Performance Today®

with host Valerie Kahler

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.

All Episodes

Alice Tully's namesake

Alice Tully's namesake

If you listen to Performance today regularly, or are simply a lover of chamber music, you'll likely have heard of Alice Tully Hall, home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York. Who was Alice Tully? Her story is a life of character, performance, and philanthropy. Find out more about Alice Tully's life and legacy, and hear a performance from her namesake, Alice Tully Hall, on Saturday's Performance Today.

The Cal Ripken of classical composers

The Cal Ripken of classical composers

Cal Ripken holds the record for playing in the most consecutive baseball games. Composer Camille Saint-Saens has his version of that record - he composed music in TEN consecutive decades. From the 1830s to the 1920s, Saint-Saens never stopped composing. Listen to Saint-Saens' Sonata for clarinet and piano from a concert at Lincoln Center in New York, on Friday's Performance Today.

Sir Neville Marriner

Sir Neville Marriner

Sir Neville Marriner died this past weekend, on Oct. 2, at the age of 92. In 1958, he founded the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, one of the world's premiere chamber orchestras. He began as a violinist, but is best known for his work as a conductor. It is truly a challenge to imagine a more prolific musical career. On Thursday's Performance Today, Joshua Bell, current Musical Director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, reflects on the legacy of Sir Neville Marriner.

Remembering Sir Neville Marriner

Remembering Sir Neville Marriner

Sir Neville Marriner, one of the stalwart legends of today's classical scene, passed away on Oct. 2, 2016. Recently, Fred spoke with Joshua Bell about Marriner's legacy.

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Who was Alice Tully?

Who was Alice Tully?

If you're a regular PT listener, or simply a lover of chamber music, you'll likely have heard of Alice Tully Hall, home of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, in New York City. Who was Alice Tully? Her life is a story of character, performance, and philanthropy. Find out more about Alice Tully's life and legacy, and hear a performance from her namesake, Alice Tully Hall, on Wednesday's Performance Today.

The tie that binds - Schubert on Mozart

The tie that binds - Schubert on Mozart

At the age of 19, Franz Schubert wrote the following in his diary: "O Mozart! Immortal Mozart! You have impressed upon our souls countless impressions of a brighter, better life!" On Tuesday's Performance Today, hear some of these impressions reflected in Schubert's Symphony No. 5, performed at the Windham (NY) Chamber Music Festival.

Pianist Orion Weiss

Pianist Orion Weiss

As a kid, Orion Weiss played the piano simply because he loved playing. Practice wasn't a chore -- there wasn't a 30-minute timer ticking away in disagreement with a metronome. He simply liked to practice, to play the piano. That continued into his teenage years, then through his studies at the Juilliard School in New York City. Even then, he says, he was only playing piano because he loved it. The idea of becoming a professional musician hadn't really crossed his mind. You'll hear Orion Weiss play music by Brahms on Monday's Performance Today.

Joshua Bell: Everything is improvised

Joshua Bell: Everything is improvised

The notes that a musician plays may have been written down by the composer, but an infinite number of decisions are involved in creating the music that reaches your ears. Listen in as Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk discuss the omnipresence of improvisation in their lives as performers, on Saturday's Performance Today.

Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk

Joshua Bell and Jeremy Denk

The notes that a musician plays may have been written down by the composer, but an infinite number of decisions are involved in creating the music that reaches your ears. Listen in as Joshua Bell and pianist Jeremy Denk discuss the omnipresence of improvisation in their lives as performers, on Friday's Performance Today.

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