Performance Today®

Violinist Nicola Benedetti says that when composer Wynton Marsalis wrote her a new piece, he wasn't worried about anybody's expectations but his own. Benedetti told us "It is very genuinely and definitively HIM." On today's show, Nicola Benedetti plays the new Violin Concerto in D by Wynton Marsalis.

The United States Marine Band is the longest-running musical organization in our country's history. They celebrated their 220th anniversary in 2018 with a new piece by Peter Boyer. On today's show, it's music to celebrate the rich history of the U.S. Marine Band: "Fanfare, Hymn, and Finale," by Peter Boyer.

Carlos Simon learned to play piano by ear, playing hymns in the church that his father started. Over those years, he learned that music had the ability to reach people on an emotional and spiritual level. On Wednesday's episode of Performance Today, hear an homage to a family's deep spiritual roots: "Amen" by Carlos Simon.

In 1933, Florence Price became the first female African American composer to have her work performed by a major symphony orchestra. When she died, boxes of music remained in her house, which was then abandoned for almost 50 years. Recently, a trove of works by Price has been rediscovered. On Tuesday's Performance Today, hear about the remarkable discovery and revival of Florence Price's music.

There's a photo of a young boy in an abandoned train station in Albania. The boy turns an old water bottle into a toy and he's lost in his world of play, despite the refugee crisis going on around him. On today's show, hear music inspired by that photo, "A Boy with a Makeshift Toy" by Armenian-American composer Mary Kouyoumdjian.

In pop music, it's Beyonce and Jay-Z. Here in the classical world, the big power couple is Wu Han and David Finckel. They're musical visionaries, mentors, and chamber musicians with incredible chemistry. On today's episode, they'll play a piece that Bruce Adolphe wrote for them, simply titled "Couple."

Hungarian composer Bela Bartok was one of the founders of the field of ethnomusicology. He traveled the dusty back roads of Hungary and Romania, recording tens of thousands of folk songs, and that work inspired many of his own compositions. On today's episode, join us for Bartok's Hungarian Folk Tunes, from a concert at the Music@Menlo festival.

Carol Wincenc is a living legend of the flute. This season marks her 50th year as a performer. She's been celebrating with a set of new pieces written in her honor. On today's show, we'll honor Carol Wincenc's golden anniversary, and hear the world premiere of Full Circle Fifty by Jake Heggie.

In pop music, it's Beyonce and Jay-Z. Here in the classical world, the big power couple is Wu Han and David Finckel. They're musical visionaries, mentors, and chamber musicians with incredible chemistry. On today's episode, they'll play a piece that Bruce Adolphe wrote for them, simply titled "Couple."