Poster Amy Beach
Amy Beach
Wiki Commons
Performance Today®

Composer Amy Beach

In 1894, at the age of 27, Amy Beach became the first American woman to compose and publish a symphony. She was the first woman to establish a reputation as a great American composer. You'll hear Amy Beach's Symphony in E minor, Op. 32 ("Gaelic"), performed by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, on this edition of Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Prelude, Op. 23 No. 4 in D Major
Barry Douglas, piano
Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 18; 7 Preludes
RCA 61679

Alfonso Ferrabosco: Lamentations
The Tallis Scholars; Peter Phillips, conductor
Savannah Music Festival, Trinity United Methodist Church, Savannah, GA

The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Mike Miller from New York City, NY

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony No. 2: 1. Largo - allegro moderato
Houston Symphony; Andres Orozco-Estrada, conductor
Houston Symphony, Jones Hall, Houston, TX

Hour 2

Amy Beach: Prelude on an Old Folk Tune
Joanne Polk, piano
Under The Stars
Arabesque 6704

Fanny Mendelssohn: Overture in C Major
River Oaks Chamber Orchestra; Mei Ann Chen, conductor
St. John the Devine Church, Houston, TX

Jennifer Higdon: Legacy
Emma Resmini, flute; Hugh Sung, piano
Performance Today Young Artist in Residence, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN

Emily Doolittle: Falling Still
Harriet Mackenzie, violin; English String Orchestra; Kenneth Woods, conductor
English String Orchestra, LSO St Luke's, London, UK

Amy Beach: Symphony in E minor, Op. 32 "Gaelic": Movements 2 & 3
Emmanuelle Boisvert, violin; Detroit Symphony Orchestra; Neeme Jarvi, conductor
Barber: 1st Symphony/Beach: Gaelic Symphony
Chandoes 8958

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

Richard Danielpour: Triptych

Richard Danielpour: Triptych

Dante's Divine Comedy takes us through hell, purgatory, and paradise. Composer Richard Danielpour says he sees a metaphor for the recent pandemic in that, and he wrote a new symphony reflecting on those themes. The ensemble ROCO plays Danielpour's Triptych on this weekend's episode of Performance Today.

1:59:00
Wynton Marsalis: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra

Wynton Marsalis: Concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra

On today's show, we'll hear a piece for solo trumpet and orchestra by Wynton Marsalis. Throughout the piece, Marsalis gives us a quick history of the trumpet, from simple horns (literally) to the invention of brass and on to one of Marsalis's heroes: Louis Armstrong. Today, we’ll hear Wynton Marsalis's Trumpet Concerto, played by trumpeter Alison Balsom and the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: David Lai

PT Weekend: David Lai

We're pleased to introduce the first of our 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence: pianist David Lai. David joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our Saint Paul studio on today's show.

1:59:00
Where true joy is serious business

Where true joy is serious business

The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra has an official motto. It's carved in stone on the side of their concert hall, a Latin phrase that translates: "True joy is serious business." We'll hear some of that joy from a concert in Leipzig, Germany, on today’s episode of Performance Today.

1:59:00
Rossini's worst critic: Rossini

Rossini's worst critic: Rossini

When composer Gioachino Rossini was 12, he wrote six "terrible" sonatas. WE don't think they're terrible—Rossini is the one that used that word. So, see what you think... join us today to hear Rossini's not-so-terrible String Sonata No. 3 from a concert in Portland, Oregon.

1:59:00
The Year of the Snake

The Year of the Snake

It’s the Year of the Snake! For more than two billion people across many Asian cultures and the Asian diaspora, it's the beginning of a new year, the Lunar New Year. Join us today for celebratory music from Sichuan province, with a violinist born in the Year of the Snake.

1:59:00
Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier'

Beethoven's 'Hammerklavier'

Marc-Andre Hamelin is one of the most celebrated and respected pianists of our time. His performances are known for their brilliance, technical mastery, and deep musicality. On today's show, we'll hear Hamelin play one of the world’s most challenging piano compositions: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29, the Hammerklavier.

1:59:00
Young Artist in Residence: David Lai

Young Artist in Residence: David Lai

We’re proud to introduce you to pianist David Lai, our newest PT Young Artist in Residence. He joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio — hear his music and the entire interview here!

44:27
Meet David Lai

Meet David Lai

We're pleased to introduce the first of our 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence: pianist David Lai. David joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our Saint Paul studio on today's show.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Music from a summer home

PT Weekend: Music from a summer home

We'll hear the Philadelphia Orchestra in concert at their summer home in Saratoga Springs, New York, on today's show. Conductor Yannick Nezet-Seguin leads a performance of the Prelude to Act One of Richard Wagner's opera Lohengrin.

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.

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. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®