Music

Miami – September 18, 2026 -- Norwegian Cruise Line has unveiled the entertainment lineup for its new ship, Norwegian Aura, set to debut in May 2027, headlined by an original stage production titled "Whitney: A Celebration of Whitney Houston."

The show is built with the singer's estate and her music publisher

Developed in partnership with The Estate of Whitney E. Houston and Primary Wave Music, the 45-minute production reimagines Houston's catalog through contemporary arrangements and live performance. Houston sold more than 220 million records worldwide, scored seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits and won six Grammy Awards. The show will feature hits including "It's Not Right, But It's OK," "I Will Always Love You," and "I Wanna Dance with Somebody (Who Loves Me)," a track certified nine-times platinum by the RIAA and named Best Pop Song of All Time by Billboard in 2023.

Nazareth, Pa. – September 18, 2026 -- C. F. Martin & Co. has launched a refreshed 16 Series of all-solid-wood acoustic-electric guitars, handcrafted in Nazareth, Pennsylvania, and available starting September 15, 2026.

New gloss finishes give the lineup a bolder visual identity

The refreshed series introduces gloss-top finish options including Blue Denim, Cherry Cola, Cream, Black Smoke, and 1935 Burst. The GPC and Grand J 12-string models retain a more traditional natural top with a vintage tint.

St. Louis – – September 18, 2026 -- Nearly 40 years after Illinois alternative rock trio Lucky Mary Blonde broke up, a long-lost 1988 live recording is streaming worldwide today as the album "Lucky Mary Blonde LIVE!" on Apple Music, Spotify and Amazon Music.

A single cassette from a 1988 Carbondale show survived by chance

The band released "Let the Moonlight Burn" in December 1987 and toured Midwest college venues from Chicago to Memphis before disbanding in late 1988. Private cassette recordings from one of its final Carbondale, Illinois performances were made directly from the soundboard and stage microphones, then forgotten. Decades later, a friend of the band located one tape and sent it to drummer John Baldus in St. Louis.

Santa Monica – September 15, 2026 -- Universal Music Group and ElevenLabs have signed a multi-year licensing deal to build a new AI-powered music platform that lets fans remix, mash up, and reinterpret tracks from participating artists.

The agreement marks ElevenLabs' first partnership with a major record label. It covers both licensing of UMG's catalog and joint development of AI audio products for artists and songwriters.

Fans will get tools to remix and personalize tracks

The platform, now in development, will allow users to co-create with music from participating artists through remixes, mashups, new track interpretations, and personalized vocal experiences. UMG and ElevenLabs said additional products and fan experiences are planned for future release.

Denver – September 10, 2026 -- Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre is marking its 85th anniversary this year, with a 2026 concert calendar that includes Widespread Panic, Andrea Bocelli and Brandi Carlile.

The venue opened in 1941 after four years of Depression-era labor

Red Rocks held a pre-opening ceremony on June 8, 1941, honoring the 500 men of the Civilian Conservation Corps who spent four years building the amphitheater. The official opening gala followed on June 15, 1941, featuring a Native American ceremony and the Denver Municipal Chorus, and was broadcast nationally on CBS, drawing coverage from Time Magazine.

New York – September 09, 2026 -- The Apple Music Super Bowl LX Halftime Show starring Bad Bunny won seven Emmys at the 78th Emmy Awards, making it the most-awarded Super Bowl Halftime Show in Emmy history.

The show swept technical and creative categories

The performance, executive produced by Roc Nation and JAŸ-Z, took home trophies for Outstanding Variety Special (Live), Outstanding Music Direction, Outstanding Directing For A Variety Special, and Outstanding Choreography For Variety or Reality Programming. It also won Outstanding Sound Mixing For A Variety Series Or Special, Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction For A Special, and Outstanding Technical Direction and Camerawork For A Special.

Leipzig – September 09, 2026 -- The 32nd Goldene Henne awards show turned the Leipzig trade fair grounds into a glittering stage last night, drawing up to 3.4 million viewers on Das Erste and an 18 percent market share.

International stars headline the musical lineup

Take That, Helene Fischer, Johannes Oerding, Unheilig, Michael Schulte and Peter Maffay performed alongside Florian Künstler and the MDR Kinderchor. Fischer debuted her new single live for the first time, while Take That teamed up with Michael Patrick Kelly for what organizers called a German premiere.

Hamburg – September 08, 2026 -- The NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra opens its 2026/27 season on September 4, marking ten years as the resident ensemble of Hamburg's Elbphilharmonie concert hall. Since the venue opened, the orchestra has performed 654 concerts in its Great Hall, serving as the house's musical core and global ambassador.

Chief conductor calls the orchestra 'the luckiest in the world'

Chief conductor Alan Gilbert credits the hall's flexibility for shaping the ensemble's decade-long identity. "We at the NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchestra might be the luckiest orchestra in the world having the Elbphilharmonie as our home," Gilbert said, adding that the space works equally well for full orchestral forces and solo instruments.

Hamburg – September 7, 2026 -- Casio Computer Co., Ltd. unveiled the European premiere of its digital sound source "Akiko's Piano" at the Martha Argerich Festival 2026, held in Hamburg, Germany, from June 20 to 30, 2026.

The original piano survived the Hiroshima bombing

The upright piano at the center of the project was built in 1926 and damaged in the atomic bombing of Hiroshima on August 6, 1945. Restored in 2005, it has since been played by musicians including Martha Argerich and has carried a message of peace through its sound.

Casio recorded all 88 keys to preserve the instrument digitally

To carry the piano's historic tone into the future, Casio's European subsidiary, CASIO Europe GmbH, led a project that meticulously recorded the sound of each of the piano's 88 keys and rebuilt it as a digital sound source.

Hamburg -- The Elbphilharmonie Hamburg marks its tenth anniversary on January 11, 2027, and the concert hall has released figures showing its impact on the city's cultural life. Annual attendance at classical concerts in Hamburg has tripled since the venue opened.

7.4 million visitors have attended 6,400 concerts and events inside the hall.

A further 29.5 million people have visited the Plaza, the public viewing platform positioned 37 meters above the ground. Ten years after opening, the Grand Hall is currently running at 96 percent capacity.

The venue has hosted 130 world premieres over the past decade.

Programming spans classical repertoire alongside jazz, non-European musical traditions, pop, electronic music and contemporary composition. What was once a construction project criticized during its build-out has become a fixture for international orchestras, artists and visitors.