Amelia Mason
Senior Arts & Culture Reporter
Amelia Mason is a senior arts and culture reporter and critic for WBUR, where she covers everything from fine art to television to the inner workings of the Boston music scene.
Her work has been broadcast on NPR’s Here & Now and published on NPR Music, where she is proud to have contributed to the canon-redefining “150 Greatest Albums Made By Women.” Once, she was a Listening Party panelist for All Songs Considered and another time she won a regional Edward R. Murrow Award in feature reporting. In her spare time she plays the fiddle.
Recently published
WBUR's 2026 local Tiny Desk Contest superlatives
Nearly 200 Massachusetts musicians entered NPR's Tiny Desk Contest this year. Here are four that caught our judges eyes.
The A.R.T.’s ‘Black Swan’ turns horror into something you can sing
In Darren Aronofsky's 2010 psychological thriller “Black Swan,” a production of the classical ballet “Swan Lake” becomes an unexpected locus of horror. Now, the story is being reimagined by the...
Your local fan favorite Tiny Desk Contest entry is…
More than 3,000 votes were cast for the fan favorite local entry to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest. The entry that garnered the most votes is a stripped-down R&B performance that...
Boston's proposed arts cuts put small organizations at risk
Boston's arts community steels itself for a new era of scarcity as federal pandemic funds run out and the city cuts millions in grant programs to balance the budget.
How a Boston hip-hop prodigy won $5,000 for college
It all began when the Belly Gang Kushington, a rising Atlanta rapper known for his strip club anthem “Friend Do (remix),” issued a challenge to his legions of followers online....
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Our favorite local music this month
Spring has ushered in a wave of genre-spanning new tracks and albums. From a timeless look at the triumphs and struggles of our inner lives to an ode to icons...
Sharing some of the local entries to this year's Tiny Desk Contest
A panel convened by WBUR is sorting through dozens of local entries into NPR's famed Tiny Desk Contest.
Vote for your favorite local 2026 NPR Tiny Desk Contest entry
There were 184 Massachusetts entries to the national contest, and we've whittled it down to 22 local finalists. Cast your vote for the Fan Favorite.
A musical project sheds light on Boston's Black labor history
An album and podcast from the Silkroad Ensemble and Rhiannon Giddens was inspired by the Black and immigrant labor that built America’s railroads. In Boston, Black sleeping car porters unionized...
Our local Tiny Desk search begins
WBUR's Amelia Mason has begun her annual springtime search for our favorite local entry to NPR's Tiny Desk Contest, with the help of a panel of local collaborators.