As always, Handel's Messiah is everywhere during the holiday season - from concert halls to shopping malls. Conductor and organist Kent Tritle tells us why its appeal goes well beyond its religious message.

On Monday, the Cincinnati Pops named John Morris Russell as its next music director. He arrives at a time when pops concerts are becoming far more eclectic. Take our pops poll.

We are designing an application for mobile devices (iPhones, iPads, Droids, etc.) and would like to get your input. What features would you most like to see on a WQXR app?

An investigation has been dropped against Russian conductor and pianist Mikhail Pletnev, who was arrested last summer in Thailand on suspicion of molesting a teenager.

Like any good Italian, Puccini loved his American Westerns. The result was a cowboy opera, La Fanciulla del West (The Girl of the Golden West). This week, the opera returns to the Met for a series of performances marking its 100th anniversary.

Gustav Mahler's bittersweet songs are getting renewed attention this year. To get some insight on this, Naomi Lewin talks with Norman Lebrecht, author of the new book, Why Mahler?

When it comes to classical piano concertos, nearly everyone agrees which is the hardest to play: Rachmaninoff's Third. Pianist Leif Ove Andsnes talks with Naomi Lewin about tackling this work.

Welcome the holiday season with our 24-hour stream dedicated to classical Christmas favorites. Enjoy the sounds of orchestras, choirs, brass ensembles and more as we celebrate the sacred and secular sounds of the season. To listen, click on the "Special" tab of our player.

Forget turning off phones in concerts. Some arts groups are allowing – and even inviting - listeners to send text messages and update their Twitter accounts during performances. How do you feel about this?

WQXR is pleased to present special programming throughout the holiday season. Here is a listing of the Chanukah and Christmas music you will hear in December.

Long before Muzak, major American department stores were once hubs of musical activity. String quartets, pianists, choirs and full orchestras serenaded shoppers during the early 20th century.

Dutch composer Louis Andriessen has won the 2011 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition for La Commedia, his 2008 opera based on Dante’s The Divine Comedy. The work received its U.S. premiere in concert last April in Carnegie Hall.

Holiday traditions tend to bring out strong emotional responses. And none do so more than the arrival of holiday music. How do these Yuletide offerings make you feel?

In conjunction with the Gratitude Project we've polled artists and experts from the classical music world about which pieces of music they are thankful for this Thanksgiving.

To minimize the pain of holiday shopping, we've simplified your search and found something for every classical music fan on your list, and at every price point.

As the Detroit Symphony Orchestra enters the eighth week of their grueling strike, two other orchestras recently took significant belt-tightening steps.

There’s no mystery about why Elīna Garanča is a rising opera star. But whether playing a fiery gypsy or a "trouser role," the mezzo-soprano has her own way of researching characters.

Falling from the sky is a risky proposition. But for most skydivers, broken violin bows rank low on the list of potential hazards.

British Pianist Stephen Hough, last heard in New York at Avery Fisher Hall in this past summer’s Mostly Mozart Festival, is back in town for a recital tonight at Carnegie Hall.