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.
Violinist Joshua Bell says that composer Camille Saint-Saens is terribly underrated, and feels that his Violin Concerto No. 3 is beautiful, logical, virtuosic, and a perfect fit for the violin. Hear Joshua Bell play Saint-Saens's Violin Concerto No. 3 at the Verbier Festival in Switzerland, on Thursday's Performance Today.
The concert was an experiment - a new composition was played, and the audience was supposed to guess who wrote it. When the music ended, Maurice Ravel's friend leaned over said: "What idiot could have written such a piece?" Well, that "idiot" would be Ravel, and the music is eternal. Ravel's 'Valses nobles et sentimentales', on Wednesday's Performance Today.
With two trumpets and two trombones, The Westerlies defy musical typecasting. A little bit classical, a little bit jazz, and little bit folk music...and a lot of talent. Join us in the studio for music and conversation with The Westerlies on Tuesday's Performance Today.
Listen to the brass quartet The Westerlies perform original compositions from their album live in our studio.
21 year-old American pianist George Li is already a regular at the prestigious Verbier Festival in Switzerland. In a highlight from the 2016 festival, he gives a thrilling performance of the Piano Concerto No. 2, by Camille Saint-Saens, on Monday's Performance Today.
On Saturday's Performance Today, we'll hear from two inspiring young artists, 24 year-old guitarist Chaconne Klaverenga and, our PT Young Artist in Residence, 16 year-old violinist Phoenix Avalon. Also featured, this week's Piano Puzzler with Bruce Adolphe.
Franz Liszt wrote a piano sonata in a fit of artistic rapture after reading Dante's "Divine Comedy," the epic 14th century poem about heaven and hell. Join the audience as pianist Paul Lewis gives a virtuosic performance of Liszt's Dante Sonata on Friday's Performance Today.
It's a snapshot of today's classical music scene - we'll have highlights from recent concerts in Paris, Brussels, and Sao Paulo, Brazil, as well as from concert halls across the United States. And, it's day-two with our Young Artist in Residence, 16 year-old violinist Phoenix Avalon, on Thursday's Performance Today.
Phoenix Avalon knew he wanted to play the violin before he even really knew how to say it. Meet 16-year-old Phoenix Avalon, PT's Young Artist in Residence, on Wednesday's Performance Today.
