Tom Huizenga

1 week ago | ksut.org | Tom Huizenga

When Jean-Yves Thibaudet visited NPR to play a Tiny Desk, everything about him was stylish. His shoes were custom made for him by the late Vivienne Westwood, his jacket was by Simon Porte Jacquemus, his necklace, Cartier. When he sat down to play, arguably only one thing seemed to be missing: a shiny, 9-foot grand piano. But Thibaudet, like many great pianists who have graced our office space, understands the vibe of our beloved little concert series.

2 weeks ago | wyomingpublicmedia.org | Tom Huizenga

Barbara Hannigan is fearless in the face of new music. The Canadian soprano has sung the world premiere of over 100 new works, and last year released a recording of songs by the contemporary American composer John Zorn that even she claimed (at first) were unsingable. So it is something of a surprise that Hannigan's new album is inspired by very old music.

3 weeks ago | wrvo.org | Robin Hilton |Tom Huizenga

We're talking new music on this week's All Songs Considered as we update our running list of the year's best songs. This includes a timeless piece from Mexican singer and songwriter Natalia Lafourcade, a plainspoken but moving story-song from Chris Staples, a wildly unpredictable mix of voice, electronics and piano from soprano Barbara Hannigan and more. NPR Music's Tom Huizenga joins host Robin Hilton.

3 weeks ago | ideastream.org | Tom Huizenga

This genre-crossing Tiny Desk follows an illustrious line of Hindustani and Western music collisions. In the mid-1960s, many Americans had their first taste of music from India when Beatle George Harrison played the sitar on "Norwegian Wood." At the same time, in the classical world, violinist Yehudi Menuhin joined sitar star Ravi Shankar to release West Meets East, a Billboard chart-topping album that won a Grammy.

3 weeks ago | ideastream.org | Tom Huizenga

Forgive the pun, but the American composer Steve Reich has had his finger on the pulse of Western music for over six decades. Like the rudimentary shapes and colors of Sol LeWitt's deceptively simple-looking wall drawings, Reich's pulse is an elemental force and a rigorously applied building block. At its most essential, Reich describes his work in terms of variations of the "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" round or canon.