A violinist plays for her father. A singer takes requests. In hospitals and hospices, bedside performers offer a new kind of care.

This star pianist fascinatingly, and with mixed success, led a trio of 20th-century chamber concertos from the keyboard.

Riccardo Muti led the Chicago Symphony Orchestra at Carnegie Hall in a program that featured Verdi’s “Four Seasons” and Tchaikovsky.

This year’s Prototype, a showcase of experimental opera and theater, was stylistically broad but the focus was on the human voice in all its weirdness.

Kathryn Lewek has made a specialty of singing the showstopping role in Mozart’s “The Magic Flute.” “It’s my security blanket,” she said.

Our critic joined with amateur singers and professionals for a “Messiah” sing-in at David Geffen Hall, just one “Messiah” on the city’s holiday calendar.

The Silkroad Ensemble’s “American Railroad” and Alarm Will Sound’s “Sun Dogs” used music and images to engage with difficult topics.

Lucy Shelton, a soprano known for her work in the contemporary repertoire, has had a role tailor-made for her in “Lucidity,” an opera about identity...

“The Other Side of Silence,” a new work in development, is experimenting with giving operatic voice to a text-to-speech synthesizer.

The British director Carrie Cracknell’s production, opening on New Year’s Eve, resists the idea that the opera’s climactic scene is a crime of passion.