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The nominees for the Academy Awards were announced earlier this week. This year's musical picks include only two "best original song" choices - the lowest number ever. And, this year's "best original score" category includes two separate John Williams works - making him the most nominated composer in Oscar history. Jon Burlingame, who writes about film and television music, joins us to talk about who made the cut - and who didn't.

For our latest installment of Pick Three, we travel (well, by phone) to the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. Mark Wheat of Minnesota Public Radio’s alternative music station, The Current, joins us with three of his favorite things.

Danielle de Niese was born in Australia and grew up in the U.S. – but her voice seems to have originated from somewhere in 17th century Europe. The soprano is back at the Metropolitan Opera this month as “Ariel” in the pastiche called “The Enchanted Island,” and recently released her fourth album, called “Beauty of the Baroque.” She joins us in the studio for a live performance.

John Schaefer hears something familiar in two of today's three picks.

Indie classical guitar outfit Threefifty Duo performs with Dither, Andrew McKenna Lee and Twi the Humble Feather at Le Poisson Rouge on Thursday night. Download the Brooklyn act's rock-tinged single "Circles" here.