Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

The late great Paul Burgett

The late great Paul Burgett

Paul Burgett was a leader in classical music. He was known for his warm spirit and as a visionary behind the Gateways Music Festival, an event celebrating classical musicians of African descent. On today's show, join us as we remember the late great Paul Burgett, as well as a concert highlight from the Gateways Music Festival.

Guo Wenjing

Guo Wenjing

Chinese composer Guo Wenjing was born and raised in the province of Sichuan. He's spent his life absorbing the Chinese musical traditions, including traditional Sichuan folk music. On today's show, hear the Folk Song Suite by Guo Wenjing, from a recent concert in Hangzhou, China.

The Spokane String Quartet

The Spokane String Quartet

In 2005, the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma founded the first American Indian summer arts academy, with classes in dance, literature, theater, art, and music composition. On today's show, the Spokane String Quartet plays music by two Chickasaw composers, Dylan Bennett and Miko Begaye.

Seven last words

Seven last words

It's one of most emotionally moving and relevant pieces of the 21st century. On today's show, hear Seven Last Words of the Unarmed by Joel Thompson, performed by the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, the Morehouse College Glee Club, and the Florida A&M University Concert Choir.

Joseph Bologne

Joseph Bologne

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a fine marksman, a fencer, and one of the great French violinists of the 1700s. He was also the first known classical composer of African descent. On today's show, hear the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra play Bologne's Symphony in G Major.

Caroline Shaw: Watermark

Caroline Shaw: Watermark

In printing and publishing, a watermark is a faint design in paper that's used to identify the time and place the paper came from. Composer Caroline Shaw had a poetic version of that idea and composed a piece that references a Beethoven piano concerto. On today's show, hear Jonathan Biss and the Saint Paul Chamber orchestra play Watermark, by Caroline Shaw.

Ivan Trevino

Ivan Trevino

If you could personally thank a musical artist who's been an inspiration for you, who would it be and how would you thank them? On today's show, hear how composer and percussionist Ivan Trevino expressed his gratitude in "Songbook Volume 3" - performed by Trevino and Windsync at a concert in Jacksonville, Florida.

Joseph Bologne

Joseph Bologne

Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges, was a fine marksman, a fencer, and one of the great French violinists of the 1700s. He was also the first known classical composer of African descent. On today's show, hear the Tafelmusik Baroque Orchestra play Bologne's Symphony in G Major.

Stephen Hough: Vida Breve

Stephen Hough: Vida Breve

When Stephen Hough wrote his Piano Sonata No. 4, he called it "Vida Breve" (Short Life), expressing the melancholy of this brief lifetime we have. On today's show, Stephen Hough plays "Short Life", from a concert at the Grand Teton Music Festival.

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