Steve Reich and John Adams will be among the composers whose works will be featured in the first-ever South by Southwest (SXSW) festival showcase from music publisher Boosey & Hawkes, titled Reich, Rags, & Road Movies: Music by Steve Reich & Friends. Reich will also participate in a discussion with Sonic Youth's Thurston Moore tomorrow.

The Magnetic Fields kick off their US tour with two sold-out shows at the Iron Horse in Northampton, Massachusetts, where they'll unveil "unplugged" versions of songs off their feedback-heavy new album, Distortion. The Hartford Courant spoke with Stephin Merritt about creating the signature sound for the album, which he calls "a collection of 13 pop songs with catchy, quirky melodies swathed in velvety noise," and adapting it for the road. In a feature story and an accompanying podcast, the Courant explores the making of these "witty, droll and often hilarious" songs.

Jonny Greenwood's score for There Will Be Blood has been praised by the New Yorker as a "revelatory" contribution to the world of film composition, and, says the Telegraph, it just may signal a "Belle Epoque" of British film music. The article signals out the score from Greenwood as "a giant step in his reinvention as an orchestral composer above and beyond his work as Radiohead's guitarist."

New York City-area fans of The Wire and its music can meet stars of the series today at the HBO Shop in Manhattan. Cast members will be signing copies of the show's two soundtracks on Nonesuch and DVDs of the first four seasons, all at the HBO Shop at Sixth Avenue and 42nd Street today at 11:30 AM. Stop by to meet the cast and pick up your copy of the soundtrack the Guardian says inevitably brings with it a "rush of Wire memories."

The Santa Barbara Independent takes advantage of the start of the New Year to combine the paper's list of the best of last year with a look at the best of what's to come. There Will Be Blood is among the best films of 2007, and among the city's best live shows last year, the Independent's Josef Woodard lists both Wilco's concert at the Santa Barbara Bowl in support of Sky Blue Sky and the Pat Metheny / Brad Mehldau Quartet gig at Campbell Hall. For this week's Show of the Week, Woodard names Bill Frisell's return to the city's Lobero Theatre, where "the always intriguing and poetic guitarist" will perform on Saturday with drummer Joey Baron. Woodard recalls Bill's 2004 performance at the Lobero as "one of the more enchanted musical encounters in the long history" of the Theatre, and says that Frisell "continues to surprise and delight," citing the guitarist's "dynamic" 2006 Nonesuch release with the "inspired" Ron Carter and Paul Motian.

Kronos Quartet has been named Ensemble of the Year by Gramophone China magazine, based on a concert with pipa virtuoso Wu Man this past March at the Shanghai Concert Hall. The program included performances of Tan Dun's Ghost Opera and sections from Terry Riley's The Cusp of Magic. Nonesuch released the studio recording of Kronos and Wu Man performing the former piece in 1997 and will release their recording of the latter piece early next year.

Wilco's Sky Blue Sky, it's just been announced, is among the nominees for the 2007 Shortlist Music Prize, which recognizes the most creative and adventurous albums of the year. The winner will be announced early next year. Wilco was previously nominated for the Shortlist Prize in 2004 for their last album, A Ghost Is Born.

In an in-depth article for Wired magazine, David Byrne examines the history of music, recorded and performed, and looks ahead, offering six possibilities for what the future might hold for creators, distributors, and consumers of music in its many forms. Included with the article are a number of audio clips from his conversations on the subject with Brian Eno, label execs, and artist managers. In a separate article, Byrne and Radiohead frontman Thom Yorke chat about the interplay of business and art in music.

The South by Southwest Music Conference and Festival has just announced that Steve Reich will participate in the March 2008 conference, in a conversation with Thurston Moore. 

Audra McDonald will be among the Broadway luminaries instructing students from theater programs throughout the US at the December 27–29 Moveable Arts Winter Retreat in New York City. Events include workshops and master classes designed to give participants insight into the world of musical theater. Audra will lead a discussion exploring the path from stage to screen.