Since it began in 1962, the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition held in Fort Worth has become one of the most important music competitions in the world. Winning can launch a performer on to a major career. A new film, A Surprise in Texas, documents last year’s 13th Cliburn competition. KERA’s Stephen Becker spoke with director Peter Rosen about the challenges of following the contestants:

Today in the roundup: A local bestselling author talks tricks of the trade, honoring Horton Foote and broadening your theater background.

This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll celebrate a successful artist whose musical career almost ended before it began.

Where are stories born and how does a novelist create characters and experiences that ring true with reality? Bestselling author John Irving discussed those topics and more during his appearance on Think on Monday. If you missed the program, you can listen to it here.

Stomping and roaring across the plains. Nope, not us, but a whole warehouse full of animatronic dinosaurs right here in North Texas. Today, we take a visit to Billings Productions in McKinney, one of the country’s largest producers of the Big Guys.

This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll honor a pioneering female in Tejano music.

Just a quick heads up to tune your radios to KXT 91.7 FM at 4 p.m. today to hear Natalie Merchant’s in-studio performance. Just a few minutes ago, Natalie and her band were playing a few cuts from her latest album, Leave Your Sleep. On the album, she’s collected American and British poems and set [...]

Today in the roundup: A Fort Worth filmmaker on KERA, music notes and Contemporary Theatre of Dallas returns to West Texas.

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This Week in Texas Music History, we’ll meet a duo whose first taste of success involved tequila.