Poster Flag
Flag
Flag
Performance Today®

Inauguration Day

Today, the country celebrates the inauguration of the nation's 44th president, Barack Obama. We'll have two hours of inauguration-related music, including early-American political songs from Baltimore, and a performance of Copland's "Lincoln Portrait," with the Atlanta Symphony and narrator Andrew Young. Plus, we'll feature several of the performers scheduled to play at today's inauguration ceremony.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Erich Korngold: "King's Row"
The National Philharmonic Orchestra with conductor Charles Gerhardt

John Philip Sousa: "Semper Fidelis"
The United States Marine Band with conductor John Sousa

John Stafford Smith: "The Star-Spangled Banner"
The Cleveland Orchestra with conductor Franz Welser-Most
Arsht Center, Miami

Anonymous: "The Boston March"
Boston Camerata with conductor Joel Cohen
Baltimore

Traditional: "Liberty Tree,""Jefferson and Liberty," and "Saw ye my Hero George"
Boston Camerata with conductor Joel Cohen
Baltimore

Traditional: "The Blessings of Peace"
Boston Camerata with conductor Joel Cohen
Mandel Hall, Chicago

John Adams: "The Chairman Dances"
The BBC National Orchestra of Wales with conductor Mark Elder
Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, the Netherlands

Aaron Copland: "Lincoln Portrait"
Andrew Young, narrator, with the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and conductor Chelsea Tipton
Martin Luther King, Jr. Chapel, Atlanta

Prince Leleiohoku: "Nani Wale Lihu'e"
The Rose Ensemble

Hour 2

Morton Gould: "American Salute"
The Boston Pops Orchestra with conductor John Williams

Steve Laven: "Beyond the Odyssey"
The River Oaks Chamber Orchestra with conductor Tanya Ratner
St. John the Divine Episcopal Church, Houston

John Gay: "The Turtle Thus the Plaintive Crying," from "The Beggar's Opera"
Soprano Sharon Baker and harpsichordist John Gibbons
Aston Magna Festival, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Francesco Geminiani: Andante Moderato, from "The Art of Playing the Violin"
Violinist Daniel Stepner and harpsichordist John Gibbons
Aston Magna Festival, Great Barrington, Massachusetts

Peter Tchaikovsky and Gabriela Montero: Improvisation on a Theme from "Swan Lake"
Pianist Gabriela Montero
Royal Castle, Warsaw, Poland

Robert Schumann: "Rasch und mit Feuer" from "Phantasiestucke," Op. 73
Clarinetist Anthony McGill and pianist Derek Han
Music@Menlo, Palo Alto, California

John Williams: "An American Journey"
The Recording Arts Orchestra of Los Angeles with conductor John Williams
Sony Pictures Studios, Culver City, California

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

‘Performance Today’ has selected performer and composer Jessie Montgomery as the 2025 Classical Woman of the Year. This annual award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the classical music art form and have inspired our listeners. Find out more!

Marin Alsop's debut with the Berlin Philharmonic

Marin Alsop's debut with the Berlin Philharmonic

When Marin Alsop was a kid, her parents taught her she could achieve anything she set her heart to; no one was going to stop her. She's now the Music Director of the National Orchestral Institute and Festival and guest conducts orchestras worldwide. On today's program, we'll hear Marin Alsop make her conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic at a concert in Germany.

1:59:00
Montero's "Latin Concerto"

Montero's "Latin Concerto"

In 2016, pianist and composer Gabriela Montero wrote a concerto reflecting how people perceive Latin America. She says it's not an overtly political piece, but it does express the light and dark sides of the subject. Today, we'll hear Gabriela Montero play her “Latin Concerto” at a recent concert in Gstaad, Switzerland.

1:59:00
Kevin Puts: Home

Kevin Puts: Home

For composer Kevin Puts, the key of C major is a sonic representation of "home." It's familiar and comforting. In 2019, Puts wrote a string quartet that begins with that familiar key, but goes on to what Puts calls "the search for new and unfamiliar harmonic terrain." He wanted the music to explore the sonic possibilities, but then return to his musical idea of home. Puts knew that, however he got there, the feeling of home would be changed by the journey. Join us today to hear the Miro Quartet play Home by Kevin Puts.

1:59:00
A hearty welcome to Valerie Kahler!

A hearty welcome to Valerie Kahler!

Valerie Kahler is no stranger to PT; our longtime guest host and friend officially joins the team as full-time host on today's show. Join Valerie as she begins her musical adventures with Performance Today.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Farewell, Fred!

PT Weekend: Farewell, Fred!

After 25 unforgettable years, host Fred Child bids farewell in his final show for Performance Today. Join the celebration as Fred expresses his gratitude through music and stories from an extraordinary career in public radio.

1:59:00
Fred Child looks to the future

Fred Child looks to the future

After 25 unforgettable years, host Fred Child bids farewell in his final show for Performance Today. Join the celebration as Fred expresses his gratitude through music and stories from an extraordinary career in public radio.

1:59:00
Special Guest: Jessie Montgomery

Special Guest: Jessie Montgomery

Grammy-winning composer and violinist Jessie Montgomery is PT’s 2025 Classical Woman of the Year, and today she joins Fred Child as a special guest co-host. Tune in today to hear Montgomery share the music that has shaped her unique artistic voice. It's a special hour of music you won't want to miss.

1:59:00
Celebrating Bruce Adolphe and the Piano Puzzler

Celebrating Bruce Adolphe and the Piano Puzzler

After 23 years, the Piano Puzzler is signing off. On today's show, Bruce Adolphe joins us one last time to talk with Fred and test our listeners' musical ears. Over the years, the Puzzler has challenged all of us to listen to music differently, while teaching us how composers express themselves in their own unique ways. Puzzler fans—look for the Piano Puzzler archive on our website in the coming days. Thanks again, Bruce!

1:59:00
Samuel Frois

Samuel Frois

Meet one of our 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence: violinist Samuel Frois. On today's show, Samuel joins Fred Child at our studio in Saint Paul to perform works by Brazilian composers Heitor Villa-Lobos and Andre Mehmari.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.

American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Hosted by Valerie Kahler, Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00