Björk has been nominated for a 2012 BRIT Award for Best International Female Solo Artist. Also nominated in that field are Beyoncé, Feist, Lady Gaga, and Rihanna. Björk has previously won four BRIT Awards. The 2012 BRIT Awards will take place at The O2 in London on February 21. Tickets go on sale to the general public today for Björk's ten-show Biophilia NYC residency.

Laurie Anderson, Amadou & Mariam, and David Byrne will be among the artists performing in a riverboat lodged atop London's Queen Elizabeth Hall as part of the Sounds from a Room series taking place in A Room for London, a one-bedroom installation on the roof of the Hall. Sounds from a Room includes live music webcasts from Anderson and Amadou & Mariam and a new soundwork for podcast from Byrne. The program is part of the London 2012 Festival, which also includes performances by Kronos Quartet and Rokia Traoré.

Presale for Björk's ten-show Biophilia residency in New York begins today. The residency will include six performances at the New York Hall of Science, four performances at Roseland, and a four-week Biophilia children's educational program. You can watch a video about the educational component here. Björk is offering a limited number of VIP packages designed to deliver the most intimate Biophilia experience.

The Black Keys will be hitting the road for the second leg of their North American tour in April, with special guests Arctic Monkeys. The newly announced shows include stops in Austin, St. Louis, Tulsa, Denver, Salt Lake City, Oakland, Sacramento, Portland, Seattle, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Winnipeg, Minneapolis, and Milwaukee. Fan pre-sale for these dates will begin at 10 AM local time January 10.

The Low Anthem is set to launch its six-week tour supporting City and Colour on his tour of Canada and the northern US starting this Monday, January 16, at Wonder Ballroom in Portland, Oregon. The Low Anthem will also be performing a few select headlining shows. The band recently performed a couple of songs for Sleepover Shows, including "Ghost Woman Blues" off their latest album, Smart Flesh. Watch them here. "If you have not been to a Low Anthem show," says the site, "you owe it to yourself to go."

In partnership with The Creators Project and the New York Hall of Science, Björk is set to bring her live Biophilia show to New York City for a special ten-night residency. Six performances will take place in February at the New York Hall of Science, New York City’s only hands-on science and technology museum, followed by four performances in the round at Roseland Ballroom. Tickets go on sale Friday, January 13 at 10 AM ET. In addition to the live performances, Björk will collaborate with the New York Hall of Science on a three-week-long Biophilia education series.

Brad Mehldau joins his Trio—featuring bassist Larry Grenadier and drummer Jeff Ballard—for a six-night residency at NYC's famed Village Vanguard, starting tonight. "[T]his iteration of his pace-setting trio," says the New York Times, "has evolved into a graceful powerhouse, equally savvy about groove and harmony. There’s still no better place to hear the band than the Village Vanguard, a special room for Mr. Mehldau and for his devoted base." The BBC, reviewing the newly released Art of the Trio Recordings box set, says of Mehldau: "It is his genius, his dash of daring, his exceptional touch, and his ability to conceive a performance lasting over several minutes as a compositional entity that mark him out."

The Gershwins' Porgy and Bess opens in previews on Broadway, starring Audra McDonald, "a Bess for the ages" (Boston Globe) ... The Black Keys are on NPR's World Cafe ... Shawn Colvin closes out the year in California ... Emmylou Harris hosts Miracle on Music Row benefit for her dog rescue in Nashville, then plays the Opry at the Ryman ... Brad Mehldau closes out the year in Tbilisi, Georgia ... Sara Watkins concludes tour with the Blind Boys of Alabama out West ... and more ...

Emmylou Harris will be honored by the Grand Ole Opry on the occasion of her 20th anniversary as an Opry member on January 21, 2012, at the historic Ryman Auditorium. Her 20-year milestone will be celebrated with performances by the honoree, Vince Gill, Rodney Crowell, Shawn Colvin, making her Opry debut, and more.

The line-up for the 2012 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival has been announced, and among the artists performing at next year's Jazz Fest are three performers familiar to readers of the Nonesuch Journal: Carolina Chocolate Drops, Cheikh Lô, and New Orleans' own Allen Toussaint. All three are performing during the festival's opening weekend, April 27–29, 2012, at the Fair Grounds Race Course in New Orleans.

The Black Keys cap off release week for their new album, El Camino, with a performance at KROQ's Almost Acoustic Christmas in LA; watch the livestream here ... Carolina Chocolate Drops close out 2011 in Tennessee ... Elliott Carter turns 103! ... Jessica Lea Mayfield plays Toronto and Chicago with Ryan Adams ... McGarrigles and Wainwrights celebrate Christmas in Montreal in tribute to Kate McGarrigle ... Sara Watkins celebrates Christmas with the Blind Boys of Alabama in California ... and more ...

The Black Keys will embark on the first leg of their North American tour this March, with shows in arenas like New York’s Madison Square Garden, Boston’s TD Garden, and Chicago’s United Center, with special guests Arctic Monkeys opening all along the way. The shows are in support of their new album, El Camino, which the Daily Mail calls "a tour de force" and the Daily Mirror calls "a roof-raising, spirit-lifting triumph.” Tickets for most shows go on sale to the general public starting today and tomorrow.