The Low Anthem will be the guests on WNYC's Soundcheck today, performing songs from their forthcoming album, Smart Flesh. The band is in New York to play a sold-out concert for Lincoln Center's American Songbook series, then heads West to perform at the Sundance Film Festival and to Los Angeles for a show with Iron & Wine. Following an intimate set for a home-state crowd this past weekend, the Visible Voice blog says Ben Knox Miller "is leading the pack in a new generation of songwriters."

Renée Fleming comes to Carnegie Hall this week, accompanied by Hartmut Höll, for a performance that includes songs from Brad Mehldau's The Book of Hours: Love Poems to God, featuring the poetry of Rainer Marie Rilke, as heard on Mehldau and Fleming's 2006 album Love Sublime. The Washington Post said of Fleming's performance at The Kennedy Center on Saturday that the program "showcased her gifts beautifully." Mehldau performs his Highway Rider at Walt Disney Concert Hall in LA next week and offers a solo program at Carnegie Hall later this month.

Emmylou Harris kicks off the 2011 Sydney Festival ... John Adams Slonimsky's Earbox featured in LA Phil live cinematic broadcast across the US ... Timothy Andres performs with his brother in Connecticut ... The Black Keys are musical guests on Saturday Night Live ... Björk hosts karaoke marathon in Iceland to fight energy company sale ... David Byrne talks Here Lies Love on MPR's The Current ... Randy Newman joins Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra in New Orleans ... The Low Anthem plays close to home ... Stephen Sondheim's A Little Night Music closes on Broadway ... Allen Toussaint plays Tokyo ... and more ...

Punch Brothers kick off their 2011 tour schedule next week with two shows in Massachusetts. The Boston Globe spoke with Chris Thile about the band, which it describes as "the rare band of musicians who are all virtuosos in their own right. Progressive bluegrass is the shorthand for what they do, but that doesn’t capture the music’s full scope." The Boston Herald calls them a "progressive bluegrass supergroup" that has "fast become the hottest pickers in the land."

John Adams's 1987 opera Nixon in China receives its Met premiere on February 2, with the composer on the podium and Peter Sellars directing. To coincide with this momentous occasion, Nonesuch will reissue the Grammy-winning original cast recording in a newly redesigned and specially-priced three-CD set with new notes by Adams and Sellars. Among the events marking the production are a conversation with Sellars at the Asia Society; a preview with Adams, Sellars, and cast members hosted by WQXR; and a conversation at the Met with the creators. The February 12 performance of Nixon in China will be broadcast live in movie theaters around the world.

Wanda Jackson has added further live dates to her upcoming, sold-out New York City and Los Angeles record release shows. The newly announced tour dates include a Grand Ole Opry performance in Nashville, a second Los Angeles show, a return to New York, and stops in Philadelphia, Boston, DC, and Dallas. Jackson is scheduled to perform with Jack White & The Third Man House Band on The Late Show with David Letterman on January 20 and Conan on January 25.

Wanda Jackson will ring in the New Year on Jools Holland's Hootenanny, airing on BBC Two starting at 11 PM on December 31. The 18th annual Hootenanny will feature Jackson's rendition of Amy Winehouse's "You Know I'm No Good," off her forthcoming album The Party Ain't Over, plus performances from Kylie Minogue, Vampire Weekend, Cee-Lo Green, Roger Daltrey, Toots Hibbert, and Secret Sisters, among many others.

The Black Keys are set to close out what's been a banner year with a return to Chicago for sold-out New Year's Eve shows. Last year, bandmates Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney rang in the new year with two nights at the Riviera. This time around, the band plays not two but three sold-out shows at Chicago's Aragon Ballroom December 30 and 31 and January 1. The Chicago Tribune's Greg Kot spoke with Carney and takes a look at all that's happened since those Riviera shows in what Kot calls their "breakthrough year."

Wanda Jackson will take the show on the road in Europe in February, following the release of her Jack White-produced album, The Party Ain't Over. The news comes just days after her two special New York City and Los Angeles shows sold out in a matter of minutes. The European tour kicks off February 5 at the Rockin' Race Jamboree in Málaga, Spain, then heads to Germany and Austria, where she'll be joined by Germany rockabilly performers Chris Aron & Band.

Punch Brothers perform on NPR's Mountain Stage ... Emmylou Harris hosts Miracle on Music Row in Nashville to benefit Bonaparte's Retreat dog shelter ... The Mark Morris Dance Group concludes its run of The Hard Nut at BAM in Brooklyn ... Jeff Bridges, the star of True Grit, hosts Saturday Night Live ... and more ...

Ben Folds brought his Lonely Avenue tour to NYC on Tuesday for a sold-out show at the Beacon. The tour continues late next month, including two just-announced shows in Missouri and Oklahoma. The Village Voice describes the songs of Lonely Avenue as "stupendously likable." Nick Hornby, Folds's writing partner, made the USA Today's Pop Candy's 100 People of 2010. Folds appeared on the Today show to talk about the album at The Sing-Off; you can watch the segment here.

Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed will curate a month of programming at New York's The Stone this February. Their curatorial skills are well known to anyone who attended Sydney's Vivid LIVE festival or who read of its much beloved Music for Dogs concert. The Stone events include a special Valentine's Day duo by Anderson and Reed, a duo performance from Anderson and Fred Frith, and weekly Open Houses. "And," says Brooklyn Vegan, "the rest of the month isn't so bad either." You can download Anderson's Grammy-nominated song "Flow," off Homeland, here.