Lara Downes
Lara Downes is among the foremost American pianists of her generation, a trailblazer both on and off the stage, whose musical roadmap seeks inspiration from the legacies of history, family and collective memory. As a chart-topping recording artist, a powerfully charismatic performer, a curator and tastemaker, Downes is recognized as a cultural visionary on the national arts scene.
Downes' forays into the broad landscape of American music have created a series of acclaimed recordings, including America Again, hailed by The Boston Globe as "a balm for a country riven by disunion."
With a fierce commitment to arts advocacy, Downes enjoys creative collaborations with a range of leading artists, including multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Rhiannon Giddens, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, folk icon Judy Collins, writer Adam Gopnik, and former U.S. poet laureate Rita Dove. Her close partnerships with prominent composers span genres and generations, with premieres and commissions coming from Jennifer Higdon, John Corigliano, Stephen Schwartz, Paola Prestini, Clarice Assad, Michael Abels, and many others.
She is host of the NPR show AMPLIFY with Lara Downes and is an Artist Ambassador for Headcount, working to promote participation in democracy through music.
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The renowned chef, New York Times food writer and YouTube sensation has a penchant for combining meals and music. -
Lara Downes sits down with the brilliant jazz harpist to discuss the power of female lineage in the worlds of jazz and classical music. -
The MacArthur fellow sits down with Lara Downes at the Big Ears Festival to discuss the creative states of improvising, composing and collaborating. -
Yola's music bounces, grooves and carries you away. The big-voiced, unapologetically frank singer-songwriter refuses to be boxed in by genres, and finds joy in the full expression of self. -
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. -
The Tank and the Bangas frontwoman talks about the strength and versatility of her words — alone and within her music. -
In celebration of what would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 96th birthday, pianist Lara Downes examines how musicians have followed in his footsteps, and faced the cost of taking a stand. -
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. -
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. -
The self-described “surreal blues poet” savors the significance of words and the noisy poetry of city life.
