Entertainment Sep 30, 2013

'Arab Idol' winner hailed at his debut in Europe

Mohammed Assaf, the winner of the “Arab Idol” talent competition held in Beirut in June, brought his thumping Palestinian beats out of the Middle East for the first time Sunday in his electrifying European debut. Assaf, 24, from the Gaza Strip, became a national ...

Entertainment Sep 27, 2013

Ailing New York City Opera fears bankruptcy

New York City Opera could be sounding its final note this weekend — at least for a while. The 70-year-old company says it plans to file for bankruptcy and scrap the bulk of its 2013-2014 season unless it somehow manages to reach its fund-raising ...

Entertainment Sep 22, 2013

Pacman, Peso and Pyongyang

by Monica Hesse

A few weeks ago, a Kickstarter project was posted on the Internet featuring two young men who went by the names of Pacman and Peso.

Events Outside Tokyo Sep 19, 2013

Street concerts aim to connect community

by Satoru Teshima

This weekend, the residents of Nagaokakyo, Kyoto, will get the chance to hear music from every nook and cranny of the city. The third annual Nagaokakyo Music Shotengai festival will be held at different venues located around the shopping streets near Hankyu Nagaoka Tenjin ...

Entertainment Sep 14, 2013

New set of Beatles songs, chat to be released

A box set of previously unreleased recordings and studio chat by The Beatles, including early hits and cover versions, is to be released later this year, their record company said Friday. The tracks, taken from radio broadcasts at the British Broadcasting Corp. in 1963 ...

National Aug 1, 2013

Art, music by the disabled gain the spotlight

by Takaki Yajima

Amid growing interest among the public in artwork produced by disabled artists, more support facilities and art studios in Japan are offering opportunities for them to engage in full-fledged creative activities. Some artists have held solo exhibitions, while others have seen their unique, impromptu ...

Music | Fuji Rock 2013 Jul 25, 2013

Storify: Fuji Rock Festival 2013

The Fuji Rock Festival's pre-show matsuri kicked off tonight. Over the next three days, we'll be curating the related tweets and images coming from social media.

National Jul 15, 2013

Catholic priests mixing meditation, music of Bach to find inner peace

by Takeshi Nishide

A unique weekend session combining meditation and the music of Bach was held last month at a Catholic church in Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture. As some 20 participants listened to the German composer’s Toccata and Fugue in D minor during the first session of the ...

World Jun 28, 2013

Bands urge fans to ditch phones

There are few experiences that compare to the life-affirming thrill of a live music event, knowing that you are one of a privileged few being treated to a display of raw artistic skill and power. But just as the atmosphere reaches fever pitch, a ...

Science & Health | Focus Jun 26, 2013

Drumming helps those with dementia reconnect

by Tara Bahrampour

Standing in a room full of lined faces, Alan Yellowitz held up an orange drum shaped like a wineglass. “This one’s called a djembe,” he said. “It’s from Ghana.” The 30 or so people watching him had, combined, amassed hundreds of years of living, ...

Entertainment Jun 24, 2013

Gaza singer wins 'Arab Idol' show, is named U.N., Palestinian envoy

Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf on Saturday won a pan-Arab singing contest that has had millions of viewers glued to their TV screens since March, sparking celebrations in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. As Palestinians took to the streets to celebrate Assaf’s “Arab Idol” ...