Guitarist Sonia De Los Santos hails from Mexico, where as a child she was exposed to different musical influences. In Auguste Renoir’s “Young Spanish Woman with a Guitar,” De Los Santos sees echoes of her younger self. Her song “Sueña” is an ode to dreams. Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels? National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS National Gallery of Art | Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks

Maria Schneider composed “Bulería, Soleá y Rumba” in the wake of a cancer diagnosis. Inspired by American artists such as Robert Henri and George Bellows, Schneider discusses “art for life’s sake” that tells a story of people—like the evocative figures in Bellows’s The Lone Tenement. Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels? National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS National Gallery of Art | Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks

This work reminds jazz trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis of the proud, hard-working generations that raised him. A history of struggle may suggest the minor key, but Marsalis ultimately chose upbeat music to celebrate those who fought and made it work. Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels? National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS National Gallery of Art | Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks

Musician Daniel Ho spent much of his childhood on the water, so he relates to Thomas Cole’s river paintings. Ho responds to Voyage of Life with an original suite. Starting with simple harmonies to represent childhood, he gradually introduces complexity. Find full transcript and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/daniel-ho-thomas-cole-voyage-life-series.html Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels? National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS National Gallery of Art | Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks

In “Sand Dipper,” jazz violinist Jenny Scheinman creates an abstract and overwhelming world. This music, Scheinman says, sounds how El Greco’s painting looks. And it feels like the question on Laocoön’s face as he looks up for the last time. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/jenny-scheinman-el-greco-laocoon.html. Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels? National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS National Gallery of Art | Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks

Orphée depicts many tragedies, but songwriter Dom Flemons finds the joy in it: it resolves in the beautiful scene of two lovers embracing. Flemons pairs it with the tranquil “Blue Butterfly.” The instrumental song helps the emotional weight sink in. Still haven’t subscribed to our YouTube channels? National Gallery of Art ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtUS National Gallery of Art | Talks ►►https://www.youtube.com/NationalGalleryofArtTalks

In this photograph, journalist and musician Celeste Headlee hears “Lenox Avenue,” a suite her grandfather William Grant Still named after Harlem’s main street. This portrait captures the pride of Black Americans achieving success during the Harlem Renaissance despite systemic injustice. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app https://feeds.megaphone.fm/NGAT6207729686. Image credit: James Van Der Zee, Couple, Harlem, 1932, printed 1974, gelatin silver print, National Gallery of Art, Washington, Alfred H. Moses and Fern M. Schad Fund, ©1969 Van Der Zee.

Program: The Three Cs: Cage, Cowell, Crumb—Pioneers of the Avant-Garde Piano In this program you will hear the Singaporean pianist Margaret Leng Tan perform The Perilous Night (John Cage), The Tides of Manaunaun (Henry Cowell), Aeolian Harp (Henry Cowell), The Banshee (Henry Cowell), Advertisement (Henry Cowell), and Metamorphoses, Book I (George Crumb). Acclaimed by the New Yorker as a diva in the art of playing the piano, Tan herself is a major force in the American avant-garde who embraces theater, choreography, and performance in her work. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, May 7, 2017.

Composer Daniel Bernard Roumain works with performance poet Lady Caress to respond to this iconic photograph with a combination of music and poetry. In the ebb and flow of his composition, DBR hopes to capture pain, legacy, enduring hope—and the rhythm of the subject’s life.

Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/daniel-bernard-roumain-american-gothic.html.

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Composer and multi-instrumentalist Bora Yoon considers whether we carry the sounds and memories of our people within us. In her response to Nam June Paik’s video sculpture, she brings together both traditional Korean instruments and eclectic electronic music.

Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/bora-yoon-and-ommah.html.

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For classical pianist and activist Lara Downes, Romare Bearden’s collage is a puzzle full of questions and unfinished business. In response, she brings together different musical sources, overlaying sounds to create both harmony and tension.

Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/lara-downes-and-tomorrow-i-may-be-far-away.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app

Hip-hop artist Jasiri X looks at Kerry James Marshall’s woodcut almost like he’s looking into a mirror. It captures the experience of a Black man: resilient but restrained from being his authentic self. Jasiri responds to the work through two songs that reflect on his internal struggle.

Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/jasiri-x-untitled-man.html.

Composer-pianist Vijay Iyer describes the East Building as a work of art that does what music does: invites you in—to inhabit, explore, and be among others. He responds with pieces that balance pattern and structure with leaving room to wander. Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at

Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/vijay-iyer-im-pei-east-building.html. Subscribe directly to Sound Thoughts on Art from the National Gallery of Art on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, or your favorite podcast app

Composer/producer Emily Wells sees us as the buffalo: frozen before downfall, but still alive—which is why she includes so much breath in her song. Wells, whose work deals with the climate crisis, looks to David Wojnarowicz’s AIDS activism for lessons.

