Performance Today®

In pop music, it's Beyonce and Jay-Z. Here in the classical world, our big power couple is Wu Han and David Finckel. They work together and play together. On this episode of Performance Today, hear some of the musical magic they created at the Minnesota Beethoven Festival.

Sol Gabetta plays cello with intelligence, emotion, and a lively wit. She lives in Switzerland, and her career is mainly in Europe. On this episode of Performance Today, we'll hear from a concert Sol Gabetta gave here in the states with the Houston Symphony.

An important discipline in the classical tradition is to be TRUE to the notes written by the composer. That said, it's simply stunning when classical musicians can improvise. On this episode of Performance Today, pianist Gabriela Montero improvises an encore, from a concert in Houston.

Getting cozy. Appreciating the simple pleasures of life and the people around you. That's all part of the Danish concept called hygge. On this episode of Performance Today, the Danish Quartet shares some musical hygge and tells you how to hygge in your own home.

When composer Joan Tower was a young girl, her father was a mining engineer. The family moved from New York to Bolivia for his work. On this episode of Performance Today, find out how young Joan spent her time while her father was in the mines, then we'll hear her piece called Copperwave.

Francisco Nunez is the artistic director and founder of the Young People's Chorus of New York City (YPC), an ensemble with a mission to provide children of all cultural and economic backgrounds with music education. Learn more about Francisco Nunez and the YPC on today's episode of Performance Today.

Getting cozy. Appreciating the simple pleasures of life and the people around you. That's all part of the Danish concept called hygge. On this episode of Performance Today, the Danish Quartet shares some musical hygge and tells you how to hygge in your own home.

When guitarist Jason Vieaux was preparing for his debut with the Nashville Symphony, he told Nashville Public Radio "This is the most time I've ever spent on any piece of music, ever...That's how hard it is." On this episode of Performance Today, hear Jason Vieaux and the Nashville Symphony play the Concerto for Guitar by Jonathan Leshnoff.

Her name was Dulcinea, and she is the inspiration in one of the great stories of all time: Don Quixote by Cervantes. Dulcinea doesn't even appear in the novel, but just the idea of her fuels everything that Don Quixote does. On this episode of Performance Today, tune in for "Don Quixote y Dulcinea" by Hungarian composer Gyorgy Ranki.