WRTI Picks from NPR Music

As a fledgling classical soprano in New York, Norman went to hear singers like Mabel Mercer perform. She tells WBGO's Rhonda Hamilton that her study of jazz vocalists influenced the way she interprets songs — including operatic arias.

The New York City Opera, nicknamed the "people's opera" by Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia when it was founded 70 years ago, has always been a low-cost alternative to the more upscale Metropolitan Opera. The company may have to cancel its upcoming season if fundraising falls short.

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

Mesmerized by the Caruso records he heard on the streets of lower Manhattan as a poor kid, Richard Tucker took to singing and never looked back. New York honors its native son with arias and corned beef.

The late author and cultural theorist's career was dedicated to proving that American culture wasn't black and white, but both at once. In doing so, he called upon jazz as his chief example, devising many of the ways the music is now commonly perceived.

A blogger charges that management at the Minneapolis-based symphony may have attempted to undercut pro-labor organizing efforts — several months before talks between the musicians and the administration failed. The orchestra association says that they were just doing their job.

Evans can be a heavy hitter at the keyboard, but on his new album, he reins himself in a bit.

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

In the cloistered world of classical music recordings, there is great interest in choral music by Catholic nuns these days. On Mater Eucharistiae, the Dominican Sisters of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist, are "able to bring other people into that space of prayer when we're singing."

An American singer began her long career as a soprano in her home country, then thrived as a mezzo in Europe. She also directed opera and documentary film, working with both her husband and son. She died in her native New York.