Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

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Music for one hand

Music for one hand

When Alexander Scriabin was 20 years old, he was working on playing an extraordinarily demanding piece by Franz Liszt. He pushed himself so hard that he permanently injured his right hand. Scriabin adapted by creating music that is technically demanding, emotional…and particularly demanding for the left hand. Join us today to hear pianist Ilya Yakushev perform the 'Prelude and Nocturne for the Left Hand Alone’ by Alexander Scriabin.

PT Weekend: Sarah Ma

PT Weekend: Sarah Ma

We're proud to introduce you to violinist Sarah Ma, the first of our 2024 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's show, Sarah joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our studio in St. Paul. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week’s Piano Puzzler!

Jim Stephenson: Persephone

Jim Stephenson: Persephone

Composer James Stephenson imagined what might have happened before Aaron Copland's iconic Appalachian Spring. Stephenson turned to the myth of Persephone as his inspiration and created a musical journey into the underworld and back. We'll hear the world premiere of James Stephenson's Persephone on today's show.

Marc-André Hamelin plays Faure and Boulanger

Marc-André Hamelin plays Faure and Boulanger

Pianist Marc-André Hamelin loves music by French composer Gabriel Faure. Hamelin says, "[Faure's music] …is subtle, sophisticated, but also very sensuous." On today's show, we'll hear Hamelin play music by Gabriel Faure and French composer/educator Nadia Boulanger.

Meet Sarah Ma

Meet Sarah Ma

We're proud to introduce you to violinist Sarah Ma, the first of our 2024 PT Young Artists in Residence. On today's show, Sarah joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our studio in St. Paul.

Young Artist in Residence: Sarah Ma

Young Artist in Residence: Sarah Ma

Sarah Ma is the first of the 2024 cohort of PT Young Artists in Residence. They are an Asian American artist from Queens, New York, who is deeply committed to cultural advocacy, inclusion, and artistic collaboration. Sarah recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio—hear their music and the entire interview here!

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A string quintet...for winds

A string quintet...for winds

The piece started out as a wind octet, and then Beethoven revised it into a quintet for strings. Then, in the 21st century, a bassoonist arranged the string quintet back into music for wind quintet. Don't worry if you've lost the plot—just join us to hear the group WindSync play great music by Beethoven on today's show.

The Ekstasis Duo

The Ekstasis Duo

The Ekstasis Duo loves to play the "secret jewels," lesser-known works they feel deserve to be heard. Today we'll hear them play a work that was lost for nearly a century: Three Pieces by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinksy.

PT Weekend: Valerie Coleman

PT Weekend: Valerie Coleman

When deadlines are tight and work is stressful, the baby also starts crying. But for composer Valerie Coleman, her newborn's need for comfort created "unexpected serenity." On this episode of PT, we'll hear a trio written with a baby in one hand and a pen in the other: Rubispheres by Valerie Coleman. Plus, Brude Adolphe has this week’s piano puzzler!