Opera and Democracy
Martha C. Nussbaum, distinguished service professor of law and philosophy at the University of Chicago and the author of The Republic of Love: Opera & Political Freedom (https://global.ou…
Martha C. Nussbaum, distinguished service professor of law and philosophy at the University of Chicago and the author of The Republic of Love: Opera & Political Freedom (https://global.ou…
Composer Gabriela Ortiz joins Manny to talk about her grandfather's surprising connection to Mahler, her own compositional process, and her enduring love for works by Debussy and Stravinsky.…
In the new play "Cold War Choir Practice (https://mcctheater.org/tix/cold-war-choir-practice/) ," a young girl finds herself spending time with her conservative Black uncle, who is into Reag…
In the new movie "Group: The Schopenhauer Effect (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=93-d2lHPppw) ," actors improvise their way through a fictional group therapy session led by real-life psycho…
In the new revival of the 1989 play "Tru (https://truplaynyc.com/) ," Jesse Tyler Ferguson stars as famed writer Truman Capote grappling with a social scandal that has left him cut out from …
Three of our favorite segments from the week, in case you missed them. Christiane Amanpour on the War With Iran (First) | A $30 Hourly Minimum for NYC? (Starts at 33:07) | Oscar Talk: …
Ahead of St. Patrick's Day, the local Pogues-inspired cover band Dark Streets perform live in our studios, with WNYC engineer Jason Isaac on the drums. Guitarist Nate Palan and bassist…
Angela Flournoy's novel The Wilderness (https://bookshop.org/p/books/the-wilderness-a-novel-angela-flournoy/7d93440f3cc3ee98) follows a group of four friends as they navigate young adulthoo…
[REBROADCAST FROM January 14, 2026] The meditative drama "Train Dreams" follows a logger in the Northwest at the turn of the century dealing with loss and a quickly changing industrial lands…
Kate Tellers, storyteller, host and director of MothWorks, talks about The Moth's upcoming event with the theme "what are we fighting for?" Photo: Matthew Mercier takes part in The Mo…
Composer and pianist Marc-André Hamelin joins Manny to talk about growing up with a musical father, the mechanics of piano playing, and the influences behind his prolific performing and rec…
[REBROADCAST FROM December 5, 2025] Director and writer Chloé Zhao discusses her film "Hamnet," an adaptation of the bestselling novel by Maggie O'Farrell. The film tells the story of Willi…
"Antigone" is a classic play many students read in high school or college. Playwright Anna Ziegler has written a new play inspired by her experience reading "Antigone" growing up, "Antigone …
[REBROADCAST FROM Nov. 10, 2025] The new film "Sentimental Value" stars Renate Reinsve as Nora, a stage actor and the child of a famous and celebrated director, played by (Stellan SkarsgÅ
The new play 'Monsters (https://www.manhattantheatreclub.com/shows/2025-26-season/the-monsters/) ,' from Manhattan Theater Club, follows a sister looking for mentorship from her estranged…
The late 19th and early 20th centuries were a special time for magic in New York, coinciding with the rise of vaudevilles, circuses, and mainstream theaters, as well as innovations in publis…
This year is the centennial birthday of the late Tony Bennett, who passed away at the age of 96 in 2023. Guitarist and vocalist John Pizzarelli has recorded a tribute album of Bennett's musi…
Heidi Sabertooth, a NYC-based singer, multi-instrumentalist, DJ, producer and co-founder of Synth Library NYC (https://synthlibrarynyc.org/) , talks about electronic music and the library wh…
The Mexican singer-songwriter Humbe broke through with his hit song "fantasmas (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e2c8NkNY41U) ," and is making waves in the world of Spanish language music. He…
Screenwriter Robert Kaplow spent years working on "Blue Moon (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qo7gRHip0lI) ," the new movie that follows lyricist Lorenz Hart on the opening night of "Oklahom…
Patricia Nicholson Parker, executive director of Arts for Art (https://www.artsforart.org/) , talks about her group, which calls itself "a NYC-based non-profit founded in 1996 focused on pro…
Superstar pianist Yuja Wang joins Manny Ax to talk about bad pianos, encores, what influences her musical interpretations, and her love for Prokofiev. In our Newly Dead game, Yuja puts her k…
Lincoln Center's American Songbook series (https://www.lincolncenter.org/series/american-songbook) kicks off March 18. Creative director Clint Ramos discusses the series, along with the Ton…
The Power Broker by Robert Caro is one of the defining New York books. Comedian Sam Rogal, who claims he read the book "before it was cool," has created a show that finds the humor in Robert…
Musicians Neel Murgai and Roshni Samlal, artistic directors of Brooklyn Raga Massive (https://www.brooklynragamassive.org/) , talk about their group, which they say is a "nonprofit musicians…