Best WQXR Podcasts (2024)

1
Ethnomusicologist Fredara Hadley on Reckoning with the Past 57:00

2d ago57:00

57:00

Fredara Hadley is an ethnomusicologist at The Juilliard School whose research focuses on the musical legacies of historically Black colleges and universities. Her writing has appeared in The Washington Post, Billboard Magazine, the Journal of Popular Music Studies, and elsewhere. In this episode, Hadley reflects on the unique contributions of music…

1
Novelist Walter Mosley on Family and Forging His Own Path 49:43

9d ago49:43

49:43

Acclaimed author Walter Mosley writes about the intricacies of Black livelihood by grounding science fiction and mystery in America’s turbulent social and racial climate. Decorated with the O. Henry Award, the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award, a Grammy, and PEN America’s Lifetime Achievement Award, Mosley is a testament to Black artistry. His works have b…

1
Modern Love host Anna Martin on the Infinitude of Love 54:32

16d ago54:32

54:32

Anna Martin is the host of the New York Times’ immensely popular Modern Love podcast, where guests join to discuss the trials, triumphs, betrayals, and epiphanies of modern relationships. In this episode, she joins Helga to discuss how love is perceived and expressed across cultures; the many different words for love across languages, and what it’s…

1
Janna Levin on Mozart’s Unfinished Ambitions 24:36

17d ago24:36

24:36

Janna Levin is a theoretical cosmologist and professor of astronomy and physics at Barnard College in New York City, specializing in the study of black holes. A Guggenheim Fellow, she’s authored several books on the topics of space, mathematics, and the impassioned people that study them; her latest book, “Black Hole Survival Guide,” allows readers…

1
Author Letty Cottin Pogrebin on her Decades of Activism 55:58

23d ago55:58

55:58

Author and activist Letty Cottin Pogrebin has been immersed for decades in the fight for gender equality and social justice. She co-founded Ms. Magazine, which played a pivotal role in the feminist movement of the 1970s, and served as president of the Authors Guild and as chair of Americans for Peace Now. She’s also authored a dozen books, co-found…

1
Hanna Arie-Gaifman on Bach and Survival 15:52

24d ago15:52

15:52

Hanna Arie-Gaifman served as the director of the Tisch Center for the Arts at the 92nd Street Y for over 20 years, where she produced countless multidisciplinary projects, cementing 92NY’s place as a leading literary and performance art venue in New York City. Before then, Aire-Gaifman worked around the world as an arts administrator, linguist, and…

1
Journalist Jenna Flanagan on Local Politics and Seeking Truth 57:40

1M ago57:40

57:40

Journalist Jenna Flanagan has built a career championing the necessary conversations that drive community progress. She’s worked as a producer for the New York City-based AM radio news station 1010 WINS and WNYC’s All Things Considered, and as a co-host for the PBS show MetroFocus. Recently, she hosted the podcast “After Broad and Market,” which re…

1
Caroline Shaw on Mendelssohn and Possibility 11:49

1M ago11:49

11:49

Caroline Shaw is a tireless musician, active as a violinist, vocalist, producer, and composer. She’s won multiple Grammy awards and, along with Kendrick Lamar, is one of the youngest recipients of the Pulitzer Prize in Music. Throughout her career, she has continuously experimented across genres, her collaborations spanning from the likes of Nas an…

1
Noliwe Rooks on Extending the Ethic of Care 58:34

1M ago58:34

58:34

Noliwe Rooks is a widely esteemed author and chair of Africana Studies at Brown University. A passionate advocate for education equality, Dr. Rooks has focused much of her work on the challenges that poor and African American communities face, particularly within the American public education system. In this episode, Dr. Rooks talks about her famil…

1
Nick Ferrone on Why Barber’s “Adagio” Gets a Bad Rap 24:41

1M ago24:41

24:41

By day, Nick Ferrone is a Brooklyn real estate agent, but on most Saturday nights, he can be found playing the harmonica at Sunny’s Bar in Red Hook. As the seventh of eight kids, Ferrone reaped the benefits of being exposed to records that most kids his age weren’t listening to, including the one that inspired him to start playing the harmonica: “G…

1
Singer-songwriter Sampha on Fatherhood and Intuition 46:32

1M ago46:32

46:32

Sampha is a leading British singer-songwriter and producer within the neo-soul and alternative R&B scenes, his music a seductive blend of meditative, confessional lyrics and intricate, genre-spanning production. Active since the mid-2000s, he’s well known for his collaborations with artists like Solange Knowles, Kendrick Lamar, Frank Ocean, Drake, …

