Performance Today®

Composer Amedee Barre was born on the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in 1904. And, even though his official occupation was as a justice court clerk, many saw him as a true musician at heart. He was a mandolin virtuoso, a violin teacher, and performer who composed Creole songs. On today's show, hear Barre's grandsons, the Grimbert-Barre Trio, play a set of his Creole songs at a concert presented by the Colour of Music Festival.

Carolina Eyck started playing the theremin when she was seven. Her first audience...was a collection of stuffed animals at her home in Berlin. Now she's considered one of the finest players of the theremin in the world. On today's show, hear Carolina Eyck and the Apollo Chamber Players perform Bohuslav Martinu's Fantasia for theremin, oboe, string quartet and piano.

Yunnan Province is one of the most ethnically diverse regions in China, and it has a rich and varied musical history. On this episode of Performance Today, hear music inspired by field recordings of folk music from Yunnan Province, from a recent concert in Shanghai, China.

The accordion can do a lot more than polka. It can croon a sweet serenade, add a bit of whimsy. On this episode of Performance Today, we'll hear accordionist Julien Labro express the more personal side of the accordion in a performance with guitarist Jason Vieaux in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

Carolina Eyck started playing the theremin when she was seven. Her first audience...was a collection of stuffed animals at her home in Berlin. Now she's considered one of the finest players of the theremin in the world. On today's show, hear Carolina Eyck and the Apollo Chamber Players perform Bohuslav Martinu's Fantasia for theremin, oboe, string quartet and piano.

In 1878, Johannes Brahms dedicated his first (and only) violin concerto to his friend, violinist Joseph Joachim. Joachim loved it, calling it one of the four great German violin concertos. On today's show, hear violinist Vadim Gluzman play that Brahms concerto in concert with the Oregon Symphony.

Composer Jimmy Lopez was working on a piece when his father unexpectedly died. Suddenly, the music had deeper meaning for Lopez; he said it came to represent his father's transcendental journey. On today's show, hear Guardian of the Horizon by Jimmy Lopez, from a concert presented by the St Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Composer Jennifer Higdon wrote Blue Cathedral in 2000. It was inspired by an imaginary vision of a glass cathedral in the sky. On today's show, The Orchestra Now (TON) takes us on a journey through that cathedral. Blue Cathedral by Jennifer Higdon, from a concert in upstate New York.

In 1936, Carlos Chavez wrote a symphony based on the melodies and percussive sounds of Mexican indigenous music, and now his piece is played around the world. On today's show, hear the Polish Radio Orchestra play Chavez's Symphony No. 2 (the Sinfonia India), from a concert in Warsaw, Poland.