Performance Today®

'Juneteenth' is the longest-running celebration of the end of slavery. For many Americans, it's a day of reflection on freedom, resilience, and strength.  Tune in today for classical music reflections on the meaning of Juneteenth.

A century before Taylor Swift, the press hounded a young woman in London named Dorothy Howell. She'd written a big orchestral piece for the biggest concert of the year and became an overnight celebrity. We’ll hear Dorothy Howell’s ‘Koong Shee Ballet’ on this episode of Performance Today. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week’s Piano Puzzler!

It's not from England, and it's not a horn, but we call it the English horn. It was invented in Germany and is a close cousin of the oboe. We've got a gorgeous solo for the deceptively named English horn on this episode of Performance Today.

The city of Olinda, Brazil, is famous for massive papier-mâché puppets during the annual Carnival parades. Those “bonecos,” as they're called, can be 20 feet tall. Composer Clarice Assad wrote a piece inspired by Carnival and those big puppets. Join us today to hear “Bonecos de Olinda” by Clarice Assad.

A century before Taylor Swift, the press hounded a young woman in London named Dorothy Howell. She'd written a big orchestral piece for the biggest concert of the year and became an overnight celebrity. We’ll hear Dorothy Howell’s ‘Koong Shee Ballet’ on this episode of Performance Today.

In 2014, Andrew Norman composed a piece based on an exploration of two of Johannes Brahms's melodic motifs. The Los Angeles Philharmonic commissioned the work as part of a project that invited young composers to write companion pieces for some of Brahms's best-known pieces. Join us today to hear Suspend by Andrew Norman.

Polish composer Witold Lutosławski wrote a piece in 1939 when he was a student, full of hope. The score was one of the few he could save when escaping war-torn Warsaw a few years later. Join us today to hear the Symphonic Variations by Witold Lutosławski.

For more than 20 years now, the Sphinx Organization has been at the forefront of work to increase the representation of Black and Latinx artists in classical music. On today's show, we'll hear the Sphinx Virtuosi perform 'Tracking Visions' by Valerie Coleman. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week’s Piano Puzzler!

Ukrainian composer Hanna Havrylets wrote choral and chamber music until her death in 2022. Her family says her music reflects her personality: bright, loving, and full of light...and her music lives on. We'll hear music by Hanna Havrylets on this episode of PT.