Anastasia Tsioulcas
Anastasia Tsioulcas is a reporter on NPR's Arts desk. She is intensely interested in the arts at the intersection of culture, politics, economics and identity, and primarily reports on music. Recently, she has extensively covered gender issues and #MeToo in the music industry, including backstage tumult and alleged secret deals in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against megastar singer Plácido Domingo; gender inequity issues at the Grammy Awards and the myriad accusations of sexual misconduct against singer R. Kelly.
On happier days, Tsioulcas has celebrated the life of the late Aretha Franklin, traveled to Havana to profile musicians and dancers, revealed the hidden artistry of an Indian virtuoso who spent 60 years in her apartment and brought listeners into the creative process of composers Steve Reich and Terry Riley.
Tsioulcas was formerly a reporter and producer for NPR Music, where she covered breaking news in the music industry as well as a wide range of musical genres and artists. She has also produced episodes for NPR Music's much-lauded Tiny Desk concert series, and has hosted live concerts from venues like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge. She also commissioned and produced several world premieres on behalf of NPR Music, including a live event that brought together 350 musicians to debut a new work together. As a video producer, she created high-profile video shorts for NPR Music, including performances by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a Brooklyn theatrical props warehouse and pianist Yuja Wang in an icy-cold Steinway & Sons piano factory.
Tsioulcas has also reported from north and west Africa, south Asia, and across Europe for NPR and other outlets. Prior to joining NPR in 2011, she was widely published as a writer and critic on both classical and world music, and was the North America editor for Gramophone Magazine and the classical music columnist for Billboard.
Born in Boston and based in New York, Tsioulcas is a lapsed classical violinist and violist (shoutout to all the overlooked violists!). She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a B.A. in comparative religion.
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The actors and their supporters say that the union is dropping nearly 12,000 people — many over the age of 65 — from its healthcare plan at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. -
Viewers worldwide are responding to a moving video of Marta C. González, a former dancer afflicted with dementia. But critics are questioning whether González is who the clip makers claim she is.
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Schools, faith and community groups as well as professional musicians are all struggling with the risks of singing. Experts present the most recent research and offer strategies to mitigate the risks.
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Working alongside dozens of other volunteers, middle school chorus teacher Jacob Ezzo has made and sent PPE to health care workers and first responders from New Jersey to the Navajo Nation.
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A newly released survey of nearly 2,000 music venue owners and promoters say that they anticipate closing within the next few months unless they can secure some governmental assistance.
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Confinement can create "fertile ground for domestic violence," says the country's minister for gender quality. France is also creating support sites for women at supermarkets and pharmacies.
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The East Meadow in Central Park and a training facility at the Billie Jean King Tennis Center in Queens are scheduled to become makeshift hospitals while regular facilities are strained by COVID-19.
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The hospitals — including Massachusetts General Hospital, Beth Israel Deaconess, Brigham and Women's, and Tufts — say that a combined 345 employees have tested positive for COVID-19.
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Arts and cultural events and institutions across the country are announcing cancellations and closures, including SXSW in Austin, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Metropolitan Opera in New York.
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"We are devastated to share this news with you," organizers said. " 'The show must go on' is in our DNA, and this is the first time in 34 years that the March event will not take place."
