Performance Today®

Memorial Day. Lots of folks firing up the grill, or traveling for the unofficial beginning of summer. But, it's more than that—there's an important reason for this holiday. On today's show, we celebrate and remember the men and women who have made the ultimate sacrifice while serving in the American Armed Forces.

The class of 2021 has overcome so many unexpected obstacles, and in many cases, they're not getting a big public celebration. So, we're throwing a party for them...on the radio! We'll have dedications and tributes for this year's graduates, and music to help celebrate. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week's Piano Puzzler!

Russian violinist Alena Baeva says it's a great privilege to be a musician, to be able to communicate the most important things in life without any words. On today's show, Alena Baeva communicates via the Violin Concerto No. 5—the "Turkish" concerto—by Mozart, from a concert in Lugano, Switzerland.

Nelson Mandela used to talk about Ubuntu, a concept that embraces the idea of a universal bond among all of us; a sense of mutual respect and community. On today's show, hear a Minnesota Orchestra performance of a piece called "Harmonia Ubuntu", from a concert in Soweto, South Africa.

The class of 2021 has overcome so many unexpected obstacles, and in many cases, they're not getting a big public celebration. So, we're throwing a party for them...on the radio! We'll have dedications and tributes for this year's graduates, and music to help celebrate. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week's Piano Puzzler!

For pianist Cecile Licad, music has always been a source of freedom. She says that the piano "is the only thing I can control in my life... It's where I feel like I'm having fun and nobody is bugging me." On today's show, Cecile Licad has some fun with music by Bach at a concert presented by the Seattle Chamber Music Society.

Last year, composer Ellen Taaffe Zwilich premiered a new concerto for cello and full orchestra. Zwilich then reimagined that piece for a smaller ensemble of only six players—the limitations of the pandemic made that idea all the more timely, appealing, and safe. On today's show, we'll hear the Cello Concerto for chamber ensemble, by Ellen Taaffe Zwilich, performed for a live (online) audience from the spacious Brungard Aviation Hangar, in Boulder, Colorado.

For more than 20 consecutive years now, students from top schools of music around the country have joined us as PT Young Artists in Residence. On this episode of Performance Today, we continue this year's series with tuba player Cristina Cutts Dougherty. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week’s Piano Puzzler!

Join Bruce Adolphe and Fred Child from the 2021 Savannah Music Festival Spring Season for a live Piano Puzzler! Watch the event at 5 p.m. central on May 25.