Arts & Culture

On Monday, the city of Detroit began a week-long celebration of the life of the late Queen of Soul, Aretha Franklin. The series of events includes tributes from famed musicians and political figures who knew Franklin well. 

August 25th, 2018 marks 100 years since the birth of composer, conductor, and great communicator of music, Leonard Bernstein. So, WKAR checked in with Leonard Slatkin, recently retired music director of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, and asked what the most important works of his friend Leonard Bernstein were. His answers went much deeper than West Side Story or Candide.

Michigan State University sociology professor Carl Taylor knew Franklin and her family as neighbors. 

As the world remembers Aretha Franklin, we uncovered a few of her ties to Michigan State University.

Aretha Franklin, the undisputed "Queen of Soul" who sang with matchless style on such classics as "Think," ''I Say a Little Prayer" and her signature song, "Respect," and stood as a cultural icon around the globe, has died at age 76 from advanced pancreatic cancer.  Music fans around the world are mourning her passing. Although not born in Michigan, she helped put our state on the musical map.

The Motown Museum in Detroit is recognizing Aretha Franklin’s importance to her home town this weekend.

Chicago's Rachel Barton Pine and Jory Vinikour team up to record Sonatas by Johann Sebastian Bach and it has been chosen as the 90.5 Classical New Release of the Month for August, 2018.

Throughout August, the classical music world will be celebrating a century since the birth of Leonard Bernstein. In the upcoming 2018-19 Jackson Symphony Orchestra season, rather than a concert dedicated to Lenny, music director Dr. Matthew Aubin had a grander question to answer.

Summer will be over before we know it and the Lansing Symphony Orchestra has a season of goodies starting in the fall. Maestro Timothy Muffitt sat down with Jamie Paisley to talk about them.

For the next 3 weeks, royalty arrives in East Lansing: Disney’s The Lion King ascends to the throne at the Wharton Center, where it's nice to get the first word in. For The Lion King, South African actress Mukelisiwe Goba gets to use her original language, Zulu, to announce that the Lion is on its way.

The Michigan Shakespeare Festival is back for its annual six-week run. As always, the first three weeks are staged at Jackson College.

The Wharton Center in East Lansing is making way for the King this week… “The Lion King,” that is, the final show of their 2017-18 season. Disney’s Broadway classic also helps the Wharton Center prepare for some summertime improvements, as WKAR’s Jamie Paisley learned.

Ecstatic Songs is the new release from Mirabai Women's Choir led by MSU's Sandra Snow. Dr. Snow assembled the group of MSU women alumnae in their premiere recording. It's WKAR's July feature.