TED Talks Music

by TED

Some of the world's greatest musicians and researchers showcase the power and science of music onstage at the TED conference, TEDx events and partner events around the world. You can also download these and many other videos free on TED.com, with an interactive English transcript and subtitles in up to 80 languages. TED is a nonprofit devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading.

Episodes

Building US-China relations ... by banjo | Abigail Washburn

6m · Published 13 Apr 15:02

Abigail Washburn wanted to be a lawyer improving US-China relations -- until she picked up a banjo. The TED Fellow tells a moving story of the connections she's formed touring across the US and China while playing that banjo and singing in Chinese.

"Family Tree" | Inara George

3m · Published 14 Feb 22:43

Singer Inara George and guitarist Mike Andrews play the quietly lovely love song "Family Tree."

The beautiful math behind the world's ugliest music | Scott Rickard

9m · Published 20 Jan 16:41

Scott Rickard set out to engineer the ugliest possible piece of music, devoid of repetition, using a mathematical concept known as the Costas Array. In this surprisingly entertaining talk, he shares the math behind musical beauty ... and its opposite.

The debut of the British Paraorchestra | Charles Hazlewood + British Paraorchestra

13m · Published 15 Jan 15:24

There are millions of prodigiously gifted musicians of disability around the world, and Charles Hazlewood is determined to give them a platform. Watch the debut performance of the British Paraorchestra.

"Women of Hope" | Morley

5m · Published 13 Jan 16:11

Inspired by Aung San Suu Kyi's call to action, "If you're feeling helpless, help someone," Morley composed this song. She sings it at TEDxWomen in her gorgeous, warm voice.

There are no mistakes on the bandstand | Stefon Harris

13m · Published 09 Dec 16:13

What is a mistake? By talking through examples with his improvisational jazz quartet, Stefon Harris walks us to a profound truth: many actions are perceived as mistakes only because we don't react to them appropriately.

Trusting the ensemble | Charles Hazlewood

19m · Published 07 Oct 15:25

Conductor Charles Hazlewood talks about the role of trust in musical leadership -- then shows how it works, as he conducts the Scottish Ensemble onstage. He also shares clips from two musical projects: the opera "U-Carmen eKhayelitsha" and the ParaOrchestra.

A flirtatious aria | Danielle de Niese

5m · Published 30 Sep 14:50

Can opera be ever-so-slightly sexy? The glorious soprano Danielle de Niese shows how, singing the flirty "Meine Lippen, sie küssen so heiss." Which, translated, means, as you might guess: "I kiss so hot." From Giuditta by Frans Lehár; accompanist: Ingrid Surgenor.

A cello with many voices | Maya Beiser

20m · Published 17 Jun 16:23

Cellist Maya Beiser plays a gorgeous eight-part modern etude with seven copies of herself, and segues into a meditative music/video hybrid -- using tech to create endless possibilities for transformative sound. Music is Steve Reich's "Cello Counterpoint," with video from Bill Morrison, then David Lang's "World to Come," with video by Irit Batsry.

This is beatjazz | Onyx Ashanti

6m · Published 17 Jun 16:18

Musician and inventor Onyx Ashanti demonstrates "beatjazz" -- his music created with two handheld controllers, an iPhone and a mouthpiece, and played with the entire body. At TED's Full Spectrum Auditions, after locking in his beats and loops, he plays a 3-minute song that shares his vision for the future of music.

TED Talks Music has 103 episodes in total of non- explicit content. Total playtime is 20:13:14. The language of the podcast is English. This podcast has been added on April 21st 2024. It might contain more episodes than the ones shown here. It was last updated on May 19th, 2024 17:42.