Born in 1953, violinist, composer and professor Chen Yi grew up during the cultural revolution in China, which left its mark on her family life and her music.  At age 13 she was sent to a communist labor farm, smuggling her violin beside her bed.

Entwined with national politics, the story of Western music in China is surprisingly modern. This timeline highlights the major developments:

Just shy of 31, Liang Wang is the youngest person to earn the principal oboist chair in the history of the New York Philharmonic. He studied at the Beijing Central Conservatory before moving to the U.S.

The Beijing Guitar Duo hails from China, studied in the US with a Cuban guitar legend, and plays music ranging from Scarlatti to Brazilian samba. Watch the duo play live in the WQXR Cafe.

The clown Pagliacci sings this aria in Leoncavallo's opera, but it has also been commandeered to express sadness and frustration throughout popular culture.

The Maltese tenor Joseph Calleja has a voice unlike any other in opera today. Critics point to a rapid vibrato combined with an appealing sweetness that comes through on the high notes. See him perform in two videos.

Tune in Monday night at 8 pm for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's musical tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma joins conductor Robert Spano and the ASO.

In the 1959 Warner Brothers cartoon Baton Bunny, Maestro Bugs Bunny won't tolerate a coughing audience member.

Michael Giacchino recently joined David Garland on Movies on the Radio to talk about his work in the film music business, including his latest project, "Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol." A number of listeners had questions for him that we didn't have time for, but Mr. Giacchino has agreed to answer these afterwards. Below follows the queries and his responses.

If you didn't score tickets for opening night of Porgy and Bess on Broadway, tune in tonight at 8 pm to our Operavore Web stream to hear a classic 1976 recording of the opera.

Send us your requests for the Operavore Web stream. In the comments box below, tell us what great opera aria, scene, chorus or instrumental number you'd like to hear. Or send us the name of a singer or opera company that particularly gets your operatic juices flowing (please be as specific as possible).

Thanks for listening!

Violinist Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk join WQXR's Elliott Forrest at 8 pm Tuesday, Jan. 10, to preview their new recording, French Impressions, which was released this week.

To celebrate the launch of our new Operavore stream Saturday, we’re featuring several animated takes on the aria “Largo al factotum,” from Rossini’s The Barber of Seville.

WQXR's China in New York festival (Jan. 22-28) will encompass a variety of concert events, on-air features and online specials.

On Sunday, Jan. 8, WQXR will launch a continuous, all-opera web stream, giving fans a place to indulge their passions and newcomers a resource to discover the art form.

The violinist and pianist have been honing a partnership for seven years. In the WQXR Café, they play the blistering finale from Franck’s Sonata in A Major.

The Vienna Philharmonic greets the New Year with its annual concert from the Golden Hall of the Musikverein in Vienna. The venerable concert features popular pieces the Strauss family.

For the past several weeks we asked listeners to vote for their favorite pieces of classical music. This weekend we count down the final results. Click through for regular updates.

Because, really, is Christmas truly complete unless you’ve watched for the billionth time A Charlie Brown Christmas? We think not.