On Stage

NPR

Lara Downes: Tiny Desk Concert

Most Tiny Desk artists roll into our office space with a suitcase or two because they're on tour. But when pianist Lara Downes arrived for this springtime performance, she unpacked an entire suitcase stuffed with imitation flowers, ivy and butterflies. Our job? Decorate the piano.

Classical California

Lara Downes and John McWhorter: An Evening with Scott Joplin

Classical California Resident artist Lara Downes is joined by author and cultural commentator John McWhorter for an intimate evening of music and conversation about Scott Joplin’s story and legacy, his opera Treemonisha, a century of progress, and the contradictions that shape our American life. Together, they revisit the lineage of Black music in America as Downes weaves the musical journey through Joplin’s powerful music.

Classical California

Lara Downes and Daniel Hope: An Exploration of the American Sound

Lara and Daniel explore their shared passion for celebrating the sounds and stories that helped to distinguish American music through the contributions of immigrant composers, especially via the exodus of Jewish composers who fled Hitler’s Europe and created the iconic film soundtracks of Hollywood’s Golden Age.

Front Row Boston

Lara Downes — Live at Fraser

Among the foremost American pianists of her generation, Lara Downes, performs live at WGBH’s Fraser Performance studio. Her 2017 intimate centennial tribute to Leonard Bernstein “For Lenny” was awarded the 2017 Classical Recording Foundation Award and debuted in the Billboard Top 20. Lara talks about the inspiration behind her groundbreaking album and performs a number of notable tracks from the album.