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Arts, Culture & Music

A KY program teaches Shakespeare to incarcerated men. See, hear their performance

By Giselle Rhoden, LPM

June 2, 2026

two incarcerated men facing each other and kneeling during a rehearsal of Shakespeare's "The Tempest"

Kentucky Shakespeare hosts a theater program at Luther Luckett Correctional Complex in La Grange, Kentucky. This year, incarcerated men performed “The Tempest.”

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, Criminal Justice, WPLN News Tagged With: Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, prisons, race and equity, restorative justice, Shakespeare

Béla Fleck and Renée Fleming join forces to celebrate Appalachian music on new album

By Michel Martin

May 30, 2026

NPR’s Michel Martin speaks with banjo virtuoso Béla Fleck and soprano Renée Fleming about their collaborative project and album, “The Fiddle and The Drum,” which celebrates Appalachian folk music.

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, NPR News Tagged With: Bela Fleck, Folk music, Renee Fleming

Western Kentucky’s Cinema Systers celebrates a decade as U.S.’s only all-lesbian film festival

By Derek Operle

May 29, 2026

A theater full of people for a film screening.

The only all-lesbian film festival in the U.S. is not where most people might expect. Cinema Systers – a four-day celebration of sapphic storytelling – turned 10 in Paducah over Memorial Day weekend.

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, WPLN News Tagged With: Appalachia + Mid-South Newsroom, Arts, film, lgbtq, maiden alley cinema

Nashville musician Caroline Carter turns childhood etiquette classes into noisy empathy on ‘Fetch’

By Justin Barney

May 29, 2026

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Nashville musician Caroline Carter has come a long way from a West Texas upbringing focused on Southern hospitality. Her new EP, “Fetch,” grapples with finding her own identity while being a people pleaser.

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, WPLN News Tagged With: Belmont University, Caroline Carter, Lightning 100, Nashville indie music, Nashville music

Why an apolitical worship song has become popular with conservative activists

By Bob Smietana

May 28, 2026

A Christian worship song has turned up everywhere from prayer services at the Pentagon to the Charlie Kirk memorial service. The song is apolitical, so what accounts for its use at political events?

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, NPR News, WPLN News Tagged With: Christianity, evangelical, religion

A little bit country, a little bit Desi: A Pakistani-American’s hybrid music

By Malaka Gharib

May 27, 2026

Singer-songwriter Mo Sabri loves country music — and Pakistani devotional music. His new music reflects both genres.

On May 31, Mo Sabri makes a landmark appearance with the Nashville Symphony for an orchestral rendition of his new album, “Tennessee Desi,” which blends Appalachian styles with Muslim devotional music.

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, NPR News Tagged With: country music, East Tennessee, Johnson City, Muslim, Nashville Symphony

Kesha is back with a new album and world tour

By Ayesha Rascoe, NPR

May 24, 2026

View of the sign outside National Public Radio headquarters on July 22, 2025 in Washington, DC.

NPR’s Ayesha speaks with the pop star Kesha about her life, her afterlife, her music and her new world tour, “The Freedom Tour.”

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, NPR News Tagged With: Kesha, live music

Elevating Nashville’s R&B scene is a collective effort | Key Changes

By Jewly Hight

May 18, 2026

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The rising R&B scene here in Nashville is advancing through the collaborative dynamic they’re cultivating and the type of music they’re making.

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, Key Changes, WPLN News Tagged With: Arlana, Jill Scott, Kyleigh, Nashville R&B, neo-soul, R&B, Shelldhn, Summer Joy, W.O. Smith Music School

Ella Langley dominates the ACM Awards and Cody Johnson wins entertainer of the year

By Maria Sherman, AP

May 18, 2026

Cody Johnson won the top prize of entertainer of the year at the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards, but it was Ella Langley’s show from the start.

Filed Under: Arts, Culture & Music, WPLN News Tagged With: ACM Awards, Cody Johnson, country music, Ella Langley, Shania Twain

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