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.
Eleanor Alberga decided she wanted to be a concert pianist when she was five. By age ten, she was composing works for the piano. Alberga is now a highly-regarded music composer for much more than just piano. On today's show, hear members of the Minnesota Orchestra play "Shining Gate of Morpheus" by Eleanor Alberga.
Composer Ahmed Alabaca identifies as nonbinary. They told us their joyful exploration of their gender identity has significantly impacted their musical creativity. Join us today to hear a superb example of that creativity: "Ascension" by Ahmed Alabaca.
When Claude Debussy wrote music for the ballet "Jeux," he was picturing a game of tennis between two women and one young man. In tennis, "love" means nothing; in Debussy's music, love is everything. On today's episode, we'll hear romance and seduction on the courts, from a concert by the New York Philharmonic.
On today's show, we'll hear a cello concerto that premiered last fall: Last Year by Mark Adamo. Adamo described it as an updated, environmental take on a familiar classic by Vivaldi.
Meet Sterling Elliott and learn about the cello in this episode of Performance Today in the Classroom! Sterling explains about his instrument, how he began playing, and will showcase his favorite cello repertoire! Listen to pieces ranging from Bach to contemporary pieces only a couple years old!
Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Emanuel Ax, and violinist Leonidas Kavakos recently released a new album titled "Beethoven for Three." The idea is to take play Beethoven's symphonies arranged for a trio. It works surprisingly well, and we love it! Hear a couple of these pieces and a conversation with the musicians on this episode of Performance Today.
When Claude Debussy wrote music for the ballet "Jeux," he was picturing a game of tennis between two women and one young man. In tennis, "love" means nothing; in Debussy's music, love is everything. On today's episode, we'll hear romance and seduction on the courts, from a concert by the New York Philharmonic.
Composer Joel Thompson made one rule when he began work on a piece in 2019. He would go through the major news stories each day before working on his composition. Hear the results on this episode of PT: "In Response to the Madness" by Joel Thompson.
Pianist Sara Davis Buechner says that music takes her to a place where she feels completely herself, especially the music of Mozart. Learn more about Sara Davis Buechner and hear her play a sonata by Mozart on today's show.
