Features

In Leipzig, Germany they continue to celebrate their most famous musician with an annual festival. The latest season-opener features the music of Schütz, Schein and Mendelssohn as well as the great JS Bach.

Opinion - Kane Williamson's double century in the first Test against Bangladesh shows he cares more about statistics than he lets on, Hamish Bidwell writes.

The master of jazz piano, and up-and-coming stars are on the just-announced lineup for the Wellington Jazz Festival 2019. RNZ Concert's jazz specialist Nick Tipping gives us a taste of what to look forward to.

A committee in the Cook Islands tasked with finding a new name for the country has received tentative support from the government, ahead of a possible referendum on the issue.

The co-founder, CEO and chairman of House of Travel, Chris Paulsen, says his success is down to his ‘no bullshit’ partnership approach to business. Audio

This year’s Wellington Jazz Festival line-up features some big names and also musicians who cross over from jazz to other genres, including hip hop, pop, opera, and chamber music. Nick Tipping offers a preview.

A block of tired, inefficient homes in Oakland, California are set to get a “deep energy retrofit” to make them largely energy self-sufficient. Video, Audio

A music festival planned for International Women's Day this Friday features gigs by women, and will be run by women. We profile four of the acts who are performing.

A refugee detained on Manus Island has told the UN Human Rights Council to hold Australia accountable for its treatment of asylum seekers.

Tuvalu's prime minister Enele Sopoaga says a recent suggestion to swap Australian citizenship for maritime resources is an isolated view with no support, but countries still need to take drastic action to combat climate change.

Pacific Island rugby players remain concerned about the lack of consultation over World Rugby's planned revamp of the international calendar.

Fiji's opposition leader Sitiveni Rabuka has accused the country's prime minister of making false claims to the UN Human Rights Council.

The French Polynesian government is getting impatient with the Chinese company Tahiti Nui Ocean Foods over its delay in setting up a fish farm on Hao atoll.

With only 129 days until the first centre pass of the 2019 Netball World Cup, RNZ Sport turns the spotlight on the competition.

The future of transportation could see passengers hurtling through vacuum tubes of speeds of up to 900km/h an engineer trialing the system near Las Vegas says. Audio

In honour of Dame Kiri Te Kanawa's 75th birthday we're celebrating with a selection of the New Zealand soprano's most magical singing moments.

There are at least as many bi and pansexual people in the world as lesbians and gay men combined, but bisexuality is poorly understood. Audio

The Musical Madhouse or Les Grotesques de la musique is considered the funniest of all Hector Berlioz's prose. It contains anecdotes, witticisms, open letters and comments on the absurdities of concert life.  Daybreak has a copy to give away, as the world marks 150 years since the composer's death.

A Greyhound bus full of released prisoners; the trouble with sparklers; and a scooter crash in Zanzibar. Just some of the things that inspired lyrics on Tiny Ruins' new album Olympic Girls. Video, Audio

This group of Italian wind players brings Mozart's dinner party music to life for the audience in Auckland Town Hall.

As public discussion on climate change and ways to arrest its impact continue around the world, one of many low-lying atolls in the Pacific wrestles with the issue right now.

Voices - Sara Vui-Talitu tells the stories of four intergenerational migrants from Sri Lanka who have flourished in New Zealand. Audio

As house prices soar, Māori are using their land to create affordable homes, Te Aniwa Hurihanganui reports on a development and papakāinga in Wairarapa.

A come-back dance-floor banger from The Chemical Brothers, some gender-bending Ocker punk, a power ballad, and a heart-breaking falsetto are some of the sounds you'll hear in this episode of Song Crush. Video, Audio