1
Lucy Boynton on Chopin and Getting Into Character 13:44

2M ago13:44

13:44

You might know actress Lucy Boynton from the television mini-series “The Ipcress File” and films like “Chevalier” and “Murder on the Orient Express.” She grew up with a music-loving family who always had something playing in the background. Here, Boynton shares a favorite piano piece by Chopin and reflects on the power of music to establish tone in…

1
Playwright Suzan-Lori Parks on Self-Worth and Loving the Grind 55:32

2M ago55:32

55:32

Suzan-Lori Parks is an American playwright, screenwriter, and novelist. Parks was the first African American woman to win the Pulitzer Prize in Drama with her 2002 play, “Topdog/Underdog,” and in 2023, she was named one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People. In this episode, Parks discusses her bold idea to write a one-act play each day fo…

1
Martha Lane Fox on Perseverance and Beethoven 17:52

2M ago17:52

17:52

If anyone can claim the title of Renaissance Woman, it is Martha Lane Fox. Though she gained prominence during the dot-com boom of the 1990s, her career has since led her serve as the Chancellor of Open University in the United Kingdom; to sit on the boards of companies likeChanel, WeTransfer, and Twitter; and, in 2013, she became the youngest fema…

1
Scholar Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo on the Joys of Nerd Rap 58:10

2M ago58:10

58:10

Enongo Lumumba-Kasongo is a scholar and professor of music at Brown University who also performs as the dynamic rapper and producer Sammus. Sammus explores themes of anxiety, awkwardness, Afro-futurism, and activism in three full-length albums, three EPs, a beat tape, and several collaborations with notable artists. As a Brown Practitioner Fellow, …

1
Steve Reich on Why Medieval Music Sounds So Fresh 25:31

2M ago25:31

25:31

Steve Reich is one of the most important composers of the 20th and 21st centuries. A leader in developing and popularizing what many describe as minimalist music — but which Reich has often preferred to describe as music that unfolds over a gradual process — his music helped reassert the value of tonality and sonority within newly composed concert …

1
Designer Tremaine Emory on Validation in Consumer Culture 59:17

2M ago59:17

59:17

Tremaine Emory is a visionary fashion designer. Once the creative director at the streetwear brand Supreme, he co-founded his own brand, Denim Tears, which aims to tell the stories of the African Diaspora through fashion. His work has been recognized widely for its bold originality and counter-cultural drive. In this episode, Emory talks about the …

1
Anne-Sophie Mutter on Why Bach Is Always the Answer 12:32

2M ago12:32

12:32

“Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring” is one of Bach’s best known works. For acclaimed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter, it has been part of her life since she was a child and has accompanied her through some of her life’s most important moments. As she puts it, “Bach is always the answer — for the joyous moments in life as much as for the moments where you do…

1
Director Whitney White on Depth and the Magic of Theater 1:04:52

3M ago1:04:52

1:04:52

Whitney White is an actor, singer, Obie Award winner, and winner of the Lilly Award, which recognizes extraordinary women in theater. White has directed productions of James Baldwin’s The Amen Corner; Aleshea Harris’ What to Send Up When It Goes Down, a work about the victims of racialized violence; and Jocelyn Bioh’s Broadway play Jaja’s African H…

1
Víkingur Ólafsson on the Unpredictable Futurism of Rameau 16:21

2M ago16:21

16:21

All classical musicians are devoted to the art of reinterpretation — of trying to make the old feel new again. Pianist Víkingur Ólafsson actually manages to pull it off. Whether he’s performing keyboard music hundreds of years old or a piece hot off the press, one has the feeling that they’ve never heard this music before, or this music played in t…

1
Singer Brittany Howard on Creative Rebirth and Spirituality 1:02:00

3M ago1:02:00

1:02:00

Singer-songwriter Brittany Howard, former lead singer and guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning Alabama Shakes, is now a spectacular and charismatic solo artist. Brittany joins Helga in the studio following the release of her second solo album, What Now, to offer a deep-dive into her personal and artistic life. She discusses her early experiences w…

1
Garth Greenwell on Finding Refuge in the Music of Britten and Pears 19:35

3M ago19:35

19:35

By now, Garth Greenwell is an award-winning author, poet, literary critic, and teacher of writing whose novels include “What Belongs To You” and “Cleanness.” But his first creative aspiration was as a musician: He attended the Interlochen Academy for the Arts and, later, the Eastman School of Music, focusing on vocal performance. In this episode, G…

