Artists
Clara Butt: her generation's greatest contralto, or the butt of a cruel joke?
Clara Butt may be remembered chiefly as a cardboard cut-out figure of fun – notorious enough for Disney to lampoon as Clara Cluck. But, says Andrew Green, it's time to readdress her reputation
Who is Alexandre Kantorow? The exciting young pianist described as 'Liszt reincarnated'
The exciting young French pianist shares with Jessica Duchen the enormous thrills of performing at the 2024 Paris Olympics and winning the 2019 Tchaikovsky Competition
Dennis Brain: the British virtuoso who brought the sound of the French horn to millions
Dennis Brain inspired a generation of musicians and music fans alike. Andrew Green traces the meteoric rise and tragic end of the French horn virtuoso
Wendy Carlos: trans pioneer and creator of Stanley Kubrick's creepiest soundtracks
In 1968, Wendy Carlos’s Switched-On Bach became an instant best-seller. As the experimental composer turns 85, Nick Shave looks back at her life and career
Michael Tilson Thomas: why a terminal cancer diagnosis won't stop me from conducting
As conductor Michael Tilson Thomas marks his 80th birthday, he speaks to Michael White about continuing to make wonderful music while living with cancer
Best poets: 11 iconic figures who conjured magical worlds in verse
From Dante via Shakespeare to Maya Angelou, here are 11 poets who have created the most evocative worlds in verse
Lin-Manuel Miranda: 'Anyone who tells you Sondheim isn’t an influence on them is lying'
As the legendary Hamilton creator makes his directorial debut in the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson's musical tick, tick... BOOM!, he tells us all about the music that has shaped his life and work
Myra Hess: how the pianist became a wartime hero during the Blitz
Acclaimed British concert pianist Dame Myra Hess brought music to the masses throughout the Second World War with her morale-raising recitals at London’s National Gallery. We look back on her colourful life
From the Bachs to the Von Trapps, these are history's most musical families
Jeremy Pound ponders nurture, nature and ancestral trees as he admires the collective talents of history’s most musical families
'Twice in my career, I missed my cue to appear on stage': tenor Jonas Kaufmann on his best and worst performances
Virginia Bocelli: youngest member of a prodigiously talented musical family
Our guide to Virginia Bocelli, the young Italian singer who often performs with her famous dad, Andrea
Blues singers: 11 great performers who shaped the blues genre
Paul McGuinness explores the best blues singers of all time, who helped shape and influence the genre
How did Glenn Miller die? The story of a fateful December night in 1944
Glenn Miller went missing over the English Channel in 1944. But what really happened that cold December night? BBC Music Magazine tells all
A passionate and sometimes volatile perfectionist... What was it like to study with conductor Kurt Masur?
Kahchun Wong, the Hallé’s new principal conductor, salutes the mentoring he received from Kurt Masur
Maria Callas: the voice that redefined opera
Her voice may have divided audiences, but the Greek soprano Maria Callas never failed to compel with powerfully vivid performances. Michael Tanner explores the life and career of arguably the greatest opera singer ever
Ada Lovelace: the visionary who imagined computers composing music two centuries ahead of her time
The 19th-century mathematician and musician Ada Lovelace was the first to spot computers’ creative potential. David De Roure tells her intriguing story and explores her legacy
The black icon, the First Lady, and the concert that changed America
When Marian Anderson took to the stage in 1939 at the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, she had the full support of the First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, who had taken up her cause after Anderson was rejected from a concert hall because of a racist policy
Van Cliburn: the American pianist who triumphed in Russia at the Cold War's chilliest moment
American pianist Van Cliburn caused a major shock in Moscow, at the height of the Cold War, when he won the Tchaikovsky competition in 1958
How do you find the right teacher at music college?
Cellist Seth Parker Woods shares his wisdom on how to choose the best music teacher
Otto Klemperer: he fled the Nazis, suffered mental illness - and was one of the great conductors
For many, conductor Otto Klemperer will be remembered as the steady and reliable champion of classic repertoire, but in his youth the German was a dashing advocate of the new, writes Andrew Green
The conductors' orchestra: meet the all-star orchestra made up of the world’s great conductors
Jeremy Pound puts together an ensemble made up of leading maestros playing their own instruments, from virtuoso violinists to school-level trombonists
Best jazz band leaders: 11 ensemble leaders who changed the sound of big band jazz
For over 100 years jazz music has captured the imagination of the public, with jazz bands becoming household names. Here, we name the best jazz band leaders responsible for defining, influencing and shaping the genre into what it is today.
Why did the FBI keep a file on him? And more fascinating facts from Leonard Bernstein's eventful life
From West Side Story to the Berlin Wall, here is a short guide to the main events in the remarkable life of Leonard Bernstein
Neville Marriner: the conductor who turned millions on to Mozart
2024 marks 100 years since the birth of Sir Neville Marriner, legendary founder and director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields. Michael White speaks to those who knew him best