Features

Tap down the list on 'Add to Playlist' and you'll have a delightful variety of chamber music queued up for great listening, from recent festivals in Nelson.

A New Zealander who guarded our embassy in Moscow during the Cold War recalls life in Soviet Russia. Audio

The Auckland Symphony Orchestra and a group of DJs and vocalists will be giving some of the biggest dance hits a symphonic twist at the upcoming Synthony 2018.

Nick Bollinger listens to the comforting melodies and disquieting meditations of Joshua Tillman, a.k.a. Father John Misty. Audio

Ninety years ago Australian aviatrix Jessie Miller set the record for being the first woman to fly from England to Australia. She became world famous before a scandal brought her crashing to earth. Audio, Gallery

Frazzled Friday? Colin Carr plays Cello Suites by Bach and then Orpheus Choir of Wellington sings music by Mozart and Fauré's much-loved Requiem. Serenity with RNZ Concert from 7.30pm.

Anna Coddington is throwing a fundraiser for her son's Kōhanga Reo pre-school and because she is Anna Coddington, she will be joined by Julia Deans and Anika Moa (of course). We convinced her to perform live for us in exchange for some publicity. Video, Audio

A high profile professor and a leading cello senior lecturer at the University of Auckland have confirmed their positions have been disestablished.

At The Movies - Hereditary has been compared to horror classics like The Blair Witch Project, The Exorcist and Rosemary's Baby. Can it match the hype? Video, Audio

A selection of 12-year-old football players and aspiring journalists from the Pacific Islands have taken part in the opening ceremony at the World Cup in Moscow this morning.

Media reports of famous people taking their own lives can put already-vulnerable people at higher risk. The Mental Health Foundation's Shaun Robinson has advice about what to do if you're worried about the safety of someone you know. Audio

In a world-first, a trailer for a book will play with a film trailer in New Zealand cinemas later this year. The aim is to get young men, the group least likely to read, into books. Audio, Gallery

This week, volunteers at a Manurewa park will begin planting 20,000 native trees that Auckland Prison inmates have grown from seed. Audio, Gallery

The Sampler - Nick Bollinger celebrates the return of 78-year-old Yorkshire folk treasure, Norma Waterson. Audio

Affordable and environmentally friendly menstrual pads designed by two Samoan women have been launched on the market.

The classically-trained 2CELLOS return with their carbon-fibre cellos and more high-energy arrangements.

In July 2012, an underwater volcano in the Kermadec Arc exploded. No-one noticed a thing until an airline passenger took a photo of an enormous floating raft of pumice and sent it to a geologist. Video, Audio

The FIFA World Cup is underway in just under a day, but the events which led up to Russia securing the bid remain murky. A new book looks back on the scandals of the last 8 years. Audio

Dunedin band Death And The Maiden can count Shayne Carter among their growing number of fans. He invited them to perform at the Silver Scrolls last year, and since then they've released their second album of dark, electro-tinged pop, Wisteria. Audio

One of the FIFA World Cup’s strange, yet enduring traditions is the football anthem. We left it all on the field in this exposé of a unique musical genre, in game form - play along at home.

First person - Every four years the FIFA World Cup rolls around, and I start a new, month-long love affair with my alarm clock, writes Emile Donovan. Video

At The Movies - Ocean's Eight is a new slant on an old hit. But it doesn't convince the heist-phobic Simon Morris. Video, Audio

French pianist Cédric Tiberghien gives a scintillating performance of Saint-Saëns' Egyptian piano concerto in this concert by the Auckland Philharmonia that also features music by Ravel and Berlioz.

The personal DNA information from saliva tests sent to ancestry.com is often sold on to private companies which could be pharmaceutical or funded by Google, says a medical sociologist. Audio