Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

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Melting away

Melting away

In 2019, there was a ceremony in Iceland to memorialize the Ok glacier that had melted away. A humble copper plaque was installed in its former spot, and composer Marcus Maroney wrote a piece inspired by the inscription on that plaque. On today's show, ROCO performs Marcus Maroney's ‘OK, Goodbye’ from a concert in Houston.

Nathalie Joachim: Seen

Nathalie Joachim: Seen

What can you learn about a person from an object that's important to them? You can learn where and when it came from, but you can also discover the memories and people connected with this object. That's the idea behind a new piece you'll hear on today's show: "Seen" by Nathalie Joachim, played by the Imani Winds at a concert presented by Chamber Music Northwest.

Orli Shaham plays Schubert

Orli Shaham plays Schubert

Franz Schubert was shorter than most people, a little self-conscious, and socially awkward. His friends affectionately called him "Schwammerl," the little mushroom. Schubert shared himself with his friends through music that many of us still treasure two centuries later. On today’s show, we’ll hear pianist Orli Shaham play a sonata by Schubert at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City.

PT Young Artist: Leland Ko

PT Young Artist: Leland Ko

We're proud to introduce you to our next 2022-2023 PT Young Artist in Residence: Cellist Leland Ko. Ko recently joined Fred Child at the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Recording Studio in St. Paul, Minnesota. Hear the conversation and music right here!

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Cellist Leland Ko

Cellist Leland Ko

On today's show, we'll introduce you to cellist Leland Ko in our latest installment of the 2023 PT Young Artists in Residence series. Leland and pianist Adria Ye join Fred Child for music and conversation at our studio in St. Paul.

PT Weekend: Bruce Adolphe and the Piano Puzzler

PT Weekend: Bruce Adolphe and the Piano Puzzler

Every week, composer Bruce Adolphe joins us for a musical game, our Piano Puzzler. Bruce re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a great composer. We get one of our listeners on the phone who tries to guess the hidden tune and the composer whose style Bruce is imitating. Play along with the PT Piano Puzzler on this episode of Performance Today.

Bonecos de Olinda

Bonecos de Olinda

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.

Anthony McGill and Gloria Chien

Anthony McGill and Gloria Chien

Gloria Chien and Anthony McGill are both as busy as can be; Chien runs three festivals, and McGill is the principal clarinet in the New York Philharmonic. But they still make time to play as a duet. On today’s show, Gloria Chien and Anthony McGill play from the Grand Duo Concertant by Carl Maria von Weber.

The Ekstasis Duo

The Ekstasis Duo

The Ekstasis Duo loves to play the "secret jewels," lesser-known works they feel deserve to be heard. Today we'll hear them play a work that was lost for nearly a century: Three Pieces by Austrian composer Alexander Zemlinksy.