Performance Today®

On this episode of Performance Today, hear a composition by Valerie Coleman named "Portraits of Josephine"... inspired by the life and times of one of the most famous entertainers of the 20th Century: Josephine Baker.

Get your daily dose of musical refreshment with a stunning performance by flutist Mimi Stillman and the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. On today's show, hear them play Cecile Chaminade's Concertino for Flute and Orchestra, from a concert in Durham, North Carolina.

Composer Sheridan Seyfried wrote a double concerto for two violin-playing brothers, Timothy and Nikki Chooi. Seyfried wanted to express their special bond AND their individual personalities. On today's episode, hear an expression of what it means to be family: Sheridan Seyfried's Concerto for Two Violins and Orchestra.

Late in his life, Gustav Mahler was Music Director of the New York Philharmonic. That special relationship between Mahler and New York resonates to our time. On today's show, hear the New York Philharmonic, in concert, with an intimate and epic performance of Mahler's Symphony No. 7.

Florence Price's Piano Concerto has only been performed a handful of times. Pianist Michelle Cann wants to change that, and she commissioned a new version for piano quintet. It's intimate and powerful, and we can't wait to share it with you. On today's show, hear this new arrangement of the Piano Concerto by Florence Price.

French composer Louise Farrenc had a formidable career in Paris in the 1800s, as a pianist, composer, and teacher. On today's show, we'll explore the life and work of Louise Farrenc. Fred Child speaks with pianist Joanne Polk about her love for Farrenc's music. Also, Bruce Adolphe has this week's piano puzzler.

American composer Paul Wiancko wrote a piece named LIFT, his own personal "ode to joy...a journey of the soul." On this episode of Performance Today, hear the Aizuri Quartet give an inspired performance of LIFT by Paul Wiancko.

French composer Louise Farrenc had a formidable career in Paris in the 1800s, as a pianist, composer, and teacher. On today's show, we'll explore the life and work of Louise Farrenc. Fred Child speaks with pianist Joanne Polk about her love for Farrenc's music. Also on today's show, Pablo Sainz Villegas plays a guitar concerto with the Oregon Symphony.

Louise Farrenc was not only a remarkable pianist and imaginative composer. She also bulldozed through the limited ideas of women's artistic value and professional potential in the 19th Century. Pianist Joanne Polk brings light to Farrenc's legacy.