Performance Today®

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...and not even a pandemic will keep us from doing it again this year! We'll continue this year's series with violinist Randall Goosby.

In 1948, American composer William Grant Still was inspired by some poems about the natural beauty of the American South. On this episode of Performance Today, take a break with us and hear Wood Notes, William Grant Still's work of quiet musical contemplation.

At some point, many music students procrastinate when it comes to practicing. When Jennifer Higdon was in graduate school, she "forgot" to practice her flute so often, she stopped playing altogether. On today's show, find out what made Higdon forget the flute altogether...and become a Pulitzer Prize winning composer.

Composer Margi Griebling-Haigh is part of a musical family in Cleveland, with quite a few professional composers and musicians, so it's no surprise that family celebrations are bursting with music. We'll hear a rhapsody she wrote for her daughter's wedding on this episode of Performance Today.

Composer Richard Scofano wrote a 15 minute piece of music inspired by a hopeful vision of the future. On today's show, hear La Tierra sin Mal (The Land Without Evil) by Richard Scofano; a musical journey through struggle, determination, and finally, the discovery of peace and serenity.

Chinese composer Xiaogang Ye wrote a piece of music inspired by the ginkgo biloba, a tree species that has existed for more than 200 million years. On today's show, we'll take you to a recent concert in Melbourne, Australia to hear that piece: The Faint Ginkgo, by Xiaogang Ye.

Joachim Prinz was a tireless advocate for human rights, a man who confronted injustice and oppression wherever he saw it. He once said, "The most tragic problem is silence." On today's show, hear music inspired by the life and words of Joachim Prinz: I Will Not Remain Silent, by Bruce Adolphe.

Composer Richard Scofano wrote a 15 minute piece of music inspired by a hopeful vision of the future. On today's show, hear La Tierra sin Mal (The Land Without Evil) by Richard Scofano; a musical journey through struggle, determination, and finally, the discovery of peace and serenity.

Hungarian composer Zoltan Kodaly heard Roma bands when he was growing up, and later incorporated some of those tunes into his own music. On today's show, hear Kodaly's Dances of Galanta, from a recent concert in Stockholm, Sweden.