Lara Downes

Lara Downes is an American classical pianist and cultural activist who has made the popularization of classical music by women and black Americans one of her causes.[1][2][3] She was selected as the Classical Woman of the Year for 2022 by a poll of listeners to the radio program Performance Today.[4]

She is host of the NPR show AMPLIFY with Lara Downes and is an Artist Ambassador for Headcount, working to promote participation in democracy through music.[5] On March 18, 2022, Downes was announced as the successor to the recently retired Jim Svejda. Since then, she has hosted "Evening Music", which can be heard Mondays-Fridays from 8 PM - midnight.

  1. ^ Anne Midgette (2019-02-24). "The unbearable lightness of women's music: Pianist Downes celebrates the matriarchy". The Washington Post. Washington, D.C. ISSN 0190-8286. OCLC 1330888409.
  2. ^ Ruff, William (23 October 2017). "Lara Downes at Nottingham's Royal Concert Hall - Review". Nottingham Post. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  3. ^ Kosman, Joshua. "Review: Oakland Symphonys triumphant season opener begins new chapter". sfchronicle.com. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  4. ^ "2022 Classical Woman of the Year: Lara Downes". www.yourclassical.org. Retrieved 2022-04-05.
  5. ^ "Boston Symphony Orchestra, about Lara Downes".