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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 

Hosted by Valerie Kahler, Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country.

Shows

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Valerie Kahler

Kathryn Slusher is the senior producer of Performance Today, where she leads programming and production for the show. In her spare time, she enjoys the vibrant Twin Cities music and theater scene, and loves to read, hike and spend time with her family.


Senior Producer

Kathryn Slusher

As a Producer for Performance Today, Meghann chooses music to broadcast on the show, writes web articles and scripts, facilitates, conducts and edits interviews, creates video content and manages PT’s social media pages. She created Performance Today’s Black History Spotlight Series and the My Name is Series to highlight Black classical musicians. Meghann is also the producer for the PT Young Artist in Residence Series. In her free time, she is a mom, a part-time actress and fashion lover.

Meghann also created and hosted “Wondrous Strange”, a national radio program about uncommon musical instruments, she is the official underwriting voice for ‘The New York Times’ The Daily, and she can occasionally be heard guest-hosting Performance Today.


Producer

Meghann Oglesby

As an Associate Producer for Performance Today, Kathleen Bradbury writes scripts and assists with external communications. In her spare time, she likes to read fiction, lift heavy weights at the gym, and frolic about in nature. But above all else, Kathleen loves to sing Broadway showtunes--much to the delight of her wife, her infant son, and her rescue dog.


Kathleen Bradbury

Jon Gohman is an associate producer for Performance Today. He is responsible for various behind-the-scenes functions, including liaising with artists and creating materials for national distribution. In his spare time, he enjoys reading, playing the guitar, and thinking about Langrange points.


Associate Producer

Jon Gohman

Craig Thorson is the Technical Director for Performance Today. In addition to mastering the live music recordings that are programmed for each daily program, he records guest performances and interviews. Craig enjoys skiing, tennis, and bicycling, and boating.


Technical Director

Craig Thorson

Jeanne Barron is the technical producer of Performance Today.


Technical Producer

YourClassical MPR

Jeanne Barron

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. 


Dani Werner

On Monday's Performance Today, we'll go to a concert in Stockholm for the Italian Symphony by Felix Mendelssohn. And since Monday is a day for all things Irish, we'll also get a set of Irish tunes from the Ensemble Galilei.


Performance Today®

Umberto Salvagnin / Wikimedia Commons

All things Irish

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is a half-hour long journey from darkness to light. Coming up on this weekend's Performance Today, we'll hear it performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen, Denmark.


Sean O'Malley, 2000

From darkness to light

Beethoven's Symphony No. 5 is a half-hour long journey from darkness to light. Coming up on Friday's Performance Today, we'll hear it performed by the Danish National Symphony Orchestra in Copenhagen, Denmark.


Camille Saint-Saens wrote the Carnival of the Animals for a private party; he'd hoped that would be the last time it was ever heard. Of course, that's not what happened. On Thursday's Performance Today we'll hear Saint-Saens' much-loved musical menagerie from a concert in Buffalo, New York.


Wikipedia

Saint-Saens' musical menagerie

Contemporary composer David Maslanka begins every day by playing and singing Bach. On Wednesday's Performance Today we'll hear Maslanka's Wind Quintet No. 3, which features a direct musical quote from a Bach chorale.


Sue Rissberger Photography

David Maslanka

On Tuesday's Performance Today, innovative pianist Jade Simmons joins Fred in the studio to discuss what it means to stay fiery as a musician.


Giovanni Dall'Orto

Jade Simmons

Pianist Jade Simmons, curator and "musical force of nature," co-hosts a special hour of Performance Today with Fred Child.


Freds Favorites

Nathan Simmons

Friend of Fred: Jade Simmons

The Great East Japan Earthquake took place on March 11, 2011. Composer and conductor Yannick Paget, who lives in Japan, expressed his grief for those lost and his hopes for recovery through his composition "Tears of Sakura."


Performance Today Features

Wikimedia Commons

Tears of Sakura

When he was five years old, Avi Avital's mother asked him which musical instrument he would like to play. The Avital family had an upstairs neighbor who practiced the mandolin; Avi didn't hesitate for a moment in choosing the same instrument. 30 years later, he's on top of the classical mandolin world. We'll hear Avi Avital in concert on Monday's Performance Today.


All Episodes