Topic: Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky

Top Picks: Washington, D.C.'s Fourth of July celebrations, National Geographic's documentary on a group of US Marines, and more

Deborah Madison's book 'Vegetable Literacy' gives you recipes for your farmers' market purchases, pieces by the Emerson String Quartet show why the group is one of the world's best, and more top picks.

Top Picks: The family cooking magazine Chop Chop, Dean Jones' new indie album for kids, and more

Singer/songwriter Roger Day performs a concert in the wetlands, 'My Lucky Elephant' follows a young Thai boy and his pachyderm best friend, and more top picks.

Van Cliburn: A piano virtuoso who transcended Cold War (+video)

Van Cliburn passed away Wednesday at his Texas home. Van Cliburn, a Grammy award-winning classical pianist, was a star in both the US and Russia.

Top Picks: Understanding Art: Impressionism on DVD, an app that hails a taxi, and more

Singer/songwriter Sean Rowe's debut album has riveting vocals and interesting stories, 'The Avengers' is available for home viewing, and more top picks.

Thirty ideas from people under 30: The Artisans

They are explorers and activists, artists and educators, farmers and faith leaders – even mayors. And they have trenchant suggestions on how to improve the world.

The best films of 2011

Monitor film critic, Peter Rainer, remembers the hundreds of movies he watched in 2011, and highlights his favorites ... and some he thought were overrated.
12/24/2011 06:34 pm

10 best movies of 2011

From young love to a documentary on capital punishment, here are the 10 movies that wowed Monitor film critic Peter Rainer at the multiplex this year
12/21/2011 04:04 pm

Top Picks: The return of Bob Seger, New York City Ballet's Nutcracker, and more

A Reelz miniseries ponders if a woman ever became Pope, the band Crooked Still wins over listeners with a rich folk sound, James Lee Burke's new novel mixes violence and wonder, and more top picks.
12/12/2011 09:00 am

Washington holiday season begins with arrival of White House Christmas tree

The Washington holiday season had a festive start Friday when First Lady Michelle Obama presided over the arrival of the White House Christmas tree – a balsam fir from Wisconsin.
11/25/2011 01:25 pm

In Pictures Fourth of July traditions

Culture Cafe Benjamin Zander and the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra are a lesson in dedication

The New England Conservatory's Youth Philharmonic Orchestra, led by renowned conductor Benjamin Zander, find that dedication and hard work make a world of difference. Starting June 14, the Youth Philharmonic Orchestra is going on tour to Austria, the Czech Republic, and Slovakia to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Gustav Mahler’s death
06/17/2011 02:07 pm

Culture Cafe Classical music festivals offer sumptuous summer entertainment

This year, the lineups for the standout classical music festivals around the country and the world are an exiting treat for classical enthusiasts. From California to New York to Salzburg, conductors like Esa-Pekka Salonen, Lorin Maazel, and Alan Gilbert will lead ensembles such as the Vienna Philharmonic, Boston Symphony, and the New York Philharmonic. 
06/09/2011 12:45 pm

Culture Cafe Sounding together at the Spring for Music festival

The now-annual Spring for Music festival is a place for orchestras to showcase their talent and inventiveness and was held at Carnegie Hall.
05/23/2011 05:30 pm

Top Picks: A tribute to Bob Marley, a Tchaikovsky concert, Aaron Neville's new album, and more

A 'Playing for Change' mashup of Bob Marley's 'Redemption Song,' a live broadcast of the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Tchaikovsky concert, Aaron Neville's latest gospel album, and more recommendations.
03/04/2011 04:36 pm

Of Gods and Men: movie review

In ‘Of Gods and Men,’ eight French monks living in the Algerian mountains choose humanity, not escape when faced with a chilling threat.
02/26/2011 12:10 am

Opinion Why does contemporary classical music spurn melody?

Proponents of modern symphonic music cast unhappy audiences as unenlightened. But for most listeners, music elicits emotional rather than intellectual responses. Certainly, classical music should should challenge and evoke. It just shouldn't sound like bus crashes.
02/11/2011 10:06 am

Creative idea? Kickstarter connects artists with online funding.

Kickstarter.com points online patrons toward worthy projects they didn't know existed.
12/15/2010 08:41 pm

An unexpected turn at ballet

Boston Ballet's community outreach program, CityDance, gives a talented male athlete a life in the arts.
12/14/2010 12:22 pm

Natalie Portman, a deeply dark 'Black Swan': movie review

Natalie Portman stars in a ballet film that's a 'willfully deranged quasi-horrorfest.'
12/03/2010 10:48 am

Russian protesters defy Putin warning – and meet tough response

Hundreds of young Russians protested Tuesday in support of their constitutional right of free assembly, despite Prime Minister Putin's warning against unsanctioned political rallies.
08/31/2010 05:23 pm

Steinbrenner dies on Tuesday morning; New York and baseball in mourning

Steinbrenner died early Tuesday in Tampa, Florida. The New York Yankees won seven World Series titles under the ownership of George Steinbrenner.
07/13/2010 01:51 pm

Horizons Tchaikovsky's birthday brings Swan Lake to Google

Russian composer P.I. Tchaikovsky gets a nod from Google with a ballet-themed doodle.
05/07/2010 12:21 pm

DVDs and CDs for the elementary crowd

From fairies to pandas and penguins, with a little Beethoven thrown in, these movies and music will keep children watching again and again ... and again.
12/06/2008 12:00 am

Mark Morris puts his creative twist on a 'new,' less tragic 'Romeo & Juliet'

Using the original score by Prokofiev, Juliet awakens in time for Romeo to see she's alive
07/04/2008 01:00 am

Into It: Gene Wilder

The actor and comedian reveals what he's reading, watching, and listening to – and why he wouldn't go see 'Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.'
04/04/2008 01:00 am