Poster Fred Child
Fred Child
MPR

Performance Today®

with host Fred Child

All Episodes

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.

A source of Ukrainian pride

A source of Ukrainian pride

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.

Cuarteto Latinoamericano

Cuarteto Latinoamericano

Saul Bitran of Cuarteto Latinoamericano says he loves practicing his violin. He says, "(it's) like filing taxes for accountants or cleaning teeth for a dentist, except my daily practice is fun." Hear Saul Bitran and his brothers play a string quartet by Alberto Ginastera on today's show.

Borders: A new concerto by Michael Abels

Borders: A new concerto by Michael Abels

Join us today for the world premiere performance of a concerto that composer Michael Abels wrote for Slovenian guitarist Mak Grgic. We'll hear the story behind the piece and how it became an emotional collaboration inspired by the idea of finding beauty in troubled environments.

PT Weekend: Flutronix

PT Weekend: Flutronix

Flutists Allison Loggins-Hull and Nathalie Joachim lived in New York City for years before meeting each other. When they finally did get together, they realized they'd make a great musical team. Hear the adventurous flute duo Flutronix play music by Steve Reich on this episode of Performance Today.

Ralph Vaughan Williams

Ralph Vaughan Williams

In the early 1900s, English composer Ralph Vaughan Williams was deeply inspired by a hymn written four centuries earlier. Join us today to hear a Buffalo Philharmonic performance of Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis.