Anastasia Tsioulcas
Anastasia Tsioulcas is a correspondent on NPR's Culture desk. She is intensely interested in the arts at the intersection of culture, politics, economics and identity -- whether that's in music, art, food, literature, on stage, or on a screen. Recently, she has extensively covered high-profile legal cases for the network, including covering the trials of hip-hop tycoon Sean Combs, movie mogul Harvey Weinstein and R&B superstar R. Kelly as well as Britney Spears' conservatorship. She has also uncovered backstage tumult and alleged secret deals in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against megastar singer Plácido Domingo and reported on gender inequity issues in the music industry.
On happier days, Tsioulcas has journeyed to northern Portugal to document the rebuilding of a famed Afghan music school in exodus, cooked in the kitchen of a South Carolina Gullah Geechee matriarch, traveled to Havana to profile Cuban 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.
She was also the inaugural recipient of the Knight-Wallace Arts Journalism Fellowship, and spent the 2024-25 academic year researching and teaching at the University of Michigan. Tsioulcas currently serves as a critic at The New York Times, where she writes about classical music. She is also a former longtime judge and voting member for the Grammy Awards, where she holds credits as a record producer and album notes writer.
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 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 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 curated and 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.
Prior to joining NPR in 2011, she was widely published as a writer and critic on classical music, jazz and global 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.
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In 1972, the Polaroid SX-70, made in collaboration with a famous industrial designer named Henry Dreyfuss, was a revelation. The object is on view at the Cooper Hewitt Smithsonian museum of design in New York City.
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In the 1970s, many households rented their telephones. As part of a campaign to convince people to buy them, one phone company created the Sculptura. It's now on display in New York City.
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In a House DOGE subcommittee hearing, GOP representatives excoriated the director of the National Museum of American History, following a White House report earlier this month that also criticized her. -
The 11-minute extravaganza during Sunday's final game featured Justin Bieber, Madonna, Shakira, Burna Boy, Gustavo Dudamel and Coldplay. We have the post-show analysis.
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With President Trump in attendance, an all-superstar lineup that included Madonna, BTS, Justin Bieber and Burna Boy felt a little more political than it might have otherwise. -
The show, which will begin somewhere around 3:45 PM ET, will air in the U.S. on Fox, Fox One and in Spanish on Telemundo, as well as on the Fox Sports app and streaming in Spanish on Peacock. It's expected to run for about 11 minutes. -
Artists create, even during times of chaos. In response to Trump policies and ICE's incursions, arts organizations are leaning in to new ways of fostering community in ways large and small. -
Actor Sam Neill died Monday at the age of 78. He had a wide-ranging career over some 50 years — but is perhaps most well-known for his role as Dr. Alan Grant in the Jurassic Park franchise.
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The Trump administration's executive orders have meant that administrators are questioning what art can — and can't — be seen on campus. -
The memo from the Smithsonian's secretary, Lonnie Bunch, responded to a White House report that calls the National Museum of American History driven by "a radical, activist ideology."
