Poster Martin Luther King, Jr
The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. delivers his 'I Have a Dream' speech.
Rowland Scherman/National Archives
Performance Today®

MLK

The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s impact is more important than ever. Join us for a special edition of ‘Performance Today’ honoring King through music. We'll celebrate his legacy with a piece dedicated to Dr. King in 1963: Montgomery Variations by Margaret Bonds. Join us for music honoring Dr. Martin Luther King on today’s show.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Jason Moran: Selma (excerpts)
Jason Moran, piano
Album: Selma (Music from the Motion Picture)
Paramount Pictures/Pathe Productions Ltd.

Quinn Mason: Reflection on a Memorial
Serafim Smigelskiy, cello | Alex Fortes, violin | Will Frampton, viola | Experiential Orchestra | James Blachly, conductor
Renewal: An Evening with Louise Toppin, DiMenna Center, New York City, NY

Moses Hogan: My Soul's Been Anchored
Morehouse College Glee Club | David Morrow, conductor
Album: Bound for the Promised Land
Albany Records

Samuel Coleridge-Taylor arr. Maud Powell: Deep River, Op. 56, No. 10
Samuel Nebyu, violin | Charles Abramovic, piano
EBU, Lucerne Festival, St Luke's Church, Lucerne, Switzerland

Thomas A. Dorsey, arr. Adrian Dunn: Precious Lord
The Adrian Dunn Singers | Adrian Dunn, conductor
Album: Revelations
Hopera World

Traditional, arr. Terence Blanchard: A City Called Heaven
Jubilant Sykes, baritone | Terence Blanchard, piano
Album: Jubilant Sykes
Sony Classical

Joseph Bologne Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Symphony No. 1 in G Major, Op. 11
Colour of Music Festival Virtuosi | Jean Montes, conductor
Colour of Music Festival, The Riviera Theater, Charleston, SC

Hour 2

Undine Smith Moore: Scenes from the Life of a Martyr: Martin's Song
Demetrious Sampson, Jr., tenor | EXIGENCE | Diane Retallack, conductor
Album: Black is Beautiful
Navona 6599

Margaret Bonds: Montgomery Variations, Mvts. 3 & 7
Royal Scottish National Orchestra | Kellen Grey, conductor
Album: African American Voices II
Linn 731

Florence Price: Beyond the Years
Karen Slack, soprano | Michelle Cann, piano
Album: Florence Price: Beyond the Years
Azica 71370

Joel Thompson: My Dungeon Shook: Three American Preludes, Mvts. 2-3
Michelle Cann, piano
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Joel Thompson: My People
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor | Kevin J. Miller, piano
Album: Rising
Warner 57842

Jessie Montgomery: Soul Force
New York Youth Symphony | Michael Repper, conductor
Album: Works By Florence Price, Valerie Coleman and Jessie Montgomery
Avie 2503

Jessie Montgomery: Coincident Dances
Chicago Sinfonietta | Mei-Ann Chen, conductor
Album: Project W: Works by Diverse Women Composers
Cedille 90000185

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

Kodály: Dances of Galanta

Kodály: Dances of Galanta

Composer Zoltan Kodály grew up listening to Roma bands in Hungary and later incorporated some of their melodies into his music. On today's show, we’ll take you to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, for a performance of Kodály's Dances of Galánta.

1:59:00
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.

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

Simone Dinnerstein on committing work to memory

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.

1:59:00
2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

‘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...

It's our honor...

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

PT Weekend: 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
Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

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
VIEW ALL EPISODES

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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