NPR Classical Stories

De Shields made his Broadway debut in the 1975 original production of The Wiz. He won a Tony in 2019 for his performance in Hadestown and co-stars in the new film of last year's London revival.

VR dance lesson apps like Dance Guru and Trip the Light offer a judgment-free way to learn partner dancing.

Kimball, who died July 2, unearthed hundreds of pieces long thought lost, and co-wrote books about George and Ira Gershwin, Cole Porter and Eubie Blake. Originally broadcast in 1994.

There have been Black composers and Black storylines in opera, but they've often failed to gain traction with performing companies and audiences. This summer, Cincinnati Opera seeks to change that.

The D.C. circuit appeals court denied all of President Trump's arguments that sought to stop the removal of his name from the Washington, D.C., arts institution.

Philip Glass' newest symphony, an homage to Abraham Lincoln, was supposed to premiere at the Kennedy Center — until it didn't. And then, the Boston Symphony Orchestra stepped in.

Last year, Trump dismissed Biden-appointed Kennedy Center board members and replaced them with loyalists. A new filing by the Center's lawyers reveals how its board of trustees makes decisions.

Comedian Bill Maher received The Mark Twain Prize for American Humor on Sunday night at the troubled Kennedy Center, where a tarp continues to cover the forced removal of President Trump's name.

Pianist Lara Downes and Pulitzer-winning author Salamishah Tillet discuss Nina Simone and one of her best-known songs at her lovingly restored birthplace in Tryon, N.C.

Smith's new show is about her great-great-grandfather, a free Black man who reburied the Union dead at Gettysburg and prepared the ground for Lincoln's most famous speech.

A federal judge has ordered the Kennedy Center to update him on programming and operational plans. But with most of the staff gone and many artists booked elsewhere, what shows would they present?

Pierce says he's motivated by the "ticking clock of mortality" — and the desire to challenge himself as an actor. He's currently starring in the Shakespeare Theatre Company production of Othello.