American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.
Danny Elfman may be most famous for writing the theme for the long-running animated TV show, The Simpsons. So how did he go from The Simpsons to writing music for a symphony orchestra? Hear the story, as well as Elfman's concerto Eleven Eleven, on this episode of Performance Today.
Composer Sean Salamon was in New York City in 2011 when the state of New York recognized same-sex marriage. He turned his reflections and experiences into music. On today's show, we take you to a concert in Round Top, Texas, to hear music inspired by a celebration of equality: June Dances by Sean Salamon.
Composer Michael Torke can appreciate the abstract tonal elements of modern classical music, but he personally want his music to be approachable and enjoyable. Torke's intent is music that is at first welcoming, then explored over and over. On today's show, join us for a Nashville Symphony performance of Adjustable Wrench, by Michael Torke.
It seems to be human nature that when something is forbidden it becomes all the more enticing. When Jon Nakamatsu was a boy, no one in his family was allowed to touch the piano. Can see where this is going? On today's show, the story of how Jon Nakamatsu became a pianist.
When Arturo Marquez was a teenager in Mexico in the 1960s, he played in a Mariachi band. He went to school and became a composer of orchestral music, but he's still especially fond of a dance from the city of Veracruz, Mexico. On today's episode of Performance Today, hear the Danzon No. 2 by Arturo Marquez, from a concert at the Aspen Music Festival.
On today's show, meet one of our most recent PT Young Artists in Residence, violist Jordan Bak. Jordan joins Fred Child for music and conversation at the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.
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.
