Performance Today®

A few years ago, composer Rick Sowash set a poem to music, creating a song. And then he turned that song into a musical conversation between flute and cello. On today's show, hear the Sylvan Trio perform the result: Seasonal Breezes by Rick Sowash. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week’s Piano Puzzler!

Jiji is a guitarist from Seoul, South Korea. When she was nine, she performed for a well-known guitarist...who was harshly critical of her playing. So, she hatched an 18-year "revenge" plan - to become a professional guitarist. Jiji plays Asturias by Isaac Albeniz on today's show, from a recent concert at the Honest Brook Music Festival in Delhi, New York.

The Formosa Quartet finally ended their year-and-a-half-long COVID-era break with hugs, smiles, and a terrific concert performance. On today's show, hear a reunited Formosa Quartet performance in San Francisco.

A few years ago, composer Rick Sowash set a poem to music, creating a song. And then he turned that song into a musical conversation between flute and cello. On today's show, hear the Sylvan Trio perform the result: Seasonal Breezes by Rick Sowash.

What would you do for love? Could you write a song expressing your passion? And if the person you care for fell in love with somebody else, could you let them go so they could be happy? We'll hear that these answers can be found in classic operas on this episode of Performance Today.

In the 1860s, the Maori village of Parihaka was founded in New Zealand. When white troops came to seize the land, the villagers responded with non-violent resistance. We'll hear a piece called Remember Parihaka by New Zealand composer Anthony Ritchie on today's show.

In Ukrainian, the word "dumka" means "thought." And in music, a dumka is a somewhat dreamlike dance that often comes back to a bittersweet reflection on the sadness of life. We'll hear a dumka by Rebecca Clarke on today's show from an all-star performance in Colorado Springs.

When cellist Bion Tsang was in grad school, he realized that he didn't really know what it means to play the cello. Ever since, he's been laser-focused on the meaning of making music. We'll hear cellist Bion Tsang play a cello sonata by Erno Dohnanyi in concert on today's show.

Enrique Crespo was a supremely talented composer and trombonist. He was raised in Uruguay but spent most of his career in Germany writing great music for brass ensembles. We've got an example of Enrique Crespo's brassy creativity on this edition of Performance Today.