Performance Today®

The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble includes talented young players from Israel and Arab countries. They're a musical ensemble, but they're also a project of cultural diplomacy. Hear their story and a highlight from their recent U.S. tour on today's show.

Pierre Jalbert wrote a piece for Carol Wincenc to celebrate her 50th anniversary season. He wove little messages into the music, honoring Carol and the number 50. On today's show, Carol Wincenc and the Escher String Quartet perform the world premiere of "Air in Motion" by Pierre Jalbert from a concert at the Morgan Library & Museum in New York City.

Stephen Hough is a phenomenal pianist, but he’s also a prolific writer. He's an award-winning poet, has published a novel, and most recently, a memoir titled "Enough: Scenes from Childhood." Join us for music and conversation with Hough on today's episode of Performance Today.

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.

A form called "concerto grosso" was popular about three centuries ago; it's a musical conversation between a larger ensemble and a smaller one. On today's show, we'll hear a 21st-century concerto grosso by Samuel Adams, recipient of a 2019 Guggenheim Fellowship.

Pianist Margaryta Golovko was born and raised in Ukraine. She has expressed her love of her home country this past year by playing as much Ukrainian music as possible. On today’s show, we’ll take you to a concert in Moldova to hear Margaryta Golovko play the ‘Slavic Concerto’ by Ukrainian composer Boris Lyatoshynsky.

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.

Cellist Leland Ko is one of our 2023 PT Young Artists in Residence. Leland and pianist Adria Ye join Fred Child for music and conversation at our studio in St. Paul.

'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.