John Mark Rafacz, Town&Gown

Maria Schneider, who NPR describes as “a national treasure,” calls her own shots. That and her immeasurable talent have helped her and the orchestra she guides to earn five Grammy Awards in three genres (jazz, classical, and rock), 12 Grammy nominations, and the acclaim of critics and music lovers. She added two Grammys this…

Revered in the hip-hop world as a master turntablist, Paul D. Miller — better known by his stage name DJ Spooky — is a sonic artist who hears music in everything from visual forms and economic theory to the great outdoors. In Arctic Rhythms, which comes to the Center for the Performing Arts at…

Patty Griffin, Sara Watkins, and Anaïs Mitchell are coming to Penn State for a celebration of American songwriting and performance. Their March 16 concert at Eisenhower Auditorium, part of the Use Your Voice Tour 2016, finds the artists sharing songs and accompanying one another. The tour, visiting almost 40 cities, doubles as a voter-engagement…

Billy Childs received a 2015 Grammy nomination for Best Jazz Vocal Album for his Map to the Treasure: Reimagining Laura Nyro. The pianist and composer, who’s earned three Grammys and a Guggenheim Fellowship, makes his Center for the Performing Arts at Penn State debut February 5 in a Schwab Auditorium concert featuring music from the…