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For saxophonist Dayna Stephens, serenity has been a key to dealing with a rare kidney disease. It's filtered into his playing and composing, which is on the upswing despite health challenges that drain hours from his days and thousands of dollars a week from his limited budget.

Conductor JoAnn Falletta, one of the strongest champions of American symphonic music, asks: Does a great American symphony even have to be a symphony?

Jazz has become a point of pride for Americans: a homegrown art form forged from folk traditions. Still, the black jazz pioneers who lived through eras of discrimination have a complicated sense of pride in the U.S. Hear five improvised takes on American patriotic songs, from the reverent to the ironic.

If we can argue over the great American novel, what about the great American symphony? Join our exploration of the American symphony, who writes the best ones these days and who wants to hear them?

As rich as Anat Cohen's work is, Avishai Cohen's Triveni trio is spare. Born and raised in Tel Aviv, the siblings perform together and apart at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Kennedy Center.

The violinist joins host Michael Feinstein to play Fats Waller's "Ain't Misbehavin'" and more.

Fridays are funnier with a cartoon at noon from Deceptive Cadence.

The president and CEO of the Aspen Music Festival, Alan Fletcher, delivers some trenchant words about the state of the classical music world today — and offers some hard-earned wisdom about how to navigate the us-versus-them mindset that pits musicians against boards.

Ron Carter has set the standard for modern jazz bass players. He rose to fame with Miles Davis, but went on to play with Stan Getz and Thelonious Monk. His recording work spans 2,000 albums, and he's had equally successful careers as a bandleader, composer and educator. Hear the bassist in a session on Piano Jazz.

Virginia's No BS! Brass Band taps into, and ultimately expands, the brass-band tradition. Whether kicking it with funk or clearing room for a screeching free-jazz solo, the group redefines what large brass ensembles can do.