On June 24, Terry Riley turned 90. It was a momentous occasion for American music that got little attention in the U.S. But Sunday night at the Ford, Bang on a Can All-Stars will pay tribute in a ...

Minimalism. For non-musicians right now, the word calls to mind the gospel of decluttering, capsule wardrobes, or bland home designs involving beige color palettes and coffee table books no one ...

Much like jazz, the origin story of minimalism is messy and hard to pin down to a date. And like jazz, definitions of minimalism can be rather slippery or downright contentious. Such challenges, ...

Curious about minimalism in music? Not every good song has to be an enormous, elaborate work of art. Sometimes, the real power of a song lies in its most stripped-down elements. Peter Gabriel isn’t ...

This fall’s classical music calendar teems with 21st century music inspired by today’s political and spiritual concerts, written by composers from far beyond the usual Central European haunts — ...

Inspiration can spark in the most mundane circumstances. In 1964, a young composer named Terry Riley was on his way to work — playing ragtime piano at San Francisco’s Gold Street Saloon — when he had ...

“So it’s open air? And it’s an electronic music festival?” queries an incredulous Terry Riley, regarding the Detroit Electronic Music Festival. The father of minimalism speaks by phone from his Sri ...

Today, the Spotlight shines On Kerry O'Brien and William Robin, co-authors of the book On Minimalism: Documenting a Musical Movement (University of California Press).Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Terry ...

In the latest installment of A.Z. Madonna’s “Press Play” column, she highlights minimalist music that makes a maximal impression. Read the full column, and listen to Madonna’s companion playlist here: ...