The University of Louisville has announced the 2011 Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition goes to a work by Dutch composer Louis Andriessen.He's being honored for his multimedia opera "La Commedia." The five-part piece is based on Dante's "The Divine Comedy"The 71 year old Andriessen says he's long been an admirer Dante and his epic poem."I consider the book of Dante in the first place an encylopedia of knowledge, and it's a very important political manifesto also for him," Andriessen said in a phone interview from Amsterdam.The Grawemeyer Award includes a $100,000 cash prize. Winners of the prize in psychology, religion and ideas for improving world order will be announced later this week.
Rick Howlett was midday host and the host of LPM's weekly talk show, "In Conversation." He was with LPM from 2001-2023 and held many different titles, including Morning Edition host, Assignment Editor and Interim News Director. He died in August 2023. Read a remembrance of Rick here.