Poster Florence Price
Florence Beatrice Smith Price
University of Arkansas
Performance Today®

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Composer Florence Price was also an excellent organist. In the 1930s, she played organ for silent films and radio shows in Chicago—and she wrote for the organ as well. We'll hear a Passacaglia and Fugue for organ by Florence Price on today's show.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Ernest Bloch: At Sea
Lara Downes, piano
Album: America Again
Dorian 92207

Bedrich Smetana: Vltava (The Moldau)
Texas Festival Orchestra | Michelle Merrill, conductor
Round Top Music Festival, Festival Concert Hall, Round Top, TX

Harry T. Burleigh: From the Southland: Movements 1, 2, 5, 6
Lara Downes, piano
Brevard Music Center, Parker Concert Hall, Brevard, NC

Richard Wagner: Die Meistersinger von Numberg Suite, Wwv 96
National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic | David Neely, conductor
National Orchestral Institute + Festival, Elsie and Marvin Dekelboum Concert Hall, Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD

Hour 2

Peter Tchaikovsky, arr. Walter Wollenweber: Nocturne
Sol Gabetta, cello | Munich Radio Orchestra | Ari Rasilainen, conductor
Album: Sol Gabetta plays Tchaikovsky, Saint-Saens and Ginastera
RCA 675951

Margi Griebling-Haigh: Rhapsody for Violin and Piano
Peter Otto, violin | Randall Fusco, piano
Cleveland Composers Guild, Drinko Recital Hall, Cleveland State University, Cleveland, OH

Alexander Zemlinsky: The Mermaid: Movement 1
The Orchestra Now | Leon Botstein, conductor
Bard College and The Orchestra Now, Sosnoff Theatre at The Fisher Center for The Performing Arts, Annandale-on-Hudson, NY

Florence Price: Passacaglia & Fugue
Alan Morrison, organ
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras describes J.S. Bach's solo cello suites as a "burst of life." To Queyras, these suites transcend any particular time or place; they feel like a metaphysical connection between earth and heaven. Tune in today to hear Jean-Guihen Queyras play J.S. Bach's Cello Suite No. 2 at a recent concert in Girona, Spain.

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Simone Dinnerstein on committing work to memory

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Pianist Simone Dinnerstein used to have memory slips while playing concerts. This became so upsetting that she tried something radical—she began learning music backwards, from the end to the beginning. Learn more about Simone Dinnerstein and hear her play from Robert Schumann's Kreisleriana on today's show.

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2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

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‘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!

It's our honor...

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We are both proud and honored to announce that Jessie Montgomery is our 2025 PT Classical Woman of the Year. Montgomery is a celebrated composer, violinist, and educator known for compositions that blend classical, folk, jazz, and contemporary influences. Among her numerous accomplishments, she founded the Young Composers Initiative, where she mentors high school composers, assisting them in preparing their music for performance by members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Tune in today to learn more about Jessie Montgomery and why her work is so influential.

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PT Weekend: Webern's recovered work

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In 1945, Austrian composer Anton Webern and his family fled Vienna. Most of Webern’s valuables, mementos, and manuscripts were placed in a lock box, which they buried in the backyard. Sixteen years later, the box was recovered with the manuscripts inside. On today's show, we'll hear one of those 'found' pieces: Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Breeze) by Anton Webern.

1:59:00
Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

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Last year, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of our country. The shared experience of an eclipse—an extraordinary moment of wonder and awe—inspired composer and pianist Clarice Assad to create a new piece for piano and orchestra. Join us today for a musical exploration of light and darkness: "Total Eclipse" by Clarice Assad.

1:59:00
Festival Mozaic

Festival Mozaic

The Serra Chapel in Shandon, California, is one of the venues for the annual Festival Mozaic, based in nearby San Luis Obispo. On summer evenings, concerts take place at the chapel, which offers seating inside and out—it's just one of the idyllic settings that make up Festival Mozaic. On today's show, we'll take you to Serra Chapel to hear a flute concerto by Vivaldi, with Alice K. Dade playing the flute alongside the Festival Mozaic Baroque Ensemble.

1:59:00
Anton Webern's recovered work

Anton Webern's recovered work

In 1945, Austrian composer Anton Webern and his family fled Vienna. Most of Webern’s valuables, mementos, and manuscripts were placed in a lock box, which they buried in the backyard. Sixteen years later, the box was recovered with the manuscripts inside. On today's show, we'll hear one of those 'found' pieces: Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Breeze) by Anton Webern.

1:59:00
Blindfold Music

Blindfold Music

Composer Miguel del Aguila imagined a meeting between two characters: one is Justice, the blindfolded woman holding scales and a sword, and the other is Law, the man holding a book and gavel. We'll hear Imani Winds play the world premiere of Miguel del Aguila's 'Blindfold Music' on today's show.

1:59:00
Malek Jandali on preserving Syria's traditional music

Malek Jandali on preserving Syria's traditional music

The Syrian Civil War has devastated more than lives, homes, and communities. With all that has been lost, Syrian-American composer Malek Jandali feels an imperative to preserve and share traditional Syrian music. On today's show, we'll hear a piece full of traditional Syrian styles and themes: the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by Malek Jandali.

1:59:00
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About Performance Today®

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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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