Benjamin Zander has two infectious passions: classical music, and helping us all realize our untapped love for it -- and by extension, our untapped love for all new possibilities, new experiences, new connections.

A leading interpreter of Mahler and Beethoven, Benjamin Zander is known for his charisma and unyielding energy -- and for his brilliant pre-concert talks.

These engrossing stories will make your drive -- or train ride -- fly by. You'll laugh, you'll cry, you won't feel an ounce of road rage. And you won't miss a thing if you can't watch the visuals.

These talks will make your heart ache in the best of ways. Each is a wonderful reminder of the beautiful poignancy of life.

Browse Ben Affleck's super 8, and his director's notes on why he picked them.

Explore the transforming power of music.

Stefan Sagmeister prefers to watch with company: “I find watching TED Talks the most brilliant alternative to watching TV, especially with someone else while stopping and going and stopping and discussing it all.”

Tim O'Reilly of O'Reilly Media ("Make:" magazine, anyone?) shares his favorite TED Talks with notes about why each one had an impact. Surprise: It's not all tech.

Music is a fundamental aspect of humanity -- so exactly how does it impact us? These talks offer a wonderful look at our fascinating relationship with the music we make.

If you were in the marching band, jazz ensemble or choir, music is a part of you — whether you still play or not. Let these talks tap into that.

From Chopin to Handel and everything in between -- immerse yourself in the world of classical music.

These extraordinary maestros bring you into the world of writing and conducting music.

Our most viewed TED Talks translated into Hindi by volunteer TED Translators. (Turn on subtitles to access translations.)

A thoughtful selection of engaging TED Talks, translated into 40+ languages thanks to our wonderful TED Translators community!

About this event: Chaired by Suffolk based, TED Music Director Thomas Dolby, the day will feature sessions on three different subjects: Perspectives, Play and Participation. Tod Machover, David Toop and United Visual Artists, with recorded talks from David Byrne and Mark Johnson. William Orbit, Louis Lortie and Nick Ryan present their thoughts on Play in a sessio...

Today in the United States, we'll celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the civil rights leader. Dr. King was an activist, an orator, a thinker, and -- as several recent TED Talks have pointed out -- a visionary leader. These four speakers touch on ways in which King's passionate style galvanized a movement whose time had come. Freeman Hr...

Over the weekend, we asked the TED community on Facebook this question: "If you wanted to show a TEDTalk to open the school year, which one would you choose?" It's inspired by a question tweeted from the #jed21 conference. On Facebook, almost 1,000 responses flowed in. The job of tallying the results -- given in freeform comments -- fell to our...

This spring, TED headed on the road, visiting 14 cities across six continents on the hunt for untapped talent. The idea behind the sweeping search: to let you, the TED community, weigh in and vote on which speakers you’d like to see ascend the stage at TED2013. After holding one-night salons in Amsterdam, Bangalore, Doha, Johannesburg, Londo...

About this event: At the inaugural TEDxBoston event, we were inspired by ideas that are shaping the future of industries as diverse as education, energy, and elder care. We saw provocative demos of prototypes that will change the way we commute, care for those in need, and clean the air. We were amazed by products that diagnose diseases and pill caps that remind ...

About this event: TEDxAkam was an inspirational on the spur of the moment TEDx event held at Aga Khan Academy Mombasa. The event was put together on short notice supported by representatives of the school who use the TED talks in the school IB program. Working with Nick Alchin, the Dean of Studies, a passionate Tedster himself, we managed to organise the event ov...

About this event: You are cordially invited to the next TEDxTheHague salon! Our Valentine's edition — themed Art of Love, Love of Art — is hosted by painting artist Jos van der Berg at his studio. As art is said to bring our minds to a higher level, the same is said of love. So be charmed, let your fancy dally in a field of daisies. Let’s speak of taste. Bad ...

TED Translators attending TEDActive 2011 in Palm Springs, CA. Photo: Michael Brands Today is the 2-year anniversary of the Open Translation Project! To date, our volunteer translators have created over 18,000 translations of TEDTalks in 81 languages. For the occasion, we asked a few translators to tell us (in English and the language they ...

A delightfully useful collection of explanations, how-tos and amusing trivia.

Books can entertain, sucking you like a tornado into incredible new worlds. Books can teach, giving you a richer understanding of time periods, people and ideas you’ve never been exposed to. But books can do so much more. In today’s talk, TED's own Lisa Bu introduces us to the concept of “comparative reading,” the practice of reading book...