Congratulations to Audra McDonald, winner of the 2014 Tony Award for Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Play for her performance as Billie Holiday in Lady Day at Emerson's Bar & Grill. This marks a historic sixth Tony Award win for McDonald, the most ever for a performer. Watch her acceptance speech here. She recently won the Drama Desk and Outer Critics Circle awards for her portrayal of the legendary jazz singer. 

Nickel Creek recently stopped by Last.fm to discuss their new album, A Dotted Line, and the band's officially reuniting for the first time since its 2007 self-described "indefinite hiatus." The trio—Chris Thile, Sara Watkins, and Sean Watkins—also performs two songs from the new album, "Destination" and "Rest of My Life." You can watch the interview and performances here and catch the band live on tour in the US this summer. 

The new album of John Adams's City Noir and Saxophone Concerto is out now, performed by the St. Louis Symphony led by David Robertson, featuring saxophonist Timothy McAllister. "Dense, brash and exuberant," raves the New York Times, "these two stellar works by John Adams are love letters to the confidence of the 1950s and a time when some of the greatest feats of virtuosity were often performed in smoky jazz clubs." It's "an incisive performance," says the Times; "McAllister sizzles." The Times of London gives the album four stars, calling the concerto "fun from start to finish."

The Black Keys' Patrick Carney, fresh off the release of the band's new album, Turn Blue, and its debut as the #1 album, spoke with Carrie Brownstein, of the band Sleater-Kinney and the IFC show Portlandia for The Talkhouse Podcast. The Black Keys opened for Sleater-Kinney back in 2003. "It’s a revealing, thought-provoking conversation that only two musicians could have," says The Talkhouse. You can hear it for yourself here.

The Black Keys have confirmed several additional North American tour dates, including shows in Ottawa, Oakland, Sacramento, and Los Angeles as well as additional nights in Brooklyn and Chicago. Special guests during the extensive tour include Cage The Elephant, Jake Bugg, and St. Vincent. The tour begins September 5 in Columbus, Ohio, and runs through December. Pre-sale for newly announced dates begins Tuesday, June 3, at 10 AM local time; general on sale starts Friday, June 6, at 10 AM local.

Concerts and talks of the 68th Ojai Music Festival, of which Jeremy Denk is 2014 Music Director, will be streamed live and archived at the Festival's site, June 12–15. Ojai Live features an enhanced HD five-camera shoot and intermission interviews with artists and special guests hosted by Fred Child of Performance Today. Highlights include talks and multiple performances from Denk, including the world premiere a new opera for which he wrote the libretto, and Timo Andres.

Caetano Veloso performed at Barbican Hall earlier this week as part of Explorations: The Sound of Nonesuch Records, the Barbican's month-long celebration of the label's 50th anniversary. The concert, featuring songs from his new album, Abraçaço, earned five stars from the Times and Guardian, both of which call it a "masterclass," and The Arts Desk. The Times also calls it "a perfect evening," the Guardian "exquisite." The Arts Desk says: "Caetano Veloso gets more extraordinary." Veloso tours the US this fall.

Conor Oberst's video for "Zigzagging Toward the Light," off his recently released Nonesuch Records debut album, Upside Down Mountain, premiered via Rolling Stone, which calls the album Oberst's "best work in years." The video was directed by David Altobelli and shot in New York City. You can watch it here. The songs on the new album, asserts a new Wall Street Journal review, "stand shoulder-to-shoulder with his best writing."

Conor Oberst capped off a week celebrating the release of his new album, Upside Down Mountain, with an appearance on CBS This Morning: Saturday. He was backed by the band Dawes to perform two tracks from the new album: “Hundreds of Ways” and “You Are Your Mother’s Child.” You can watch both, as well as a web-exclusive performance of “Time Forgot” below. Oberst’s tour with Dawes as special guests continues in the Midwest this week.

Natalie Merchant was featured on two radio sessions over the weekend: NPR’s World Cafe Friday, performing four songs from her new, self-titled album, “Lulu,” “Texas,” “Giving Up Everything,” and “Ladybird,” and on BBC Radio 2’s Bob Harris program Sunday, performing “It’s A-Coming” and “Texas” from the album, plus “Kind & Generous,” from 1998's Ophelia. Merchant, says Harris, has “one of the most beautiful and distinctive voices in the whole of rock and pop music.” Hear the Harris session here.

The Black Keys’ new album, Turn Blue, debuted this week at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart. This is the highest chart debut yet for the acclaimed duo, whose previous album, El Camino, debuted at #2 in 2011. It is also the first #1 album for Nonesuch Records. Turn Blue is also the band’s highest charting album to date internationally, debuting at #1 in Canada and Australia, #2 in the UK and New Zealand, #3 in Ireland, #4 in France and Switzerland and #5 in Austria and Holland. The album also charted in the top ten in Germany, Belgium, Finland, and Portugal.

Conor Oberst, who performed songs from his new album, Upside Down Mountain, at Rough Trade NYC in Brooklyn last night, recently stopped by WFUV, 90.7 FM, in NYC to discuss the album and perform three songs from it for WFUV Live: "Hundreds of Ways," "Double Life," and "Time Forgot." You can watch them here. "For someone looking for a primer on the talents of Conor Oberst as a poet and songwriter," says FUV, "one need not look any further than Upside Down Mountain ... [He] has established himself as one of rock’s preeminent creative minds."