Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

PT Weekend: The Piano Puzzler

PT Weekend: 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.

The Swiss Orchestra

The Swiss Orchestra

They're called the Swiss Orchestra. They've been around since 2018, and they aim to bring back forgotten Swiss music. Join us for highlights from a concert they gave in the heart of the Swiss Alps on this edition of Performance Today.

Giovanni Antonini & Il Giardino Armonico

Giovanni Antonini & Il Giardino Armonico

Forty years ago, conductor Giovanni Antonini helped launch a musical movement by playing works from 300 years ago as we think they might have been originally played. Antonini and his group, Il Giardino Armonico, are on the way in concert on today's episode of PT.

Bruce Adolphe and the Piano Puzzler

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.

JP Jofre and friends

JP Jofre and friends

Argentine bandoneon player JP Jofre remembers hearing music by Astor Piazzolla for the first time. He says, "It was classical, and it was tango, and it had the power of heavy metal. I knew this was what I wanted to do." Join us today to hear JP Jofre and friends play music by Astor Piazzolla from a concert at the Geneva Music Festival in Geneva, NY.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

Martin Luther King, Jr.

The impact of Dr. Martin Luther King is more important than ever. Join us for this special edition of Performance Today honoring Dr. King through music. We'll hear music he loved and the pieces composed by musicians who loved him.

PT Weekend: Mykola Lysenko

PT Weekend: Mykola Lysenko

Mykola Lysenko was a Ukrainian composer and conductor who is considered one of the founders of Ukrainian classical music. On today's show, we'll hear the overture from Lysenko's opera 'Taras Bulba,' from a concert by the Romanian Radio National Orchestra.

Kenji Bunch: Time In

Kenji Bunch: Time In

Polyrhythm means two or more different rhythms going at the same time. Composer Kenji Bunch recently wrote a piece using polyrhythm as a metaphor for the peaceful coexistence of opposing ideologies. He not only used polyrhythms; he also used elements from a wide range of musical traditions. On today's show, we'll take you to Portland, Oregon, to hear the world premiere of "Time In" by Kenji Bunch.

Missy Mazzoli: Procession

Missy Mazzoli: Procession

During the height of the pandemic, American composer Missy Mazzoli read about the history of medieval healing rituals, which was the inspiration behind a new piece of music. Join us today to hear Procession, a violin concerto by Missy Mazzoli.