Poster Flutist on stage with orchestra
Flutist Mimi Stillman, conductor Col. Jason Fettig, and the U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra
Staff Sgt. Chase Baran
Performance Today®

Mimi Stillman plays Zhou Tian's Concerto for Flute

Composer Zhou Tian recently wrote a new concerto for his longtime friend and collaborator, flutist Mimi Stillman. On today's episode, Stillman joins Fred Child to give a detailed look behind the scenes of the collaborative process and share her favorite moments of this unique work. We'll experience the beauty of the new Concerto for Flute by Zhou Tian, in a world premiere recording by flutist Mimi Stillman and the United States Marine Chamber Orchestra. 

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Gaspar Cassado: Suite for Solo Cello: Movement 2 Sardana
Alisa Weilerstein, cello
Album: Solo
Decca 002160802

Isaac Albeniz: Iberia: Book 1, Movement 2 El Puerto
Soyeon Kate Lee, piano
Interlochen Presents, Dendrinos Chapel and Recital Hall, Interlochen, MI

Franz Schubert, arr. Alisa Weilerstein: Fantasie in C Major, D. 934
Alisa Weilerstein, cello | Inon Barnatan, piano
Spoleto Festival USA Chamber Music Series, Dock Street Theatre, Charleston, SC

Nathalie Joachim: Seen
Imani Winds
Chamber Music Northwest, Alberta Rose Theatre, Portland, OR

Hour 2

Zhou Tian: Sinfonia: Movement 2 Transit
Baylor University Wind Ensemble | J. Eric Wilson, conductor
Album: Divine Mischief
Signum Classics

Jessie Montgomery: Strum
Sphinx Virtuosi
Lillian & Robert Utsey Chamber Music Series, Brooks Center for the Performing Arts, Clemson University, Clemson, SC

Nikolai Medtner: Forgotten Melodies 1, Op. 38: Movement 6 Canzona serenata
Sasha Kasman Laude, piano
American Pianists Awards 2025 Sneak Preview, Steinway Hall, NY

Nikolai Medtner, arr. Sasha Kasman Laude: Two Poems, Op. 13: Movement 1 Winter Evening
Sasha Kasman Laude, piano
American Pianists Awards 2025 Sneak Preview, Steinway Hall, NY

Zhou Tian: Concerto for Flute
Mimi Stillman, flute | United States Marine Chamber Orchestra | Colonel Jason K. Fettig, conductor
Album: Aspire: "The President's Own" at 225
U.S. Marine Chamber Orchestra Recording

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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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