During a recent visit to the Library of Congress, Randy Newman was given the opportunity to play George Gershwin’s piano. "Outdoors but Not the Red River Valley" was written on commission from pianist Gloria Cheng and is one in a five-part homage to Newman’s uncles, film composers Alfred, Emil & Lionel Newman. "My uncle Alfred wrote the music for a number of John Ford’s films," says Newman. "In every one of them, the great director wanted to use 'Red River Valley.' Al liked the tune, but not in every picture. I wrote this piece for my uncle, who was a really great composer." Watch his performance here.

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell made their Austin City Limits duo debut, performing together for the first time on the ACL stage, when the duo's set aired on PBS on Saturday. You can watch the complete episode here. Harris and Crowell will be featured again on a special ACL show on November 23, featuring highlights from the Americana Music Association Honors and Awards, at which they took home the awards for Duo of the Year and Album of the Year for Old Yellow Moon. Their North American tour, with Richard Thompson, is in the Pacific Northwest and Canada this week.

Randy Newman was joined on stage by his son Amos Newman for an hour-long keynote Q&A at the 2013 Billboard & The Hollywood Reporter Film & TV Music Conference, held in LA earlier this week. The conversation touched on a number of topics related to Newman père's career as a singer-songwriter and as the composer of film scores, not least for a number of Pixar pictures. You can watch an excerpt of the discussion, including some thoughts on Kanye West and talk of a new solo album, here.

Devendra Banhart's music video for "Für Hildegard von Bingen," from his Nonesuch Records debut album, Mala, premiered today on MOCAtv, the video channel of The Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles. It was directed by Isaiah Seret and written by Seret and Banhart. On "Für Hildegard von Bingen," Banhart casts a contemporary life for the 12th-century Catholic mystic and composer. Watch the video here.

Carolina Chocolate Drops are featured on the latest episode of On Canvas, the performance program from Philadelphia PBS member station WHYY. The episode captures a performance by the Chocolate Drops at The Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Delaware, as well as interviews with members of the band. You can watch the complete episode here. The band plays a number of tour dates in the US South this December.

Nataly Dawn, one half of the duo Pomplamoose, made her Nonesuch Records debut with the release of her solo album How I Knew Her earlier this year, comprising 12 autobiographical, introspective songs by Dawn, produced by her longtime partner Jack Conte. She has now unveiled the official music video for the album track "Leslie." "[Director] Eric Kallevig did something magical to my sad song," Dawn tells American Songwriter, which premiered the video: "he cast light on the story behind the lyrics, without sacrificing any of the mystery." Watch it here.

Chris Thile's new solo album, Bach: Sonatas and Partitas, Vol. 1, was released to critical acclaim earlier this year. The album comprises three works written for solo violin, including Sonata No. 1 in G minor, BWV 1001, which Thile performs in its entirety for a new video, available here. He is in the midst of a solo tour of North America, performing music from the new album and more.

Gidon Kremer organized a concert at Berlin's Philharmonic Hall on Monday, titled To Russia with Love, to honor slain Russian journalist Anna Politkovskaya and support human rights in Russia. Performers included Kremer and Kremerata Baltica, Martha Argerich, Daniel Barenboim, Emanuel Pahud, and others, in a program of works Shostakovich, Prokofiev, Tchaikovsky; the premiere of a new piece by Giya Kancheli; and more. You can watch the complete concert here, via Arte Live Web.

Audra McDonald and Mandy Patinkin were special guests on The Colbert Report, as the show threw what it humbly dubbed the "Wedding of the Century." Host Stephen Colbert officiated an on-air wedding ceremony for a couple whose wedding plans were thwarted by the US government shutdown. To help celebrate the newlyweds, Patinkin offered a non-denominational Jewish blessing and McDonald sang Billy Idol's "White Wedding" for the couple's first dance. Watch it here. Audra McDonald was due to perform at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, this week, but the concert was canceled due to the government shutdown and will be rescheduled.

Rufus Wainwright offered a short performance at a screening of Sing Me the Songs That Say I Love You, the film documenting a 2011 NYC tribute concert for his mother, the late Kate McGarrigle, at the Hammer Museum in LA last month. The 22-minute set included two Kate McGarrigle songs—"The Work Song" and "(Talk to Me of) Mendocino"—and more. Watch the complete set here. Nonesuch Records released Sing Me the Songs: Celebrating the Works of Kate McGarrigle, a two-CD set of songs from the concert in the film and two others held in honor of the late singer-songwriter.

Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell's first performance together on the Austin City Limits stage will premiere on PBS stations across the US on Saturday, November 2, 2013. The duo's performance was recorded at The Moody Theater in downtown Austin this past June as part of a world tour supporting their new album, Old Yellow Moon. Harris and Crowell will also appear on a special ACL show November 23 featuring the best music performances from this year’s Americana Music Association Honors and Awards ceremony, at which they took home awards for Duo of the Year and Album of the Year.

Iron and Wine's Sam Beam, who kicked off a North American fall tour with a sold-out show at First Avenue in Minneapolis last night, stopped by the studios of Minnesota Public Radio's 89.3 The Current while in town for the tour launch. He spoke about Iron and Wine's recently released Nonesuch debut album, Ghost on Ghost, and performed intimate solo takes on three songs off the new album: "Caught in the Briars," "Grace for Saints and Ramblers," and "Winter Prayers." You can watch the performances of the latter two songs here.