1
Helga Returns For A Sixth Season! 1:55

3M ago1:55

1:55

Get ready for a new season of fearless conversations that reveal the extraordinary in all of us. Critically acclaimed actress, singer, writer and composer Helga Davis returns for a new season of soulful conversations with artists and thinkers from a variety of disciplines, including Brittany Howard, Whitney White, Tremaine Emory, Enongo Lumumba-Kas…

1
Jennifer Egan on Chopin's Narrative Masterclass 21:44

3M ago21:44

21:44

Jennifer Egan has spent a lifetime thinking about what makes a good story — to good effect. Her novels have received many awards and recognitions, including the Pulitzer Prize for “A Visit From the Good Squad.” Its companion book and her latest work, “The Candy House,” was named one of The New York Times’s 10 Best Books of 2022. They say that one o…

1
Announcing: TAKs Haven! 8:30

3M ago8:30

8:30

A very special announcement from TAK Ensemble.By TAK Editions Podcast

1
Rowan Williams on Bach and the Daily Discipline of Silence 13:05

3M ago13:05

13:05

Rowan Williams is a British theologian and poet. From 2003-2012, he served as the Archbishop of Canterbury — a role that placed him, along with the British monarch, at the head of the Anglican Church. As one of today’s most influential religious leaders, Williams has often been the subject of both praise and controversy for his outspoken views, inc…

1
Dexter Filkins on Tension, Tenderness, and Ravel 21:03

3M ago21:03

21:03

Dexter Filkins is a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist, former Iraq War correspondent for the New York Times, and author of the bestselling book, “The Forever War.” He’s currently a staff writer for The New Yorker. In this episode, Filkins recalls how Ravel’s music gave him respite during his “nightmare years” covering the war in Iraq. He explains h…

1
Marin Alsop on Beethoven and Humanity’s Infinite Potential 25:34

4M ago25:34

25:34

As one of the leading conductors of our time, Marin Alsop has collected a lot of “firsts”: She’s the first woman to head a major orchestra in the United States, South America, Austria and the United Kingdom. Throughout her career, she has also tirelessly advocated for equitable music education and for professional opportunities for other female con…

1
Nathalie Joachim on the Connection Between Brahms and Haiti 20:44

4M ago20:44

20:44

Nathalie Joachim is a Grammy-nominated flutist, vocalist and composer. She is the co-founder of the acclaimed flute-meets-electronica duo Flutronix, as well as the composer of the evening-length work “Fanm d’Ayiti,” which explores her heritage and, more broadly, women’s voices in Haiti. Her recently-released album “Ki moun ou ye” (“Which person are…

1
Elizabeth Day on Jacqueline du Pré’s Elgar and Navigating Loss 11:07

4M ago11:07

11:07

Elizabeth Day is an author, broadcaster, and host of the podcast “How to Fail,” where she interviews guests about what they have learned from failure. In this episode, Day reflects on a performance that has guided her through different stages of her life: Jacqueline Du Pré’s rendition of Elgar’s Cello Concerto in E Minor. From the disappointment of…

1
Damien Sneed on Dreams, Family and Franz Liszt 25:23

4M ago25:23

25:23

Damien Sneed is an award-winning musician, conductor, composer and arts educator who works across classical, jazz, R&B and other genres. When he was five years old, Sneed’s parents told him he was adopted. He walks us through the story of how, through a series of dreams and coincidences, he eventually reunited with his biological family and learned…

1
Deborah Frances-White on Chance Encounters and Mozart 12:25

5M ago12:25

12:25

Deborah Frances-White is a comedian, writer, and host of “The Guilty Feminist” podcast, where she explores the balancing act between feminist idealism and human imperfection. In this episode, White reflects on her upbringing as a Jehovah’s Witness and shares a story about the first time she saw a performance of Mozart’s opera “Così fan tutte.” On t…

1
Tom Hiddleston on Arvo Pärt and the Infinite 19:54

5M ago19:54

19:54

Tom Hiddleston is an actor beloved around the world for his roles in film, television, and the stage, most notably for his portrayal of the Norse god Loki in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Before all that, he was a student at the Royal Academy of Arts in London, balancing both high hopes and uncertainty for his future. For the debut episode of the …

1
The Open Ears Project Returns! 1:51

5M ago1:51

1:51

The Open Ears Project returns for a new season on February 12! From tales of memorable moments in nature and fleeting encounters with strangers – to recollections of music that helped in difficult times – The Open Ears Project features people sharing a personal story about the classical track that means the most to them, and why. This season’s gues…

