Ligeti/Beethoven, the Nonesuch label debut from acclaimed pianist Jeremy Denk, is due out next week, on May 15. But you don’t need to wait till then to hear it. The album, which features Ligeti’s Piano Études, Books One and Two, and Beethoven’s Sonata No. 32 in C Minor, is streaming in full all this week as an NPR First Listen. "Throughout Ligeti/Beethoven," says NPR, "Denk plays masterfully, opening up each puzzle box in turn with vitality, wit and absolute assurance."

Sara Watkins' new album, Sun Midnight Sun, is due out next week, May 8. The album, which was produced by Blake Mills and features special guest appearances by Fiona Apple, Jackson Browne, Taylor Goldsmith (Dawes), Benmont Tench, and Sean Watkins, is streaming in full all this week as an NPR First Listen. "Sara Watkins paints on a canvas called roots music, only to delve into any number of adjacent genres," says NPR. "She's a subtle star, but a star nonetheless." Watkins, currently touring the US, will join Browne as his very special guest on his tour this summer.

Punch Brothers are guests on today's episode of Soundcheck from WNYC. Today's special edition of the show will take place before a sold-out audience in the Greene Space in downtown Manhattan and broadcast live on 93.9 FM and online at wnyc.org, where you can also watch a live webcast, all starting at 2 PM ET. Also on today's show is guitarist/composer Kaki King. Punch Brothers perform at New York's Town Hall tomorrow night as part of their US headlining tour.

Randy Newman will join Larry Mantle, host of KPCC's AirTalk, for a live broadcast event from The Crawford Family Forum in Pasadena, California, this evening at 6:30 PM PST. The event is an in-depth discussion about the state of contemporary film music and how the business is changing. Joining the discussion are fellow composers Michael Giacchino, David Newman, and Trevor Rabin. Watch it streaming live at scpr.org. Randy Newman's film work has garnered two Academy Awards and 20 Oscar nominations.

Timothy Andres is featured in Q2 Music's "Composer Portals" series, which aims to capture "the insights and wisdom of today's composers" through exclusive audio introductions to their own pieces. In "The Witty and Reverent Musical World of Timothy Andres," the composer introduces several pieces from his debut album, Shy and Mighty. "Andres is doing contemporary classical music a service by forswearing the old-school composer’s aura—that of a tortured mystic laboring at his work," says Q2 Music. "He’s witty, conversational and seemingly secure enough in his talents to trust that we won’t mistake his good humor for a lack of seriousness."

Amadou & Mariam's new album, Folila, released this week in the US, has been named Album of the Week by Stereogum, which says that "at its heart it’s a euphoric psychedelic rock album." For all of its collaborators, like Santigold and TV on the Radio, Folila finds "every musical influence melting seamlessly into the whole," making for "a fun and playful artifact from two crazily gifted pop polyglots at work." The track “Dougou Badia,” featuring Santigold, is in The New Yorker's Listening Booth. Amadou & Mariam performed an unplugged version of the song "Cherie" for Daily Candy. They performed an acoustic duo version of "Wily Kataso" for NPR, which you can watch here.

Punch Brothers will be the musical guests on The Late Show with David Letterman tonight, performing "This Girl," off their new album, Who's Feeling Young Now?. They will tape an episode of Austin City Limits on May 1 for future broadcast on the PBS performance show, marking their ACL TV debut. A new Daytrotter session from the band is now available, with three songs from Who's Feeling Young Now? plus a medley pairing songs by Beck and Hazel Dickens.

Punch Brothers will be the musical guests on The Late Show with David Letterman Wednesday night. They'll soon be hitting the road again with the next leg of their US tour, kicking things off with a live broadcast performance of A Prairie Home Companion with Garrison Keillor on Saturday, April 14. The band and fellow guests Renée Fleming, Aoife O'Donovan, and Heather Masse join Keillor and crew live at New York's Town Hall, where Punch Brothers headline later this month. Punch Brothers are featured in the latest installment of the A.V. Club's A.V. Undercover, performing The Cars' "Just What I Needed." Watch it here.

Laurie Anderson will unveil a new sound piece at a unique venue this weekend. The performance is part of the Sounds from a Room series, which will take place in A Room for London, a one-bedroom riverboat situated on the roof of the Queen Elizabeth Hall in London. Anderson's performance will be screened live at the St. Paul's Pavilion in London's Royal Festival Hall Sunday evening at 5 PM GMT and webcast live at aroomforlondon.co.uk. Amadou & Mariam will participate in the series in May, and David Byrne has released a new soundwork he recorded while in residence at A Room for London.

Today marks the start of the South by Southwest (SXSW) Music Conference in Austin, Texas, when thousands of bands and music lovers from all over the world descend on the live-music capital for several days of non-stop music making. Nonesuch artists will be well represented among them, with several performances throughout the week from Punch Brothers, Dr. John, and The Low Anthem. The Warner Sound showcase, featuring Punch Brothers and Dr. John, will stream live via YouTube Wednesday night.

Carolina Chocolate Drops' song "Country Girl," off their forthcoming album, Leaving Eden, has been named Song of the Day by NPR; an instant download of the track is included with album pre-orders. The band is currently touring the US. Listen to their recent appearance on WTJU in Charlottesville here. The Schenectady Daily Gazette, reviewing a recent show, says: "The Carolina Chocolate Drops are highly skilled musicians, but they’re also a lot of fun, with a gift for showmanship." The Independent Weekly in Durham concurs, saying the band has been "wowing audiences with their roots music chops and pure showmanship." Highlights from the band's recent set at Celtic Connections can be heard on BBC Radio 2.

Music of Vladimir Martynov, the just-released album from Kronos Quartet, is now streaming in full on group's website, through January 19. The album includes three works written or rescored for Kronos by the contemporary Russian composer Vladimir Martynov and a special guest performance from former Kronos cellist Joan Jeanrenaud. Kronos artistic director David Harrington spoke with BBC World Service’s The Strand about the new record and the Quartet's upcoming residency at the Barbican in London. Kronos Quartet is currently on tour in Europe performing Steve Reich's WTC 9/11.