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.
Air is the energy that fuels wind instruments. And sharing that air with trusted colleagues, learning what makes them tick on a musical level, is what inspires the people who play them. Gro Sandvik, flutist with the Bergen Woodwind Quintet, says, "What we inhale is the inspiration for what is going to happen when we exhale." Today and tomorrow, the members of the Bergen Woodwind Quintet draw inspiration from each other, joining host Fred Child in the PT studio.
The members of the Bergen Woodwind Quintet aren't just chamber music colleagues. They also play together as the principal winds of the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra. All that togetherness makes for a heightened sense of musical ESP, and some spectacular music-making. The BWQ joined host Fred Child in the PT studio for two days of lively conversation and works by Giuseppe Cambini and Jim Parker.
Gustavo Dudamel and the Los Angeles Philharmonic just got back from a whirlwind, 10-day concert tour to Venezuela, Dudamel's home country. By all accounts, the tour was a big success. In today's show, we'll hear a recording they made before their tour, a concert performance of Brahms' Second Symphony at Walt Disney Hall in Los Angeles.
The Roma people (also known as Gypsies) have long lived on the fringes of Eastern European society. But even though they themselves have been marginalized, their influence on classical music has not. In today's show, we'll hear Haydn's "Gypsy Rondo" Trio and the world premiere of Mark O'Connor's "March of the Gypsy Fiddler."
Fred Child recently interviewed Aaron Dworkin, the founder and president of the Sphinx Organization, about the value of diversity in art. He's written a new memoir titled Uncommon Rhythm about his experience as a violinist of mixed race and as a leader in developing young classical musicians.
Today on PT, special music in honor of a few of our 44 Commanders-in-Chief. Leonard Bernstein wrote a fanfare in honor of the Inauguration of JFK in 1961. John Knowles Paine wrote a Solemn March for Abraham Lincoln's funeral. Plus, we'll hear music by the man who can arguably be called the country's Composer-in-Chief, Aaron Copland.
Rising stars and established veterans are in this weekend's show. Cellist Lynn Harrell has been one of the top cellists in the world for decades. We'll hear him in concert with the Buffalo Philharmonic. And we'll hear from one of our favorite young pianists, Roberto Plano, performing as part of the Gilmore Rising Stars Recital Series.
Rising stars and established veterans are in today's show. Cellist Lynn Harrell has been one of the top cellists in the world for decades. We'll hear him in concert with the Buffalo Philharmonic. And we'll hear from one of our favorite young pianists, Roberto Plano, performing as part of the Gilmore Rising Stars Recital Series.
As much as we strive to be a color-blind society, the fact is, we're not. And there are few places where the color divide is as prominent as in classical music. Violinist and educator Aaron Dworkin joins us today to talk about his experience growing up as a classical musician and a person of color. And he talks about the Sphinx Organization he founded to promote diversity in classical music.
