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NPR Music Interviews and Profiles

• Duke Ellington: The Composer, Pt. 1
  Duke Ellington composed some of the most enduring music of the 20th century, producing more than one thousand lasting works. With groundbreaking hits such as "Sophisticated Lady" and "Mood Indigo," Ellington vividly communicated universal ideas, while inventing musical concepts that helped elevate jazz to a sophisticated art form.
• Country Music Finds New Star In Darius Rucker
  Darius Rucker is country music's shining new star. The former frontman for the 1990s pop group Hootie & the Blowfish has become the first black artist to have a Top 10 country music hit since Charley Pride. He talks with Farai Chideya and performs three of his new songs.
• Country Music Finds New Star In Darius Rucker
  Darius Rucker is country music's shining new star. The former frontman for the 1990s pop group Hootie & the Blowfish has become the first black artist to have a top 10 country music hit since Charley Pride. He talks with Farai Chideya and performs three of his new songs.
• Burmese Refugees Preserve Culture Through Music
  After coming to the U.S., many Burmese refugees try to preserve their culture and music with traditional instruments and dance. Most of these musicians have not seen their homeland in 20 years, while the younger ones were born in the camps, citizens of no country.
• Soweto Gospel Choir Inspiring New Audiences
  The inspirational sounds of the Soweto Gospel Choir are unmistakable. The 26-member ensemble blends tribal African gospel music with traditional Western gospel sounds. Farai Chideya learns more about the group's 49-city, North American tour.
• The Cajun Swamp Fire Of Feufollet
  Feufollet is one of several young Cajun bands trying to preserve tradition, add its own sounds and reach a new generation. The group has been doing that for a decade, even though most of its members are still in college.
• Ben Folds Finds A 'Way To Normal'
  American singer-songwriter Ben Folds recently released a new album. Titled Way to Normal, the disc showcases one of the former Ben Folds Five frontman's most notable talents: writing songs about breakups.
• Ljova: Giving The Viola A Chance
  Ljova is wired like an independent musician, in spite of his old-school instrument. He Skypes. He blogs. He posts music on Facebook and YouTube. And he composes by playing his viola into the computer, overdubbing and improvising the parts as he goes.
• A Composer At The Edge Of Sound
  Tod Machover's goal is to put music into the hands of people who want to play it — or at least imagine it. He and his team at MIT helped to create Guitar Hero, and one of his latest projects helps people with disabilities write and perform music.
• IRCAM: The Quiet House Of Sound
  A mecca for classical composers looking for ways to bridge music and technology, IRCAM in Paris has been an incubator for some of the most compelling developments in contemporary classical music and acoustics of the past three decades.