Poster Violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky
Violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky
courtesy of artist
Performance Today®

Alexander Sitkovetsky

It's one of the first exercises you learn to play on an instrument, one of the basic ways to build technique... and, it's awfully tempting to skip while practicing. Alexander Sitkovetsky shares his most valuable practice tip, on Wednesday's Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto for Oboe, Violin, Strings and Continuo in C minor, BWV 1060: Movement 1 Allegro
Hilary Hahn, violin; Allan Vogel, oboe; Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; Jeffrey Kahane, conductor
Hilary Hahn, Bach Concertos
DG 986

John Corigliano: Gazebo Dances
Rieko Aizawa, piano; Aaron Wunsch, piano
Skaneateles Festival, First Presbyterian Church, Skaneateles, NY

Bruce Adolphe: This week's contestant is Cayce Wilkinson from Council Bluffs, IA

Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto in D Major: Movements 2-3
Hilary Hahn, violin; Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra; Louis Langree, conductor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Taft Theatre, Cincinnati, OH

Hour 2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Sonata K. 330 in C Major: Movement 1 Allegro moderato
Fazil Say, piano
Mozart - Piano Sonatas and Variations
Atlantic 21970

Maurice Ravel: Tzigane, for violin and piano, M.76
Alexander Sitkovetsky, violin; Gloria Chen, piano
String Theory at the Hunter, The Hunter Museum of American Art, Chattanooga, TN

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: String Quintet in C minor, K. 406
Manhattan Chamber Players: Mark Steinberg, violin; Grace Park, violin; Luke Fleming, viola; Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola; Brook Speltz, cello
Manhattan Chamber Players, Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, New York, NY

Natalie Dietterich: Aeolian Dust
Yale Philharmonia; Inmo Kang, conductor
Yale School of Music, Woolsey Hall, New Haven, CT

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

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
Composer Viet Cuong

Composer Viet Cuong

In 2022, composer Viet Cuong found himself at his father's bedside in the ICU. He played some of his compositions—music he knew his father loved—and hoped that the sound, or "sine waves," would reach his father's consciousness. Cuong realized that his love for his father and his passion for music were inseparable. Join us for a concert at the University of Georgia to hear “Vital Sines” by Viet Cuong.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Meet Victor Ni

PT Weekend: Meet Victor Ni

We're pleased to introduce you to clarinetist Victor Ni, our next 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's program, Victor joins Fred Child for music and conversation in our Saint Paul studio. Plus, Bruce Adolphe joins us for this week’s Piano Puzzler.

1:59:00
Augustin Hadelich and the St Louis Symphony

Augustin Hadelich and the St Louis Symphony

Once troubled by pre-concert jitters so intense that he needed a push to get on stage, violinist Augustin Hadelich has discovered a new sense of calm. Breathing exercises have transformed his performance experience, making the stage feel like home. On today's program, Agustin Hadelich and the St. Louis Symphony play music by Samuel Barber.

1:59:00
Julio Medaglia

Julio Medaglia

Composer Julio Medaglia was born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1938. He studied conducting in Germany for ten years before returning to Brazil to conduct and compose. For 30 years, he hosted a daily radio show in São Paulo that sounded similar to PT, combining concert highlights and contemporary music. On today's show, we'll hear the Imani Winds play Julio Medaglia's 'Belle Epoque en Sud-America,’ including a really fun movement named "Crazy Baby Clarinette!"

1:59:00
Young Artist in Residence: Victor Ni

Young Artist in Residence: Victor Ni

Clarinetist Victor Ni is the next of our 2025 cohort of PT Young Artists in Residence. Victor recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio. You can hear Victor’s music and the entire interview here.

42:34
Victor Ni

Victor Ni

We're pleased to introduce you to clarinetist Victor Ni, our next 2025 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's program, Victor joins Fred Child for music and conversation in our Saint Paul studio.

1:59:00
Bringing fractals to life

Bringing fractals to life

Composer Jessie Montgomery found inspiration in nature's infinitely repeating patterns: fractals. Her fascination with these natural wonders led her to write a captivating new piece that brings fractals to life through sound. On today's show, we'll hear "Rounds" by Jessie Montgomery, a musical exploration of nature's boundless beauty.

1:59:00
The Poiesis Quartet

The Poiesis Quartet

The Poiesis Quartet was founded in the fall of 2022 at Oberlin Conservatory. Its name comes from an ancient Greek word meaning “to make"—specifically, to create something that has never been made before. One of the quartet's violinists is our former Young Artist in Residence, Sarah Ma. On today's program, we'll take you to a concert in San Antonio to hear what Ma and their quartet have been up to lately.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: A Finnish connection

PT Weekend: A Finnish connection

Finnish violinist and conductor Pekka Kuusisto shares a connection with the music and character of his fellow countryman, Jean Sibelius. On today’s program, Kuusisto and the German Symphony Orchestra perform two seldom-heard gems by Sibelius at a concert in Berlin.

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®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00