Poster The Christmas tree (1911) painting by Albert Chevallier Tayler
The Christmas tree (1911) painting by Albert Chevallier Tayler
Public Domain, painting by Albert Chevallier Tayler
Performance Today®

Happy Holidays!

Performance Today - December 25, 2024

For Christmas Day, we're playing some of the best holiday music... you might even find yourself joining the chorus. Tune in for Christmas and holiday music from concerts around the world. Happy Holidays from all of us at Performance Today!

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Traditional Basque, arr. Jim Clements: Gabriel's Message
Voces8 | Voces8 Foundation Choir | Voces8 Foundation Orchestra | Jack Liebeck, conductor
Album: A Choral Christmas
London/Decca

Antonio Vivaldi: Flute Concerto in F, RV 433 ('La tempesta di mare')
Il Giardino Armonico | Giovanni Antonini, flute and conductor
EBU, Actus Humanus Festival, Artus Court, Gdansk, Poland

Tarquinio Merula: Canzon 'La Lusignola'
Il Giardino Armonico | Giovanni Antonini, conductor
EBU, Actus Humanus Festival, Artus Court, Gdansk, Poland

Francesco Onofrio Manfredini: Concerto Grosso in C ('Con una Pastorale per il Santissimo Natale')
Il Giardino Armonico | Giovanni Antonini, conductor
EBU, Actus Humanus Festival, Artus Court, Gdansk, Poland

Piano Puzzlers
Contestants: Nicholas & Scott Meyer calling from Portland, Oregon

Rebecca Dale: Winter
Voces8
Album: Winter
London/Decca 25736

Traditional English, arr. Barnaby Smith: Coventry Carol
Voces8 Scholars
APM, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Traditional German, arr. Robert Pearsall: In Dulci Jubilo
Voces8
APM, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Mykola Leontovych, arr. Peter Wilhousky: Carol of the Bells
Voces8 and Voces8 Scholars
APM, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio, St. Paul, MN

Hour 2

John Rutter: Nativity Carol
Choir of Clare College, Cambridge | Dmitri Ensemble | Graham Ross, conductor
Album: Lux De Caelo: Music For Christmas
Harmonia Mundi 907615

Randol Bass: Joy to the World Fanfare
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and Chorus | JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on Greensleeves
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra | JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Emil Waldteufel: The Skaters Waltz
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra | JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Album: Favorite Holiday Classics
SELF PROD 266

Traditional, arr. Randall Reese: I Saw Three Ships
Judy Mason, piano | Spivey Hall Tour Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Traditional Finnish, arr. Michael Neaum: Gaudete
Judy Mason, piano | Spivey Hall Tour Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

John Rutter: Angel's Carol
Judy Mason, piano | Spivey Hall Children's Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Benjamin Britten: A Ceremony of Carols, Op. 28: Movements 1-3
Judy Mason, piano | Spivey Hall Children's Choir | Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Arcangelo Corelli: Concerto Grosso, Op. 6 No. 8, "Christmas Concerto"
Geoff Nuttall and Karen Gomyo, violins | Nina Lee, cello | Owen Dalby, violin | Daniel Phillips and Meena Bhasin, violas | Christopher Costanza, cello | Doug Balliett, double bass | Paul Holmes Morton, theorbo | Pedja Muzijevic, organ
Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music Series, Dock Street Theater, Charleston SC

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays!

For Christmas Day, we're playing some of the best holiday music... you might even find yourself joining the chorus. Tune in for Christmas and holiday music from concerts around the world. Happy Holidays from all of us at Performance Today!

1:59:00
The night before...

The night before...

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

1:59:00
A Christmas Carol

A Christmas Carol

In "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge hates Christmas and generosity itself... at least until three uninvited house guests demonstrate what greed might cost him. Join us today for a musical retelling of "A Christmas Carol" by Charles Dickens.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Ellington's take on The Nutcracker

PT Weekend: Ellington's take on The Nutcracker

On today's show, we'll hear some highlights from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker... but in a version that was put together in 1959 by Duke Ellington. Conductor Andrew Grams says the stylistic difference is especially apparent in the section Tchaikovsky called Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Duke Ellington called his version the Sugar Rum Cherry. Tune in today to hear Ellington’s take on the Nutcracker.

1:59:00
Celebrating the Solstice

Celebrating the Solstice

It's the Winter solstice in the Northern Hemisphere, with the shortest daylight hours and the longest of nights. It feels like a good moment for a quiet break. We invite you to pause, reflect, and join us for some musical contemplation.

1:59:00
Where Carlos Simon finds inspiration

Where Carlos Simon finds inspiration

Carlos Simon is a contemporary American composer known for blending classical music with influences of jazz, gospel, and neo-romanticism. We’ll hear some of Simon’s music on today's show, including his arrangement of Irving Berlin’s White Christmas.

1:59:00
The Dance of the Sugar Rum Cherry

The Dance of the Sugar Rum Cherry

On today's show, we'll hear some highlights from Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker... but in a version that was put together in 1959 by Duke Ellington. Conductor Andrew Grams says the stylistic difference is especially apparent in the section Tchaikovsky called Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. Duke Ellington called his version the Sugar Rum Cherry. Tune in today to hear Ellington’s take on the Nutcracker.

1:59:00
Tan Dun

Tan Dun

Composer Tan Dun grew up in the province of Hunan, China. His community practiced a ritual called “ghost opera,” a way of communicating with spirits of the past, future, and nature. On today’s show, we’ll hear a concerto by Tan Dun, inspired by the Chinese ‘ghost opera’ ritual.

1:59:00
Kathryn Stott and Yo-Yo Ma: Merci

Kathryn Stott and Yo-Yo Ma: Merci

Pianist Kathryn Stott and cellist Yo-Yo Ma have a new album, Merci, which will also be their last album together. Kathryn Stott is stepping away from performing to focus on teaching and spending time with her family. Stott and Ma recently spoke with Fred Child about how the two forged a partnership that has lasted more than 40 years. Today, we'll hear their conversation and sample a couple of tracks from their new and final album. 

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Deborah Borda

PT Weekend: Deborah Borda

Deborah Borda has helped orchestras and the classical ecosphere grow into the 21st century. She has served as the CEO of the New York Philharmonic, the LA Philharmonic, and several other orchestras. Borda approaches her work with an unwavering love of music, clear vision, and determination. On today’s show, our 2024 Classical Woman of the Year, Deborah Borda, joins Fred Child as co-host for a special hour.

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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