Anastasia Tsioulcas
Anastasia Tsioulcas is a reporter on NPR's Arts desk. She is intensely interested in the arts at the intersection of culture, politics, economics and identity, and primarily reports on music. Recently, she has extensively covered gender issues and #MeToo in the music industry, including backstage tumult and alleged secret deals in the wake of sexual misconduct allegations against megastar singer Plácido Domingo; gender inequity issues at the Grammy Awards and the myriad accusations of sexual misconduct against singer R. Kelly.
On happier days, Tsioulcas has celebrated the life of the late Aretha Franklin, traveled to Havana to profile musicians and dancers, revealed the hidden artistry of an Indian virtuoso who spent 60 years in her apartment and brought listeners into the creative process of composers Steve Reich and Terry Riley.
Tsioulcas was formerly a reporter and producer for NPR Music, where she covered breaking news in the music industry as well as a wide range of musical genres and artists. She has also produced episodes for NPR Music's much-lauded Tiny Desk concert series, and has hosted live concerts from venues like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge. She also commissioned and produced several world premieres on behalf of NPR Music, including a live event that brought together 350 musicians to debut a new work together. As a video producer, she created high-profile video shorts for NPR Music, including performances by cellist Yo-Yo Ma in a Brooklyn theatrical props warehouse and pianist Yuja Wang in an icy-cold Steinway & Sons piano factory.
Tsioulcas has also reported from north and west Africa, south Asia, and across Europe for NPR and other outlets. Prior to joining NPR in 2011, she was widely published as a writer and critic on both classical and world music, and was the North America editor for Gramophone Magazine and the classical music columnist for Billboard.
Born in Boston and based in New York, Tsioulcas is a lapsed classical violinist and violist (shoutout to all the overlooked violists!). She graduated from Barnard College, Columbia University with a B.A. in comparative religion.
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At a hearing Wednesday at Los Angeles Superior Court, Judge Brenda J. Penny suspended the pop star's father from controlling her financial affairs. Britney Spears has accused him of exploiting her. -
Disgraced R&B star R. Kelly has been found guilty of charges including the sexual exploitation of children, bribery, racketeering and sex trafficking involving five victims
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A jury found the disgraced R&B star guilty of charges that included sexual exploitation of a child, racketeering and sex trafficking. He faces a possible sentence of 10 years to life in prison. -
After six weeks of emotionally charged testimony, jury deliberation begins in the New York federal trial of disgraced R&B superstar R. Kelly. If convicted, he could spend 10 years to life in prison. -
Over the five weeks of testimony, federal prosecutors presented 45 witnesses, including 11 alleged victims. -
Combing through the archives, Erin Overbey found that the print publication resembles "Southern country clubs circa 1950," in which barely any writers and editors of color or women are represented. -
Greek composer and politician Mikis Theodorakis has died. He was 96 years old. His music for Zorba the Greek was full of joy — but his own story was much more complicated. -
Mike Richards had recently been named the new host of "Jeopardy!" His tenure was very short-lived after past sexist and inappropriate comments came to light. -
Jamaican producer Lee "Scratch" Perry has died at age 85. His idiosyncratic work in reggae and dub had an oversize impact on popular music around the globe.
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The accuser also alleges that Kelly physically and sexually abused her, and first pressured her into sex when she was a 17-year-old high school student who went to him for career mentorship.
