Performance Today®

In May 2010, Tennessee was hit with terrible floods. The home of the Nashville Symphony suffered nearly $40 million in damages. Imagine finding two concert grand pianos floating upside down. Despite losses, the Nashville Symphony became a symbol of recovery, and the concert hall was brought back to life in less than 8 months. On today's show, hear the Nashville Symphony perform music by Sibelius, from a concert at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center in Nashville, Tennessee.

For Christmas Day, we're playing some of the best holiday music... you might even find yourself joining the chorus. Tune in for Christmas and holiday music from concerts around the world. Happy Holidays from all of us at Performance Today!

It's a symphony made from Christmas carols, weaving together songs of the season with a few unexpected sounds and styles. How many carols can you hear in the piece? On this edition of Performance Today, count the carols in Victor Hely-Hutchinson's "A Carol Symphony."

In "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge not only hates Christmas, he hates generosity itself... at least until a three uninvited house-guests demonstrate what greed might cost him. On today's show, join us in a musical retelling of "A Christmas Carol," by Charles Dickens.

On today's show, meet our new PT Young Artist in Residence, pianist Aleksandra Kasman. Aleksandra joins Fred Child for music and conversation at Performance Today's studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Conductor Simon Rattle has known The Nutcracker since he was a kid, and with each passing year he becomes more fascinated with the music. On today's PT, Simon Rattle conducts the Berlin Philharmonic in The Nutcracker "B-sides;" the sometimes overlooked, but still heart-tugging and toe-tapping dances from the rest of Tchaikovsky's beloved ballet.

Ferde Grofe's Grand Canyon Suite doesn't seem like music for Christmas, at least not on it's own, but then it was used in a crucial part of the 1983 movie "A Christmas Story." On this episode of Performance Today, hear music from a wide range of classic movies about Christmas.

Joaquin Rodrigo's "Concerto de Aranjuez" may be the most popular guitar concerto of all time. Even if you don't think you know it, there's a good chance you've at least heard some of it. In today's show, hear guitarist Chaconne Klaverenga play Rodrigo's concerto with the Boulder Chamber Orchestra.

America sings during the winter holiday season more than any other time of year. On today's show, enjoy highlights from the legendary St. Olaf Christmas Festival in Minnesota, and from concert halls and churches across the country. Feel free to sing along!