Poster Holiday wreath
Holiday wreath
jgohman
Performance Today®

The night before...

On today's show, we celebrate the joys and blessings of the holiday season with music for a cozy Christmas Eve.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Ben Rowarth: There is no rose
ORA Singers | Suzi Digby, conductor
Album: The Mystery of Christmas
Harmonia Mundi 905305

Jessica French: Earth Strike Up Your Music
St. Olaf Orchestra | St. Olaf Massed Choir | James E. Bobb, conductor
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Traditional, arr. Catherine McMichael: A Renaissance Noel (selections)
The National Flute Choir | Amy Rice Blumenthal, conductor
Album: Here We Come a'FLUTING
ALRY 27

Armas Maasalo, arr. Antoine Bareil: Joulun Kellot (The Bells of Christmas)
La Pieta | Angele Dubeau, conductor
Album: Noel
Analekta 8730

Ledward Kaapana: C-H-R-I-S-T-M-A-S
Ledward Kaapana, guitar
Album: Ki ho'alu Christmas: Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar
Dancing Cat 08022

Traditional French: Angels from the Realms of Glory
Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra | Craig Jessop, conductor
Album: Rejoice and Be Merry!
Mormon Tabernacle 5007325

Traditional German: Leise rieselt der Schnee
Calmus Ensemble Leipzig
Album: White Christmas
Carus 83511

Franz Schubert: Mille Cherubini In Coro
Johann Strauss Orchestra | Andre Rieu, conductor
Album: Silver Bells
Universal Music GmbH

Jill Jackson Miller and Sy Miller: Let There Be Peace On Earth
The Boys Choir of Harlem
Album: We Shall Overcome
The Boys Choir of Harlem 822139000221

Hugh Martin, arr. Harriet Adie: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
4 Girls 4 Harps
Album: 4 Girls 4 Harps At Christmas
Discovery 107

Hour 2

Traditional Polish, arr: Hania Rani & Dobrawa Czocher: Jezus Malusienki
Hania Rani, piano | Dobrawa Czocher, cello
Album: Winter Tales
DG 28948615049

George Chadwick: Noel, from Symphonic Sketches
St. Olaf Orchestra | Chung Park, conductor
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Orchestra Hall, Minneapolis, MN

Susan Brumfield: See Amid the Winter's Snow
Spivey Hall Children's Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Michael Delalande: Simphonies des noels/Christmas Symphony
The King's Violins | Bernard Labadie, conductor
Album: Simphonies des Noels: A Treasury of Baroque Christmas Concerti
Dorian 90180

Traditional Venezuelan, arr. Michael Culloton: Nino Lindo
Choral Arts Ensemble | Michael Culloton, conductor
Album: Joy to the World
Rochester 102009

Katherine Davis, Henry Onorati, & Harry Simeone, arr. George Andrews: The Little Drummer Boy
The Hampton String Quartet
Album: What if Mozart Wrote Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
RCA 5625

Franz Gruber: Silent Night
Lahti Symphony Orchestra | Osmo Vanska, conductor
Album: Christmas Wonderland
Bis 947

Traditional: Away in a Manger / Friendly Beasts
Adagio Trio
Album: Winter Gift
Adagio Trio 2

Timothy Stephens, arr. Desmond Earley: The Adoration of the Magi
Katherine Hunka, violin | Tristan Russcher, piano | The Choral Scholars of University College Dublin | Irish Chamber Orchestra | Desmond Earley, conductor
Album: Be All Merry
Signum 643

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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1:59:00
Cellist Jean-Guihen Queyras

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1:59:00
Simone Dinnerstein on committing work to memory

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2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

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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.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Webern's recovered work

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1:59:00
Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

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1:59:00
Festival Mozaic

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1:59:00
Anton 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
Blindfold Music

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1:59:00
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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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