Norwegian singer Sissel is not the highest visibility performer in the amorphous territory between pop music, classical music and world music -- at least not in this country. But she’s working on it.

For 50 years, Neil Sedaka has been writing, playing, and singing his music though it's not always been easy. Sedaka was a megastar in the '50s, a veritable has-been in the '60s, and a remarkable ...