Arts

The 2015 Kennedy Center Honors Honorees, including conductor Seiji Ozawa, stand on stage during a reception for them in the East Room of the White House, Dec. 6, 2015.

Renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa is remembered as 'graceful,' 'supernaturally' gifted

Seiji Ozawa, who led the Boston Symphony Orchestra (BSO) for nearly three decades, died this week in his home country of Japan. The World speaks to Brian McCreath, who broadcasts the Boston Symphony Orchestra on WCRB in Boston, about Ozawa's life and legacy.

Renowned conductor Seiji Ozawa is remembered as 'graceful,' 'supernaturally' gifted
Florida is home to the largest Haitian community in the US with more than 300,000 people of Haitian ancestry.

Miami’s Little Haiti: What is lost when a community is displaced?

Miami’s Little Haiti: What is lost when a community is displaced?
musicians onstage

International Guitar Night shows off diverse styles and sounds from across the globe

International Guitar Night shows off diverse styles and sounds from across the globe
Haiti's annual PapJazz Festival brings together local and international audiences for rich and diverse musical experiences.

'It's an act of resistance': Haiti's jazz festival opens in Port-au-Prince despite security challenges

'It's an act of resistance': Haiti's jazz festival opens in Port-au-Prince despite security challenges
The Estonian folk music quartet 6hunesseq performs during Tallinn Music Week. From left to right, Marion Selgall, Greta Liisa Grünberg, Maria Mänd and Kaisa Kuslapuu.

All-women Estonian quartet brings ancient folk music to the forefront

All-women Estonian quartet brings ancient folk music to the forefront
Projected blue and red stripes over white cliffs

The humble origins of the ubiquitous ‘climate stripes’

When Ellie Highwood was crocheting a blanket as a baby gift in 2017, she wanted to make something that would mean something to the baby's climate-scientist parents. She ended up making a "global warming blanket." And she never could have guessed the impact that the blanket would have.

The humble origins of the ubiquitous ‘climate stripes’
A 9th-century recipe from a 10th-century cookbook from Baghdad, updated for the modern diner by renowned chef, cookbook author and restaurateur Najmieh Batmanglij.

‘Dining with the Sultan’: A unique exhibit explores the fine art of feasting in historic Islamic lands

A new exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art takes visitors on a journey to explore food and art through the Middle East and beyond. It includes recipes by an Iranian American chef dating back to 10th-century Baghdad and artwork influenced by different cultures.

‘Dining with the Sultan’: A unique exhibit explores the fine art of feasting in historic Islamic lands
In front of a floor-to-ceiling glass door in the living room of Najannguac Dalgård Christensen, necklaces with amulets carved out of bone and seal claws dangle from a coat hanger.

Healing old wounds: The revival of Greenlandic Inuit tattoos in Denmark

Greenland’s Indigenous peoples once wore bold face tattoos that carried deep spiritual and cultural significance. But during the centuries of Denmark's colonial rule, the Inuit tradition of getting face and hand tattoos disappeared. One Inuk tattoo artist is now reviving a piece of Inuit heritage for community members living in Denmark.

Healing old wounds: The revival of Greenlandic Inuit tattoos in Denmark
Clarissa Bitar plays the oud, a classic string instrument.

How the oud brought this Palestinian American musician closer to their culture, family and history

For Palestinians in the diaspora, staying connected to their ancestral home and making sense of the politics in the region has long been a challenge. Meklit Hadero, host of “Movement,” a series on music and migration, spoke with Clarissa Bitar, a Palestinian American who found that a musical instrument could bridge history and great distance.

How the oud brought this Palestinian American musician closer to their culture, family and history
The cast of “Journey to the Rainbow” from Germany’s Circus-Theater Roncalli.

German circus meets the Big Apple

New York’s Big Apple Circus is collaborating with a famed German circus this year, giving the annual show a distinctly European flair. Jeff Lunden reports on the mind-boggling juggling, the clowns and the poetry.

German circus meets the Big Apple
People gather during the Kanua film festival in Ecuador.

Film festival makes its way through Ecuador's Amazon by boat

For the past few weeks, a floating film festival has been plying the waters of Ecuador's Amazon region. The films are transported aboard a solar-powered boat. It stops in Indigenous communities along the rivers, sets up a projector, and shows films by and about Indigenous people around the globe.

Film festival makes its way through Ecuador's Amazon by boat
Black and white photo of a Cuban tres instrument

The first Cuban tres players at Berklee

The national instrument of Cuba, the tres is gaining some attention in the US. For the very first time, Berklee College of Music in Boston admitted two students of Cuban tres this year.

The first Cuban tres players at Berklee
musical group in field

Spanish musician María José Llergo turns roots into wings with ‘Ultrabelleza’

​​​​​​​The Spanish artist María José Llergo has just released her first full-length album, called “Ultrabelleza.” Her voice carries the legacy of flamenco, the traditional music of her homeland, but on this new record, her roots have turned into wings, allowing her to explore other genres.

Spanish musician María José Llergo turns roots into wings with ‘Ultrabelleza’
Zimbabwe's unique stone sculptures grace museums, gardens, and art lovers' homes worldwide.

Zimbabwe's stone sculptors struggle to keep carving

International art collectors purchased many of Zimbabwe's massive stone carvings. But buyers stopped coming in 2000 after conflict over land reform policies led to violence. Some sculptors are still trying to keep their art alive.

Zimbabwe's stone sculptors struggle to keep carving
C. Tangana YouTube screenshot.

This Spanish hip-hop star is stepping into global music

Ever heard of Celtic Trap? It’s not exactly a thing yet, but it might be soon thanks to C. Tangana in the mix.

This Spanish hip-hop star is stepping into global music