1
041. Modesto "Flako" Jimenez 39:16

6M ago39:16

39:16

Charlotte and Madison speak with poet, playwright, educator, actor, producer, and director Modesto "Flako" Jimenez about his site-specific theatre work originally inspired by his Bushwick neighborhood, Taxilandia, and multidisciplinary theatrical work Mercedes.for more about ¡Oye! Group: https://www.oyegroup.org/About Flako: https://www.flakojimene…

1
Love and Other Drugs: Gounod's Roméo et Juliette 54:14

6M ago54:14

54:14

Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” is the most famous love story in the Western canon. It’s a tale so embedded in our culture — one that has seen so many iterations and retellings — it might feel hard to appreciate its original pathos, and the way it perfectly distills the intersections of young romance, idealism, and rebellion. In this episode, host…

1
You Don't Own Me: The Myth and Magic of Bizet's Carmen 53:47

6M ago53:47

53:47

Carmen is maybe the most famous heroine in all of opera. She’s a woman of Romani descent living in 19th century Spain, sensual and self-confident, aware of the power she wields over men — and she enjoys it. In her signature aria, popularly known as the “Habanera,” she describes herself as a bird who can’t be captured. True to her own word, Carmen —…

1
040. Kurt Rohde And Marie Lorenz 55:01

7M ago55:01

55:01

On this episode, Charlotte speaks with composer and performer Kurt Rohde and visual artist Marie Lorenz about the site-specific opera Newtown Odyssey, written for and about NYC's Newtown Creek. for more about the opera: https://www.newtownodyssey.com/About Kurt Rohde: https://www.kurtrohde.com/About Marie Lorenz: http://www.marielorenz.com/Support …

1
039. Kamala Sankaram 40:15

7M ago40:15

40:15

On this episode, Charlotte speaks with composer and performer Kamala Sankaram about her recent site-specific works. 'The Buried Brook' is a soundwalk that follows the currently buried Tibbets Brook in the Bronx, and 'The Last Stand' is an experimental opera and sound installation for trees.About Kamala Sankaram: https://www.kamalasankaram.com/Hear …

1
Revisiting Mozart’s Queen of the Night: Outrage Out of This World 27:11

7M ago27:11

27:11

When the Voyager spacecraft set off to explore the galaxy in 1977, it carried a recording to represent the best of humanity. The “Golden Record” featured everyone from Bach to Chuck Berry, but there was only one opera aria: the rage-fest and coloratura masterpiece from Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” As Kathryn Lewek reprises her role as Queen of the N…

1
038. Bryan Jacobs 47:05

7M ago47:05

47:05

On this episode, Charlotte and Laura speak with Bryan Jacobs in advance of TAK’s premiere of his piece ‘Organic Synthesis Volume 2’ on Thursday Dec. 7, 2023. To hear more of Bryan’s music, go to https://soundcloud.com/bryanjacobs-1Please contribute to TAK’s year-end fundraiser at http://takensemble.com/supportOur upcoming concert, Machine Tongue, f…

1401
Love Takes Flight: Catán's Florencia en el Amazonas 52:54

7M ago52:54

52:54

It’s the early 1900s, and the steamship El Dorado makes its way along the Amazon River towards Manaus, a city in the heart of the Brazilian rainforest. Onboard is the world-famous opera singer Florencia Grimaldi. She’s got a gig at the opera house in Manaus, but that’s just a cover. She’s actually hoping for a reunion with her long-lost love, the b…

1
Davis’s X: The Life and Legacy of Malcolm X 45:50

8M ago45:50

45:50

Malcolm X led many lives within his 39 years: as a bereaved but precocious child; as an imprisoned convict; as a firebrand spokesperson for the Nation of Islam and Black nationalism; and ultimately as one of the most pivotal figures of the Civil Rights movement. Today, he continues to inspire passion and controversy, his legacy as nuanced as the ma…

1
Revisiting Gluck’s Orfeo ed Euridice: Don’t Look Back in Ardor 32:55

8M ago32:55

32:55

If a loved one were to die, how far would you be willing to go to bring them back? Orpheus, the ancient Greek musician, goes to hell and back to have the love of his life, Eurydice, by his side again. The gods cut a deal with Orpheus: he can bring his love back from hell, but all throughout the journey, she has to follow behind him and he is not al…

Podcasts Worth a Listen

WQXR Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Quick Reference Guide