Throughout Fall Preview Week, WQXR will be offering special tickets, recordings and other items. Listen each day for your chance to win.

Saturday we mark the 9/11 anniversary with a special morning of music. Tune in from 7 a.m. to 12 noon to hear music inspired by 9/11, pieces that explore the concept of mourning and loss, and works that typify the New York spirit.

Samuel Barber's Adagio for Strings is a piece of music frequently chosen to mark occasions of public mourning, including the funerals of F.D.R., J.F.K. and memorial concerts in the wake of 9/11.

Does the secret to the pristine sound of an 18th century violin lie in the density of its wood? Probably not. But it's among the intriguing questions raised by a recent scientific study of the Vieuxtemps, an instrument described as the "Mona Lisa of violins."

On Saturday, Sept. 4 through Monday, Sept. 6, WQXR kicks off our month-long ViolinFest by featuring 15 violin concertos that we consider essential. Tune in throughout Labor Day weekend to hear these pillars of the violin repertoire. Here we've included a suggested recording of each of the concertos. Tell us about your favorite violin concerto, your favorite recordings, and what we're missing.

The exuberant Lang Lang is the latest in a long line of pianists known for their flamboyance. Here are four other examples.

Macedonian pianist Simon Trpčeski spoke with WQXR's Naomi Lewin. Hear more about his homeland, how New York inspires his performances, and his unusual musical route to piano stardom -- via the accordion.

The Naumburg Bandshell is one of New York City’s great cultural icons. Midge Woolsey recently spoke to Christopher London, great-grandson of the bandshell donor Elkan Naumburg, about his hopes for the preservation of the bandshell.

Symphony and opera conductor Sir Charles Mackerras died on Wednesday of cancer at 84 years old. Anne Midgette, Classical Music Critic for The Washington Post, reflects on Mackerras's life and greatest achievements.

Branford Marsalis spoke with Jeff Spurgeon ahead of his performance with the New York Philharmonic in Central Park. Hear his thoughts on working with the Philharmonic and the composers whose music he will be performing and get his take on the difference between the jazz and classical disciplines.

Pianist Lang Lang speaks with Midge Woolsey about the Shanghai Symphony's historic performance in Central Park, what it's like to work in New York and his recording of Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 2.

This week, the New York Philharmonic is taking the show on the road--or at least to parks around the city--for a series of free concerts. 

Mad About Music host Gilbert Kaplan is a leading international authority on the music of Gustav Mahler. Kaplan created this annotated bibliography of works dedicated to Mahler's life and career.

Soprano Martina Arroyo is among those who will be receiving the National Endowment for the Arts' Opera Honors this fall. WQXR's Midge Woolsey spoke with Arroyo about her career and her lifelong interest in teaching.

WQXR celebrates Gustav Mahler’s 150th birthday with a special, online-only stream. Each day for a week, dive deep into Mahler’s repertoire and discover the creative mind behind some of the twentieth century’s most significant works. July 7 to July 14.

Forget American Idol. It can't compete with the drama that takes place at the Metropolitan Opera's National Council Auditions. WQXR's special broadcast takes you inside the Grand Finals Concert. Listen in on Saturday, June 26 at 4 p.m.

Renée Fleming has a pretty good handle on opera, but what about contemporary rock? As she prepares to release an album of interpretations of songs by artists including Peter Gabriel, Fleming sits down for an exclusive interview with Naomi Lewin.

Summer has not yet officially arrived, but classical music is already decamping from the cities and heading for more bucolic settings. The Ojai Music Festival got an early start under the direction of British composer and conductor George Benjamin. 

On Tuesday, June 15 at Carnegie Hall, Distinguished Concerts International New York presents the New York premiere of Paradise Lost: Shadows and Wings, composed and conducted by Eric Whitacre.