Performance Today®

Pianists and violinists can make a living as professional classical music freelancers, but an oboist? That's a real rarity. James Austin Smith is a pioneering oboist in so many ways. On today's show, we'll hear James Austin Smith in concert at the Spoleto Festival USA in Charleston, South Carolina.

Marc-Andre Hamelin is one of the most celebrated and respected pianists of our time. His performances are known for their brilliance, technical mastery, and deep musicality. On today's show, we'll hear Hamelin play one of the world’s most challenging piano compositions: Beethoven's Piano Sonata No. 29, the Hammerklavier.

Franz Schreker was an innovative Austrian composer in the early 1900s, but the Third Reich banned Schreker's music along with that of many other composers of Jewish origin. Now, some orchestras are reviving his music. We'll hear Franz Schreker's distinctive 'Kammersymphonie' ('Chamber Symphony') on today's show, with Alan Gilbert conducting the SummerFest Chamber Orchestra in La Jolla, California.

Yurui "Rain" Hou loves how chamber music is like conversation and how the composer gets to construct the conversation note by note. Hou is 19 years old and a student at Columbia University in New York City, but don't discount her music because of her age. On today's show, we'll hear a piece Rain Hou composed for the Emerging Composers Intensive in Carmel Valley, California.

In 1860, Emily Dickinson wrote a poem about how there is a deep metaphorical kind of music that is everywhere, all the time. It might be the spark of life, but we're often so caught up with activity that we don't hear it, yet when we stop and listen, that music is always there. On today's show, we'll hear music inspired by Dickinson's poem: 'Musicians Wrestle Everywhere' by Judith Weir.

As a teenager, Julia Perry found her passion in composition. In her 20s, Perry spent five years studying composition and conducting in Paris and Rome. She had a powerful sense of her place in the world; she signed her passport: "Julia Perry, Composer." On today's show, we'll hear the world premiere recording of the Violin Concerto by Julia Perry.

‘Performance Today’ has selected performing-arts advocate Deborah Borda as the 2024 Classical Woman of the Year. This annual award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the classical music art form and have inspired our listeners. Find out more!

PT celebrates great female composers and performers.

We are honored to announce that Deborah Borda is our 2024 PT Classical Woman of the Year. So many things we love about today's classical music world wouldn't be what they are without her work. Deborah was chosen for her tireless advocacy and support for the arts and her vision of making classical music accessible for generations to come. On today's show, learn why she has been—and still is—one of the most influential players in the classical music world...and we'll get to hear from Deborah Borda herself!