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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Singer R. Kelly spoke to CBS' Gayle King in an interview that aired Wednesday morning. Kelly denied any sexual misconduct with underage girls.
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The R&B singer appeared in court in Chicago on Monday morning. He has been charged with 10 counts of aggravated criminal sexual abuse. A judge had set his bond at $1 million on Saturday. -
The R&B star singer has been dogged for decades by allegations that he has sexually abused underage girls and women. Kelly now faces 10 counts of abuse. -
The R&B artist, along with two unnamed men, has been arrested on charges of "aggravated rape" and multiple narcotics offenses. -
Amid increasing protests following the broadcast of the Surviving R. Kelly documentary series, RCA Records has reportedly dropped the singer, who has been accused by multiple women of sexual abuse. -
Days after a disturbing docuseries called Surviving R. Kelly debuted, Gaga vowed to remove their 2013 duet from streaming services. Activists have also been protesting outside Kelly's Chicago studio. -
Will peace, love and music be back? One of the original organizers of the iconic 1969 event is putting together a new three-day festival, which will take place in August in upstate New York. -
The Cleveland Orchestra announced on Wednesday afternoon that it has fired concertmaster William Preucil and principal trombonist Massimo La Rosa for multiple alleged incidents of sexual misconduct. -
The singer and multi-instrumentalist, known for his fleet guitar work and big smile, began his career as a teenage prodigy and rose to become a regular presence in the living rooms of America. -
On Tuesday, Gibson Brands — maker of those iconic guitars — announced a new leadership team to guide the company through its planned exit from Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection.
