Poster Black and white portrait of a man
Kwamé Ryan, Music Director Designate of the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra
Courtesy of the artist
Performance Today®

Kwamé Ryan and the Charlotte Symphony

It can be a delicate moment when an orchestra names a new music director—orchestras can be a little cool toward new conductors. The Charlotte Symphony has stepped up and welcomed its Music Director Designate with a party atmosphere. We'll hear the fruits of this new partnership on today's show: Kwamé Ryan leads the Charlotte Symphony in a hometown performance.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Marc-Andre Hamelin: Landler I, from Con intimissimo sentimento & Little Nocturne
Marc-Andre Hamelin, piano
Album: Etudes
Hyperion 67789

Witold Lutoslawski: Variations on a Theme by Paganini for Two Pianos
Marc-Andre Hamelin & Gloria Chien, pianos
Chamber Music Northwest, Mechanics Hall, Worcester, MA

Margi Griebling-Haigh: Sortilege, free variations for bassoon and piano
Amy Pollard, bassoon | Greg Hankins, piano
University of Georgia Performing Arts Center, Hugh Hodgson School of Music, Athens, GA

Johannes Brahms: Symphony No. 3 in F Major, Op. 90: Mvts. 2-4
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | Louis Langree, conductor
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Cincinnati Music Hall, Cincinnati, OH

Hour 2

Peter Tchaikovsky: Souvenir of a Beloved Place: Movement 3 Melody
Jennifer Koh, violin | Odense Symphony Orchestra | Alexander Vedernikov, conductor
Album: Tchaikovsky: Complete Works for Violin and Orchestra
Cedille 166

Shih-Hui Chen: Returning Souls: Four Short Pieces on Three Formosan Amis Legends
Geoffrey Herd, violin | Eliot Heaton, violin | Eric Wong, viola | Max Geissler, cello
Geneva Music Festival, Froelich Hall, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Hobart & William Smith Colleges, Geneva, NY

Samuel Zyman: Sonata No. 2 for Flute and Piano: Mvt 1 Larghetto espessivo e rubato
Mimi Stillman, flute | Charles Abramovic, piano
Dolce Suono Ensemble, Trinity Center for Urban Life, Philadelphia, PA

Peter Tchaikovsky: Variations on a Rococo Theme, Op. 33
Sterling Elliott, cello | Charlotte Symphony Orchestra | Kwamé Ryan, conductor
Charlotte Symphony Orchestra, Belk Theatre, Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, Charlotte, NC

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

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Simone Dinnerstein on committing work to memory

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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.

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Festival Mozaic

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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.

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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.

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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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