Michelle Mercer

This Oklahoma City venue is showcasing the role of protest music in the Trump era, and how songwriting can also bridge the political divide.

In the 1970s, Fitzgerald became the face (and glass-shattering voice) of Memorex tapes. It fueled a career revival that extended her relevance and positioned her to pass the torch to a new generation.

Mendonça, one of Brazil's most popular pop stars, is solidifying her reputation as the face of a new genre: "feminejo," which is injecting a female perspective into the region's pop-country music.

Saxophonist and composer Greg Ward's Stomping Off From Greenwood is a love letter to the city where he came of age as a musician.