Poster JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta
Courtesy of the artist
Performance Today®

JoAnn Falletta

When JoAnn Falleta began her career in the 1970s, there were no women conducting major American orchestras on a regular basis. Falletta says she never set out to be a pioneer; she just feels lucky to be able to do what she loves. Join us for music and conversation with JoAnn Falletta on Tuesday's Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Vincenzo Bellini: Chi veggio La regina: Act II Finale From La Straniera
Pretty Yende, soprano; Piero Pretti, tenor; Mattia Olivieri, baritone; Carlo Lepore, bass; Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi; Giacom Sagripanti, conductor
Dreams
Sony Music Entertainment 617

Charles Gounod: Ah! Je veux vivre, from 'Romeo et Juliette'
Pretty Yende, soprano; Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppe Verdi; Giacomo Sagripanti, conductor
Dreams
Sony Music Entertainment 617

Aldo Lopez-Gavilan: Emporium for Solo Piano and Orchestra
Aldo Lopez-Gavilan, piano; The Classical Tahoe Orchestra; Joel Revzen, conductor
Classical Tahoe, The Pavilion, Incline Village, NV

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Sinfonia in C Major for Strings, W. 182, No. 3
Danbi Um, violin; Daniel Phillips, violin; Yura Lee, viola; Daniel McDonough, cello; David Grossman, double bass; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
University of Georgia, Performing Arts Center, Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA

Hour 2

Camilla de Rossi: Sinfonia, from Il Sacrifizio di Abramo: Movements 1 & 4
JoAnn Falletta, lute; Bay Area Women's Philharmonic; Jo Ann Falletta, conductor
Baroquen Treasures
Newport 60102

Peter Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 3
Fabio Bidini, piano; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Peter Tchaikovsky: Polonaise, from Eugene Onegin
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Johann Strauss Jr.: Rosen aus dem Suden Waltz, Op. 388
Geoff Nuttall, violin; Livia Sohn, violin; Daniel Phillips, viola; Anthony Manzo, double bass; Geoff Nuttall, conductor
Spoleto Festival USA 2015, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC

Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.1
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Franz Schmidt: Intermezzo from Notre Dame
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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'

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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

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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
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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

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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
Music from a summer home

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.

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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.

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