Performance Today®

It seems to be human nature that when something is forbidden it becomes all the more enticing. When Jon Nakamatsu was a boy, no one in his family was allowed to touch the piano. Can see where this is going? On today's show, the story of how Jon Nakamatsu became a pianist.

André Watts, the acclaimed American pianist who rose to fame as a teenager and went on to have a distinguished career performing and teaching, died last week (July 12, 2023) at the age of 77. He was known for his powerful technique and his ability to communicate the emotional depth of the music he played. He will be dearly missed, but his music lives on. We'll hear André Watts play music by Schubert and Liszt on today's show.

Pianist Lara Downes's passion for sharing the music of Black composers goes beyond performing onstage. She's also been hard at work making this previously overlooked music accessible for other musicians to play. Downes will detail her editing and publishing efforts, plus perform a highlight from the project on today's show.

What do we mean when we say "American classical music"? Composer Derrick Skye sought to answer that question in the form of a string quartet. On today's show, hear music that draws on the musical traditions that reflect our multicultural American society: American Mirror by Derrick Skye.

André Watts, the acclaimed American pianist who rose to fame as a teenager and went on to have a distinguished career performing and teaching, died last week (July 12, 2023) at the age of 77. He was known for his powerful technique and his ability to communicate the emotional depth of the music he played. He will be dearly missed, but his music lives on. We'll hear André Watts play music by Franze Schubert on today's show.

During the most recent Cliburn International Piano Competition, Yunchan Lim boldly played an hour-long recital with just the Transcendental Etudes by Franz Liszt. It's difficult, demanding music...and he went on to win the Gold Medal. Hear Yunchan Lim play Liszt's Transcendental Etudes on this episode of Performance Today.

Talin Nalbandian is the latest in the 2023 cohort of PT Young Artists in Residence. A native of Los Angeles, California, Nalbandian is an Armenian-American mezzo-soprano. She recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio; you can hear her music and the entire interview here.

Talin Nalbandian worked as an opera singer in New York for five years before she began her doctoral program at the University of Texas at Austin. She is now one of our 2023 PT Young Artists in Residence. She recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio; tune in today to learn more about Talin Nalbandian.

Violinist Jory Lane began his musical journey playing bluegrass and Celtic music in Colorado Springs and continued to the Eastman School of Music, where he graduated this spring. He is now one of our 2023 PT Young Artists in Residence. Jory Lane recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio; tune in to learn more about this exciting young musician.