Poster Composer Amy Beach
Composer Amy Beach
University of New Hampshire
Performance Today®

Amy Beach

Amy Beach, nee Cheney, debuted with the Boston Symphony at the age of 17. She married two years later, and her husband forbade her from having a career on stage, so... Amy Beach became a great composer. A story of perseverance and the power of music, on Tuesday's Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Amy Beach: Le Prince gracieux (The Gracious Prince)
Joanne Polk, piano
Amy Beach, Vol. 2: Under the Stars
Arabesque 6704

Robert Schumann: Romance, Op. 94, No. 2
Joshua Bell, violin; Jeremy Denk, piano
Jerome L. Greene Performance Space, WQXR, New York City, NY

Amy Beach: Theme and Variations for flute and string quartet, Op. 80
Elizabeth Mann, flute; Steven Copes, violin; Stefan Hersh, violin; Toby Appel, viola; Bion Tsang, cello
Colorado College Summer Music Festival, Packard Hall, Colorado Springs, CO

Kurt Weill: Suite from Threepenny Opera
Greenville Symphony Orchestra; Edvard Tchivzhel, conductor
Greenville Symphony Association, Gunter Theater, Greenville, SC

Hour 2

Francis Poulenc: Album de Six and Les Maries de la Tour Eiffel selections
French National Orchestra; Charles Dutoit, conductor
Poulenc: Aubade - Las Biches
London 452937

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in C major for Recorder, Strings and Continuo, RV 443: Movements 2-3
Andreas Bohlen, recorder; Bach Collegium Japan; Masaaki Suzuki, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Francis Poulenc: Sextet for Piano and Wind Quintet, FP. 100
Judy Dines, flute; Hassan Anderson, oboe; Terrance Patterson, clarinet; Joshua Hood, bassoon; Amanda Collins, French horn; Terrence Wilson, piano
Gateways Music Festival, Hochstein School of Music & Dance, Rochester, NY

Sergei Prokofiev: Violin Concerto No. 2, Op. 63: Movements 2-3
Gil Shaham, violin; Los Angeles Philharmonic; Lionel Bringuier, conductor
Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles, CA

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

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
Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Inon Barnatan and Summerfest La Jolla

Pianist Inon Barnatan keeps busy as a musician, playing on the most prestigious stages around the world. He's also the Music Director of Summerfest La Jolla in California. On today's show, we'll hear a stunning performance at a stunning location—Inon Barnatan and violinist Augustin Hadelich play a piece by Camille Saint-Saens at Summerfest La Jolla.

1:59:00
Bruckner the late bloomer

Bruckner the late bloomer

Anton Bruckner was a late bloomer. He wrote his first major piece at age 40. He built some momentum in his 50s, but musicians, critics, and most audiences at the time didn't fully appreciate his work. Bruckner got his first authentic taste of success with a piece he premiered in 1884 at the age of 60. We'll hear from that work on today's show: Anton Bruckner's Symphony No. 7.

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®