Rhiannon Giddens delivered the keynote address at the 2017 International Bluegrass Music Association business conference held in downtown Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday, September 26. Here are her remarks, titled "Community and Connection."

Tigran Hamasyan launches a European tour, with music from his new album, An Ancient Observer, in Athens, Greece, on Saturday, making stops in France, Sweden, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Armenia. Hamasyan has released a video giving an inside look at the first leg of his tour earlier this year. Watch the video, made by Elena Hamasyan, here.

Richard Goode's Beethoven: The Complete Sonatas, first released on Nonesuch in 1993 and nominated for a Grammy Award, is available once again on CD, now at a new, lower price. The box set includes ten individual CD sleeves and a forty-page booklet with the original liner note by the late musicologist Michael Steinberg. "An outstanding set," exclaims the New York Times. "It is hard to think of any other artist at once technically, temperamentally and intellectually as suited to the challenges of these sonatas." The Guardian calls it "superb." Gramophone says it's "one of the finest interpretations ever put on record."

Fleet Foxes' performance on Live from the Artists Den, taped live at The Knockdown Center in Queens, NY, will premiere on PBS stations across the US starting this weekend, airing in LA, Chicago, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Spokane, and more. The roll-out of the episode, with songs from the band's new album, Crack-Up, and more, continues in the coming weeks with more than three dozen air dates scheduled already, including in Atlanta, San Francisco, NYC, and Nashville.

Louis Andriessen's stagework Theatre of the World—recorded live during the Los Angeles Philharmonic's 2016 world premiere performances with conductor Reinbert de Leeuw and director Pierre Audi—is out now on Nonesuch Records. The Los Angeles Times says: "Brilliant and deep, Andriessen's music compels from start to finish." "There are no limits to where Louis Andriessen’s imagination will take him," says the Financial Times; "a wild mix of opera, jazz, modernism and minimalism, all captured vividly in this live recording." The Guardian gives four stars to "the exemplary Nonesuch recording" and its "superb performances."

Richard Goode joins London Philharmonic Orchestra at Royal Festival Hall … Sam Amidon takes The Following Mountain to the Rockies … Fleet Foxes are in Omaha and St. Paul … Rhiannon Giddens tours the South … Emmylou Harris performs across the Midwest … Kronos Quartet is in Brooklyn … Conor Oberst heads West … Joshua Redman plays Johannesburg … and more …

Fleet Foxes will head to Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, and Malaysia in late December and early January, after touring Europe. The band is in Australia for Falls Festival sets and a Melbourne concert; plays two shows in New Zealand, in Auckland and Wellington; and heads to Singapore and Kuala Lumpur. The Australian described their shows at Sydney Opera House earlier this year as "spellbinding." Robin Pecknold and Skyler Skjelset share some of their favorite records for Diggin' in the Crates on Cool Accidents, which you can watch here.

Soul and blues singer Robert Finley will release his second studio album, Goin’ Platinum!, December 8, 2017, via Dan Auerbach's label, Easy Eye Sound, which is distributed by Nonesuch Records. "He's the greatest living soul singer as far as I'm concerned," says Auerbach. Finley is surrounded by all-time-great session musicians with skill to match his singular voice, including drummer Gene Chrisman (Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin), keys player Bobby Woods (JJ Cale, Bobby Womack), horns players from Preservation Hall, and legendary guitarist Duane Eddy. Goin’ Platinum! was co-written and produced by Auerbach and also features writing credits by legendary songwriters John Prine, Nick Lowe, and Pat McLaughlin.

Robert Plant has announced the first North American headline dates on his world tour celebrating his new album, Carry Fire, due October 13. The album track "Bluebirds Over the Mountain," with special guest Chrissie Hynde joining Plant on vocals, is also available today, as is a striking companion visual, which you can see here. The song was written by rockabilly legend Ersel Hickey and recorded by both Richie Valens and The Beach Boys. The live dates begin February 9 at Raleigh's Memorial Auditorium and continue through early March. Carry Fire is available to pre-order with instant downloads of the tracks "The May Queen," "Bones of Saints," and "Bluebirds Over the Mountain."

Rostam followed his performance on Conan last night with a forty-minute set and interview with KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic today. He spoke with host Jason Bentley about his just-released debut album, Half-Light, and was joined by the Calder Quartet to perform several songs from the new album. You can watch the full session here.

Rostam was on Conan on TBS last night, performing "Gwan," from his debut album, Half-Light. You can watch it here. He takes part in a live session on KCRW's Morning Becomes Eclectic today. Rostam will perform at the Music Hall of Williamsburg in NYC on Wednesday and at The Growlers Six festival in LA on October 28 and will tour Europe in November.

Fleet Foxes take Crack-Up tour to Hollywood Bowl and Phoenix … John Adams previews new opera in NYC ... Sam Amidon begins fall tour in Pacific Northwest … Laurie Anderson brings The Language of the Future to Austria … Rhiannon Giddens brings Freedom Highway to the Midwest … Randy Newman, Chris Thile perform in Pennsylvania … Rokia Traoré is in France … and more …