Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

Natalie Dietterich: Bound

Natalie Dietterich: Bound

Tune in for a mix of classical favorites AND classical discoveries. On this episode of Performance Today, hear an engaging new piece called Bound, by Natalie Dietterich, plus music by Ravel, Shostakovich, and Jean Marie Leclair.

Michael Gilbertson

Michael Gilbertson

There's a curious psychological phenomenon: when something is forbidden or out of reach, we want it, we crave it all the more. Coming up, music inspired by a famous story of desire and temptation. On this episode of Performance Today, hear a new piece of music called Low Hanging Fruit, by Michael Gilbertson.

Robert Paterson: Dark Mountains

Robert Paterson: Dark Mountains

On overcast days, the mountains of Vermont lose their color, becoming grey silhouettes. And some of the roads are so dark you need headlights, even during the day. On today's show, JoAnn Falletta leads the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra in a live performance of Dark Mountains by Robert Paterson.

Whistler Waves

Whistler Waves

With the right kind of radio you can sometimes hear the sound of nearby lightning. Some of those sounds are called whistler waves. On this episode of Performance Today, hear a new concerto by Caroline Mallonee, inspired by lightning...and whistler waves.

Demondrae Thurman steps in

Demondrae Thurman steps in

The Symphony No. 7 by Gustav Mahler opens with a gorgeous solo for the unusual tenor horn. The Oregon Symphony has a fine horn section, but they called in Demondrae Thurman to get that particular sound. On today's show, Thurman steps in with the Oregon Symphony for the opening movement of Mahler's Symphony No. 7, conducted by Carlos Kalmar.

Timely inspiration

Timely inspiration

Composer Joel Puckett had a dear grandfather-in-law, who always had the right line of poetry for any situation. Including his own poignant final words just before his death. On this episode of Performance Today, hear music inspired by the final words of a loved one: It Perched for Vespers Nine, by Joel Puckett.

Cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing

Cellist Ifetayo Ali-Landing

This week we've been revisiting our latest group of PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's show, we take you back to when Ifetayo Ali-Landing joined us for music and conversation at the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Mallory McHenry

Mallory McHenry

Harpist Mallory McHenry is one of our 2018 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's show, Mallory joins Fred Child for music and conversation at the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Cellist Julia Yang

Cellist Julia Yang

Cellist Julia Yang is one of our PT Young Artists in Residence from this past season. On today's show, join us in the the PT studio to hear Julia Yang and pianist Lee Dionne play music by Schumann, J.S. Bach, and Prokofiev, with a very special world premiere of "Horse of the Wind" by Dai Wei.