire generation.

An evening of classical music, visual art, and mentorship came together at the Rita Deanin Abbey Art Museum as Desert Roots Rising Stars presented Parisian Excursion, an immersive cultural experience celebrating the connection between music, creativity, and community.

For Yasmin Levy, music is not simply inherited tradition; it is living memory. Over the course of her international career, the acclaimed singer-songwriter has become one of the most important contemporary voices preserving Ladino, the centuries-old Judeo-Spanish language now considered endangered by UNESCO. Yet Yasmin’s artistry extends far beyond preservation alone. Through a deeply personal fusion of flamenco, Sephardic melodies, Persian and Middle Eastern influences, and

In a city often celebrated for spectacle and entertainment, the Desert Roots Rising Stars Music Festival is quietly building something far more enduring: a cultural ecosystem where mentorship, artistic excellence, and creative identity are nurtured with extraordinary care. Founded by Shakeh Ghoukasian, the festival has become one of the most compelling emerging artistic initiatives in the American Southwest, bringing together amazing young musicians, internationally accomplis

Your biography describes you as a singer, songwriter, composer, pianist, TV host, producer, and founder of Biscroma Records LLC. How do you see your multiple artistic roles as contributing to a singular musical voice or mission? Nelia Ross: Each role I’ve embraced, whether as singer, composer, producer, or founder, has deepened my understanding of music as a complete language. Performing allows me to connect emotionally with audiences in real time, while composing and songw

There is something almost radical, in today’s maximalist jazz landscape, about choosing less. For Samuel Torres—a musician whose résumé stretches from symphonic works to big band arrangements—the decision to strip everything down to three instruments on Trio Libre feels less like an aesthetic experiment than a philosophical pivot. After years of expanding outward, he turns inward, reducing his palette to piano, vibraphone, and congas, and asking a deceptively simple question:

As Christmas settles in and the year exhales toward its close, Jonathan Karrant moves through the holiday season with a mixture of joy, reflection, and quiet introspection. For the acclaimed vocalist—whose career spans grand opera houses, intimate jazz clubs, and some of America’s most respected concert halls—Christmas is not merely a season of performances. It is a return. “Christmas has a way of bringing us back to our beginnings,” Karrant says thoughtfully. Growing up in F