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Five presidents and their musical moments

One hosted Elvis at the White House. Another channeled Al Green. And guess who had the best stereo in town?

What it takes to build a ‘modular’ opera

A new multimedia song cycle from Helios Opera boasts visual extravagance despite a microbudget.

Passim sends grants totaling $40,000 to 24 project-minded musicians

In a sign of the times, recipients had asked for help to pay for home-recording or livestreaming equipment.

Celebrity Series offers home concerts recorded around the world

Highlights include a Feb. 19 program featuring pianist András Schiff.

Andris Nelsons is back in Boston recording BSO digital concerts
The music director has returned to lead four Beethoven symphonies for the orchestra’s BSO NOW series.

Alastair Moock refused a Grammy nomination and learned how to be an ally
Family Music Forward, a group that aims to amplify Black voices and artists of color in children’s music, is trying to level an uneven playing field.

Latest Headlines in Music

Turning music lessons into ‘trauma informed care’ for frontline health care workers

The Boston Hope Music Teaching Project connects frontline caregivers with New England Conservatory musicians for private Zoom lessons.

COMFORT ZONE

Celebrate New Year’s Eve with HipStory and its vision for Boston’s hip-hop future

The Boston-based media production company and artistic incubator is ringing in 2021 with a new digital concert platform.

COMFORT ZONE

The music that got these Bostonians through 2020

Some songs and artists captured anguish and anxiety; others reflected hope, humor, and connection. All of them hit the spot.

Jon Garelick

Top 10 jazz albums of 2020

The year's best releases span several generations of jazz, from 84-year-old pianist Carla Bley to 23-year-old saxophonist Immanuel Wilkins.

Maura Johnston

Top 12 best pop albums of 2020

Brandy remained at the forefront of modern R&B, Fiona Apple captured the spirit of early quarantine, while Sault and Taylor Swift both doubled up.

Julian Benbow

Top 10 hip-hop albums of 2020

Tough year? Not for Hit-Boy, who thrived, while other artists like Jay Electronica, Spillage Village, Elzhi, and Rico Nasty released standout albums.

Stuart Munro

Top 10 country, folk, and Americana albums of 2020

Albums by Margo Price and Chris Stapleton were among the year's highlights, while debuts from Logan Ledger and Bonny Light Horseman stood out.

Jeremy Eichler

Top 10 classical music albums of 2020

The year's best include the fruit of the multiyear collaboration between the BSO and British composer Thomas Adès.