Amplify With Lara Downes : NPR

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Tyshawn Sorey's powerful sounds of silence

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October 21, 2025 • The composer, multi-instrumentalist and MacArthur "genius" fellow, deftly straddles the classical and jazz realms while unleashing the power of spaces between the notes.

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Questlove is charting the history of America through its music

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August 22, 2025 • The Roots drummer and Oscar-winning filmmaker uncovers the connections between his recent Sly Stone documentary and his own life story.

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Chef Kenji López-Alt serves up a nourishing recipe of food and music

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July 31, 2025 • The renowned chef, New York Times food writer and YouTube sensation has a penchant for combining meals and music.

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Summoning the ancestors with harpist Brandee Younger

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June 30, 2025 • Lara Downes sits down with the brilliant jazz harpist to discuss the power of female lineage in the worlds of jazz and classical music.

Vijay Iyer's art of listening

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May 28, 2025 • The MacArthur fellow sits down with Lara Downes at the Big Ears Festival to discuss the creative states of improvising, composing and collaborating.

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Yola's simple, radical act of walking through her life

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April 25, 2025 • The big-voiced, unapologetically frank singer-songwriter refuses to be boxed in by genres, and finds joy in the full expression of self.

Composer Carlos Simon carries his ancestors with him

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March 25, 2025 • The rising composer talks about the influence of the church on his music and the premiere of his Good News Mass at the Los Angeles Philharmonic.

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Tarriona 'Tank' Ball unleashes the radical power of joy

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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

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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.