We've cued up two hours of live music straight from the TED stage. Listen for a wide range of virtuoso musicians -- on some very surprising instruments ...

A jazz icon since the late 1960s, Naná Vasconcelos contributed Latin percussion to some of the world’s most cerebral, soulful music.

Tom Thum whirls together beatboxing, performance and an array of mouthsounds.

John Linnell and John Flansburgh are They Might Be Giants: multi-instrumental, tech-savvy and implacably prolific, they are the musicians of choice of geeks, tinkerers and curious kids of all ages.

Rodrigo y Gabriela fuse metal, jazz and world music into an exhilarating cocktail of complex arrangements and virtuoso musicianship.

Megan Washington has won two ARIA Awards, the Australian equivalent of the Grammys. A popular singer/songwriter, she has recently come clean with a secret—that she has a speech impediment.

Violinist Robert Gupta joined the LA Philharmonic at the age of 19 -- and maintains a passionate parallel interest in neurobiology and mental health issues. He's a TED Senior Fellow.

Whether they’re sung in in English or his native Faroese, Teitur laces his deceptively innocent songs with often stinging hooks.

Young piano player Joey Alexander has an old soul's gift for jazz.

It all started as a practical joke: Geert Chatrou's sister-in-law entered him in the International Whistler's Convention in Louisburg, NC. To save face, he went … and won!

A real-life circus composer, Sxip Shirey makes haunting melodies from familiar objects and reconfigured sounds.

Father-daughter beatboxing duo Nicole Paris and Ed Cage mix beats across generations.

With his philanthropic work, John Legend is leveraging his stardom to raise social consciousness and make a positive impact on a global scale.

Brandon Boyd, lead singer of Incubus, says, "I hope to one day perform live music on the moon. Perhaps if all goes according to plan, we can make a TED Talk out of it!" We eagerly await this event. Until then, here are his favorite talks.

Equally talented on cello and vocals, Caroline Lavelle has created a performance style all her own. Her expansive talents, channeling the best of both classical and contemporary influences, have earned her comparisons to both Kate Bush and Jacqueline du Pré.

Jill Sobule's fanciful songs captured an issue or irony, an emotion or epiphany that helped us understand what it's like to live now.

Pianist Derek Paravicini understands music systematically. Once a child prodigy, he’s matured into a creative musician, able to reimagine songs in ways few can.

Global wanderer Vincent Moon explores and documents vanishing traditions with his evocative ethnomusical films.

Vy Higginsen's Gospel Choir of Harlem is an influential source of education and self-development for young people.

Pamelia Kurstin excavates a dusty artifact from the prehistoric strata of electronic music -- and demonstrates how to squeeze soul from an instrument you can't even touch.

With cello, piano and violin, sisters Maria, Lucia and Angella Ahn are constantly redefining the art and architecture of chamber music.

Preston Reed’s hands have an otherworldly coordination. The fingers, nails, thumbs, and palms of both left and right dance, pluck, strum, and slap his guitar, which bursts with a full sound.

With his artistry and creativity, Bill T. Jones has inspired a generation of dancers, choreographers -- and audiences.

Mischievous and deeply original, accordionist Rachelle Garniez plays her own witty songs and gives a beautiful swing to the classics.

Eric Lewis (aka ELEW) fuses a highly intricate style of jazz improvisation with physical, rocking grooves in a musical cocktail he calls "Rockjazz."

South African singer-songwriter Vusi Mahlasela was a crucial artistic voice during the fight against apartheid, and now in the new modern-day nation. Blending traditional African music with soul and blues, his music showcases powerful vocals and poetic lyrics.

Onyx Ashanti is the inventor of "beatjazz" -- a new way to make music.