The Low Anthem brings its US winter tour to a close this week before heading to Europe, with shows in Portland, New York, and in the abandoned pasta sauce factory where they recorded their new album, Smart Flesh. The Boston Globe says The Low Anthem hit "a high note" in its Friday show at the Old South Church, "a galvanizing 90-minute performance that was masterful and even magical at times."

The Society of London Theatre has announced that Stephen Sondheim will be the recipient of the Olivier Special Award 2011. He will accept the Award in person, given in recognition of his contribution to London theatre, at the Olivier Awards this Sunday, March 13, at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane. The Awards ceremony will conclude with a tribute to Sondheim. The whole evening will be broadcast live on BBC Radio 2; there will be live televised coverage via the BBC’s Red Button.

The Low Anthem performs two sold-out shows in Massachusetts with hand-screened shirts on hand ... John Adams makes Toronto Symphony Orchestra debut ... Timothy Andres joins Gabriel Kahane for Ives-inspired evening ... Carolina Chocolate Drops play two shows in PA ... Ben Folds continues European tour ... Emmylou Harris, John Prine play Alabama ... Fred Hersch, Joshua Redman do duo in NYC ... Kronos Quartet tours Taiwan ... Brad Mehldau holds master classes in NYC ... Natalie Merchant performs Bard benefit ... Randy Newman hits NYC ... Punch Brothers play Utah ... and more ...

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang will perform at the eighth-annual Stuart House benefit held at the John Varvatos store in West Hollywood, on Sunday, March 13. Varvatos closes the street and opens the door of his boutique for an afternoon of live music, shopping, auctions, great food, and kids’ activities. Proceeds benefit Stuart House, a program serving the special needs of child victims of sexual abuse and their families.

The soundtrack for Norwegian Wood, the new film based on Haruki Murakami’s bestselling novel, featuring a score by Jonny Greenwood, is out next week. Greenwood spoke with BBC 6 Music about finding inspiration for the score in Murakami's novel, his acclaimed score for There Will Be Blood, and future plans for Radiohead. MusicOMH says Greenwood's new score "shows how the string orchestra remains a descriptive force in the right hands." The Evening Standard says it "creates a powerful atmosphere" for the film.

Natalie Merchant performs a benefit concert for the Bard College Conservatory of Music Saturday night. She will be joined by the conservatory orchestra in performing songs from her latest album, Leave Your Sleep, and throughout her career. Merchant will preview the event with an intimate, live "Parlour Session," broadcast on WKZE today at noon. She recently spoke about the Bard event with WAMC, which calls Leave Your Sleep "just plain beautiful."

Jessica Lea Mayfield is in the UK this week, bringing the music of her new album, Tell Me, to the British airwaves—on BBC 6 Music's Marc Riley and Nemone earlier this week, XFM's X-Posure tonight, and BBC Radio 4's Loose Ends on Saturday—and a live in-store performance today in London. Mayfield then returns to the States to launch her extensive US tour, which includes several events at SXSW and has now been extended into May with some 18 new dates added.

Wanda Jackson will be the guest on NPR's World Cafe today, performing songs from her new album, The Party Ain't Over, and talking with host David Dye about recording the album with producer Jack White. Jackson resumes her US tour later this month and will be featured in a new exhibit at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame titled Women Who Rock: Vision, Passion, Power, opening in May.

The work Laurie Anderson created while living in downtown New York City in the 1970s is inextricably linked to the place and time in which it was made. These are the focus of a new exhibit opening today at the Barbican Art Gallery in London titled Laurie Anderson, Trisha Brown, Gordon Matta-Clark: Pioneers of the Downtown Scene, New York 1970s. Anderson will be speaking about her work with Robert Storr, dean of the Yale University School of Art, at the 92nd Street Y in New York City next Thursday.

Nonesuch releases Sleep with One Eye Open, the debut album from mandolin-virtuoso Chris Thile and guitar maven Michael Daves, on May 10. Recorded live to tape over four days at Jack White’s Third Man studio in Nashville, the album is a collection of 16 traditional tunes by bluegrass legends like The Monroe Brothers, The Louvin Brothers, Jimmy Martin, and Flatt & Scruggs. The duo will take their show on the road with a series of dates around the country this spring, including a three-night stand at Rockwood in New York City.

John Adams's music will be front and center at the Toronto Symphony Orchestra's New Creations Festival, which kicks off tonight with a performance of his Harmonielehre and Short Ride in a Fast Machine. The composer makes his TSO debut when he conducts the orchestra in the Canadian premiere of his City Noir on Saturday. Today at noon, Adams hosts a free concert featuring selections from his operas. On Thursday, he gives a free lecture at the University of Toronto.

k.d. lang and the Siss Boom Bang will celebrate the release of Sing it Loud by playing the complete album live at two intimate shows the week the album is released: at the Troubadour in Los Angeles on Monday, April 11, and at (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York City on Thursday, April 14. They will be performing material from Sing it Loud and songs from throughout lang’s career on their North American run, which will keep them on the road into the fall.