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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In his book Disloyal: A Memoir, President Trump's former personal attorney catalogs a laundry list of accusations, ranging from racism and sexual misconduct to financial misdeeds. -
Federal prosecutors in New York say that Donnell Russell placed a phone call threatening gun violence in order to stop an advance screening of the Lifetime docuseries in December 2018. -
Federal prosecutors say that one of the three men offered $500,000 to keep one woman from testifying. Another allegedly burned an SUV leased by an accuser's father. -
America's biggest arts complex hasn't been able to present its regular programming due to the pandemic. Watch one of the private outdoor concerts organized for healthcare professionals and teachers.
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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. -
At a campaign rally in Dallas that featured Vice President Pence, a choir of about 100 people sang unmasked. Epidemiologists worry that singers are particularly likely to spread the coronavirus.
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The country trio has changed the band's name to The Chicks in an apparent distancing from its association with racism in the South. The move was accompanied by a new song, "March March." -
Two of New York City's biggest cultural institutions said Thursday that they will remain closed through the New Year, due to the pandemic. -
Music Teacher's 'Weekend' Project Turns Into Almost 40,000 Face ShieldsWorking 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. -
Tony Allen was one of the founders of the deep-grooved Afrobeat style — alongside his musical collaborator, Fela Kuti. The drummer died Wednesday evening in Paris of a heart attack.