Find full transcripts and more information about this episode at https://www.nga.gov/music-programs/podcasts/emily-wells-david-wojnarowicz.html.

In this program you will hear the U.S. Army Chorus and Brass Quintet perform Fanfare for a Festival (Ron Nelson), “O Jesu Christ Meins Lebens Licht” (Johann Sebastian Bach), “Ain’t-a That Good News” (William Dawson), “Now Look Away” (Norman Merrifield), “Keep in the Middle of the Road” (Marshall Bartholomew), “Soon-Ah Will Be Done” (William Dawson), selections from the Marriage of Figaro (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), “Simple Gifts” (Aaron Copland), “Buccinate in neomenia tuba” (Giovanni Gabrieli), “My Spirit Be Joyful” (Johann Sebastian Bach), Second Prelude (George Gershwin), “Blue Bells of Scotland” (Arthur Pryor), “Ubi Caritas” (Ola Gjeilo), “Lux Arumque” (Eric Whitacre), “Mansions of the Lord” (Nick Glennie-Smith and Randall Wallace), “Battle Hymn of the Republic” (Julia Ward Howe), and “God Bless America” (Irving Berlin). The U.S. Army Brass Quintet has gained a reputation as one of the most highly respected and sought after groups of its kind. The ensemble has appeared before audiences and dignitaries in 48 states and 14 foreign countries. An element of the U.S. Army Band “Pershing’s Own” in Washington, DC, the U.S. Army Brass Quintet has performed at the White House, presidential inaugurations, and official state ceremonies in the nation’s capital. The chorus has participated in the presidential library dedication ceremonies for Gerald R. Ford, Ronald W. Reagan, George H. W. Bush, and George W. Bush, and performed in memorial ceremonies honoring significant events in our country’s history including at the Korean War Veterans Memorial, the National World War II Memorial, and the Pentagon 9/11 Memorial. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, March 20, 2016.

In this program you will hear the Janoska Ensemble perform “Die Fledermaus Overture a la Janoska” (Overture of the operetta Die Fledermaus); “Those Were the Days” (Dorogoi dlinnoju, Le temps des fleurs, Den langen Weg entlang) (Johann Strauss II/Boris Fomin); “Love’s Sorrow” (Fritz Kreisler/ Sergei Rachmaninoff); “Musette pour Fritz” (Homage for Fritz Kreisler) (František Janoska); “Thais Meditation” (Meditation from the opera Thaïs) (Jules Massenet); Carmen Fantasie (Georges Bizet/ Franz Waxman); “Adios Nonino” (Astor Piazzolla); “Melodie for Melody” (Roman Janoska); “Rumba for Amadeus” (Piano Concerto no. 20 in D minor, KV466, Allegro, Main Theme) (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart/František Janoska); “Tarantella vs. Niška Banja” (Introduction et Tarantella, op. 43 / Niška Banja) (Pablo de Sarasate/Serbian Traditional); and “Paganinoska” (Caprice no. 24) (Niccolo Paganini). The four musicians of the Janoska Ensemble are brothers Ondrej, Roman, and František Janoska and their brother-in-law Julius Darvas. Their vision for the modern interpretation of works—the Janoska Style—is both virtuosic and profoundly personal. United by family ties and always rooted in classical music, their repertoire ranges from popular classics to their own compositions and unique arrangements of jazz, pop, and world music. This concert was held at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, March 11, 2018.

Hosted by musician and journalist Celeste Headlee, each episode focuses on a work of art in the National Gallery’s collection. Learn about the work and its context and hear a musician respond to that work through sound, creating a dialogue between visual art and music. Sound Thoughts on Art tells the stories of how we experience art and how it connects us.

Joel Fan performs tango for piano: Vem cá, branquinha (Ernesto Nazareth), Chôros no. 5 (Heitor Villa-Lobos), Troubled Water (Margaret Bonds), La nuit du destin (Dia Succari), Sonata no. 31 in A-flat Major, op. 110 (Ludwig van Beethoven), Sonata no. 5, op. 53 (Aleksandr Scriabin), Three Piano Pieces op. 11 (Arnold Schönberg), and Piano Sonata no. 2 in B-flat Minor, op. 35 (Frédéric Chopin). Joel Fan is an acclaimed pianist who combines virtuosity with a gift for lyricism. He began his performing career with the New York Philharmonic and has since appeared in recital and with orchestras throughout the world. This concert was recorded at the National Gallery of Art on Sunday, June 5, 2011.