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It'll be a tough Thanksgiving for many people unable to gather with friends and family. But music can offer some companionship and solace. Conductor Marin Alsop offers some suggestions.

In this year's Grammy Awards, the classical music was as new as the pop. A jazz composer and a soprano captured multiple prizes, while the Academy recognized a performances by an adventurous American orchestra and a compelling young vocal group. See the full list of classical winners.

Nina Totenberg speaks with the new musical director of The National Symphony Orchestra, as the ensemble gears up to mark the centennial of Leonard Bernstein.

It was a bad night for Beethoven, but a compelling event in the history of music. His 5th and 6th Symphonies and 4th Piano Concerto saw shaky premieres in a freezing theatre in 1808. Conductor Louis Langree reproduces Beethoven's inauspicious concert at this year's Mostly Mozart Festival.

We recommend hitting shuffle on this playlist. For every Vince Staples banger, we think there's a Shostakovich symphony ready for your ears.

The celesta, an instrument invented in 1896, gets its name for its "celestial," tinkling sound. It provides the distinctive music that accompanies the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy in The Nutcracker. NPR's Bob Edwards discusses the instrument with Morning Edition music commentator Miles Hoffman, and Lambert Orkis of the National Symphony plays some celesta riffs.

NPR's Pam Fessler reports numerous non-profit organizations will receive a package of grants worth $42 million from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation in Chicago. In honor of the foundation's 25th anniversary, NPR received the single largest grant ever in public radio history. The Chicago arts community is the biggest beneficiary with remaining funds going to the Lyric Opera of Chicago, nine musuems, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Lincoln Park Zoo and the Joffrey Ballet.

Susan Stamberg talks with Richard Perlmutter about his CD called Beethoven's Wig. This children's CD is a series of classical music favorites, but the twist here is that Perlmutter composed silly lyrics for them that both tell a story about the artist and can help classically impaired remember the names and composers of these old faves. (5:00) Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies, by Richard Perlmutter is on Rounder Kids records. See http://www.rounder.com.

From the mercurial twists in CPE Bach's keyboard sonatas to the sprawling, nearly empty canvas of Morton Feldman's Trio, NPR Music's Tom Huizenga and Weekend All Things Considered host Guy Raz spin an extra-wide variety of new classical CDs.

This Fourth of July marks 30 years since CAHOOTS (Crisis Assistance Helping Out On The Streets) launched in Eugene. The mobile crisis intervention service…