The competition among classical musicians to stand out at the Grammy awards just got a little stiffer, as the Recording Academy announced Wednesday it has trimmed the awards categories down from 109 to 78.

Plácido Domingo is sticking with his scheduled concerts this month in Tokyo, despite the recent disasters that have rocked Japan. It comes after some notable interruptions in his performance schedule.

Shoppers at Zabar’s got an unexpected treat with their smoked fish, cheeses and baked goods Wednesday morning. The Escher String Quartet planted itself in front of the fish counter of the Upper West Side food emporium and began playing the first movement of Beethoven’s “Serioso” Quartet. Watch the video and check out some images below:

Upper West Side shoppers got an unexpected treat with their smoked fish, cheeses and baked goods Wednesday morning. The Escher String Quartet planted itself in front of the store's fish counter and began playing Beethoven’s "Serioso" Quartet.

In the WQXR Café, Haimovitz plays on the same 1710 Matteo Gofriller cello that he took with him to the Tractor Tavern in Seattle and the former punk hangout CBGB.

Skittering strings. Large, looping passages. Perfectly eerie little scenes. Such is the sonic landscape in which the JACK Quartet can frequently be found. The adventurous ensemble is in The Greene Space tonight at 7 pm. Tune in for a Webcast at WQXR.org.

Trout Week continues at The Greene Space tonight with Ethel. The group has been a role model for anyone who believes that a string quartet can act and even sound like a rock band. Read more and get a free Catch of the Day download.

In the latest sign of an already turbulent year for American orchestras, the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra has dissolved. The musicians of the ensemble took their final bow together on Saturday night.

Six months after a musician work stoppage shut down the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, bargainers for the musicians and symphony management have reached a tentative deal.

The Ebène Quartet is the rare ensemble that can play Haydn and Debussy with complete command and then shift gears and offer a jazz set of Miles Davis and Chick Corea. See them tonight at 7 pm on a live video Webcast on WQXR.org. Plus, get a free download.

Dino Anagnost, a conductor who served as music director of The Little Orchestra Society since 1979, died in Manhattan on Thursday after a long illness.

Anne-Sophie Mutter recently stopped by to talk with Naomi Lewin about her favorite recordings, a new scholarship that she's giving out in honor of her former teacher, and wearing "shoulder-free dresses."

Trout Week continues tonight with the Ensemble ACJW. A collective of about 20 hand-selected graduates of major conservatories, ACJW is a partnership among the Juilliard School, Carnegie Hall and the Weill Music Institute. Read more and get our Catch of the Day download.

Two longstanding advocacy organizations for American music are set to merge later this year — an increasingly common move in the classical music business.

Renowned Spanish tenor Plácido Domingo found himself in the middle of a major labor dispute last week between Argentina's Teatro Colón, one of the world's leading opera houses, and the theater workers’ union.

The celebrated San Francisco-based male choral group Chanticleer had a surprise pinch hitter on Saturday, as bass Eric Alatorre was replaced by cellist Laura McLellan. Alatorre has fallen ill with laryngitis.

The anniversary of the Triangle Fire -- the worst workplace disaster in New York until 9/11 -- is being commemorated by a remarkable array of events, including a free commemorative concert at the Society for Ethical Culture.

As relief efforts for Japan continue, the classical music world has rallied to organize concerts and events in support of the disaster-rattled country. Here in New York, the Japan Society has shored up $2.1 million dollars to date.

The Blue Danube waltz is one of Strauss's most graceful and soaring creations. Its appearances in cartoons include a Looney Tunes short A Corny Concerto and an early episode of Spongebob Squarepants.