Classical Music From ...TED?

Danielle de Niese at TED Global

• Artist: Danielle DeNiese
• Album: Handel Arias
• Song:

On the lighter side of things, the soprano sings a flirty "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss" from Giuditta by Franz Lehár, accompanied by Ingrid Surgenor and recorded in Edinburgh in July 2011.

Benjamin Zander On Music And Passion

• Artist: Benjamin Zander
• Album: Beethoven: Symphonies No. 5 & No. 7
• Song:

The conductor and compelling public speaker Benjamin Zander in what has become one of the classic TED talks. (I will admit a certain bias here, as I was lucky enough to attend small weekly master classes with Zander in high school — but more than 1.8 million people have watched this one.)

By the way, if you've ever wondered what the name of our blog means, check out his pithy explanation, which starts around 10'37".

Maya Beiser In 8 Forms

• Artist: Maya Beiser
• Album: Provenance
• Song:

Cellist Maya Beiser replicates herself seven times over to play Steve Reich's Cello Counterpoint, with video from Bill Morrison, and then David Lang's World to Come, with video by Irit Batsry, recorded in March 2011.

Evelyn Glennie

• Artist: Evelyn Glennie
• Album: Her Greatest Hits
• Song:

Says the marvelous (and deaf) percussionist Evelyn Glennie: "My aim really is to teach the world to listen." Recorded in February 2003.

Ethel Plays Phil Kline

• Artist: Ethel
• Album: Ethel
• Song:

A gorgeous performance of the third movement of Phil Kline's The Blue Room And Other Stories, filmed in February 2006.