Orin O'Brien was the first woman hired to perform full-time with the New York Philharmonic. Watching Leonard Bernstein conduct was certainly exciting for the audience, but this double bassist says it was exhilarating and terrifying to face the conductor as a member of his orchestra. O'Brien calls working with Bernstein "one of the best experiences of my professional life."
Tania Leon is a composer, conductor and a Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York. On this weekend's Performance Today, Tania Leon tells us about meeting Leonard Bernstein, that "...(it) was like meeting a mythological figure."
In 2013, Pianist and composer Tatev Amiryan wrote an engaging work for solo piano, inspired by Armenian folk music. On Friday's Performance Today, hear Amiryan perform her composition, Ortus, from a concert in Kansas City. Garrett McQueen guests hosts.
Growing up, Jamie Bernstein says her father was relentlessly competitive and preternaturally good at everything. Well, almost everything. In this interview highlight, she describes the glee she and her siblings felt when they found one thing their father wasn't good at. Jamie Bernstein's new memoir is called Famous Father Girl.
It sounds like the set-up for a great punch line. Three composers walk into a restaurant: Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland and Michael Tilson Thomas. The first course is challenging musical trivia. The next course involves clanging spoons and glasses. Michael Tilson Thomas describes a memorable dinner with two other American composers.
On Thursday's Performance Today, Michael Tilson Thomas reflects back to a humorous evening with Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and the spirit of Igor Stravinsky. Then hear Leonard Bernstein conduct the New York Philharmonic in a performance of Stravinsky's Pulcinella Suite.
Tania Leon is a Cuban-born composer, conductor and a Distinguished Professor of Music at the City University of New York. On Wednesday's Performance Today, Tania Leon tells us about meeting Leonard Bernstein, that "...(it) was like meeting a mythological figure."
Sure, the song 'Maria' from Leonard Bernstein's musical 'West Side Story' is lovely. For composer and conductor Tania Leon, it meant so much more. 'Maria' set in motion her dream of a possible life in America. Leon remembers her mentor, friend, salsa dancer and Spanish-speaker Leonard Bernstein.
When composer Bright Sheng met Leonard Bernstein, he wowed the maestro with his talent. Not musical talent at first, but his skills in the kitchen. Bright Sheng and Leonard Bernstein...and Peking duck, on Tuesday's Performance Today.
Share your question or comment about Performance Today. Individual questions and themes may be answered or incorporated into future episodes or digital updates.
