Grammy Award winning duo Rodrigo y Gabriela grew up on an eclectic mix of classic rock, heavy metal and flamenco, a rare alchemy of influences that still informs their work today. Not long after the dissolution of their first band, the two musicians set off with their acoustic guitars and ended up in Ireland, where they soon ran out of money and began busking on Dublin’s Grafton Street — a turn of events that led to their crossing paths with Irish singer/songwriter Damien Rice, who then asked them to open for him at an early headline show. As they developed their distinct breed of guitar music, Rodrigo y Gabriela quickly gained recognition for their extraordinary live show and made their full-length debut with 2002’s re-Foc. Along with turning out 8 additional acclaimed and kaleidoscopic albums over the years: including Area 52 (a 2012 effort made with a Cuban orchestra), 9 Dead Alive (a 2014 release that spotlighted their more rock-leaning sensibilities) and the 2020 Grammy winning Best Contemporary Instrumental Album, Mettavolution, the duo has cemented their status as a globally renowned live act.
An unprecedented, transcontinental collaboration, Shakti united eastern and western musicians, and in the process forged the template for what is now called "world music."
After a decade of relentless touring and recording in all but complete obscurity, the Texas-bred/New York-based Snarky Puppy suddenly found itself held up by the press and public as a major figure in the jazz world.
Samara Joy is having a capital-M Moment. In 2023, the young jazz singer from the Bronx earned two Grammy Awards for her first album, Linger Awhile—including a well-deserved win as Best New Artist. But Joy’s resonant, emotionally stirring voice makes accolades afterthoughts.
Humans have been harnessing the power of the wind for thousands of years. The beautiful efficiency of that timeless and ingenious process inspired the creative team at Cirque Mechanics to create Zephyr, an emotional, exhilarating tale about the choices humans have made regarding our planet and its resources.
The young Danish trio Dreamers' Circus draws inspiration from the deep traditions of Nordic folk music and reshapes them into something bright, shiny and new. Featuring Nikolaj Busk, Ale Carr and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (of the Danish String Quartet), Dreamers’ Circus uses its traditional roots as a point of departure, not a straitjacket.
Gabriela Ortiz Kauymari
Arturo Márquez Danzón No. 2
Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto No. 1 in Bb Minor
Silvestre Revueltas La noche de los mayas
Honor the traditions of Día de Muertos with Lila Downs, one of the most influential and representative artists of Mexican music in Latin America.
For an artist who will forever be known for “Touch the Sky,” the stirring theme song from the Disney/Pixar film Brave, Julie Fowlis is anything but a one-hit wonder.
Love, loss and creation merge in unexpected ways as Manual Cinema presents its thrilling version of the classic Gothic tale Frankenstein.