Ben Folds' favorites

‘Performance Today’ has selected performing-arts advocate Deborah Borda as the 2024 Classical Woman of the Year. This annual award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the classical music art form and have inspired our listeners. Find out more!

A colorful bird sings high in a tree. Suddenly, it takes off and flies in chaotic circles, running into nearby trees. The bird exhausts itself and falls asleep. That's the story of a piece called Alma by Tania Leon—and we'll hear it on today's show!

When Pablo Ziegler was growing up in Argentina in the 1960s, he hated tango. But, to his surprise, he wound up playing in one of the most innovative tango bands of the 20th century—he's been a creative force, blending tango and classical and jazz ever since. We'll hear Muchacha de Boedo by Pablo Ziegler on today's show.

Pianist Avery Gagliano is the next of our 2024 cohort of PT Young Artists in Residence. Avery recently joined Fred Child in our St. Paul studio—hear their music and the entire interview here!

We're pleased to introduce our next 2024 PT Young Artist in Residence: pianist Avery Gagliano. Avery joins Fred Child for music and conversation at our Saint Paul studio on today's show. 

In 1940, Paul Hindemith wrote a piece music based on themes written more than a century earlier by Carl Maria von Weber. He kept Weber's basic ideas intact but gave them some inventive 20th-century twists. Hear that piece on today's show: the ‘Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber’ by Paul Hindemith, from a concert in Taipei, Taiwan.

Violinist James Ehnes absolutely loves playing at the Grand Teton Music Festival. He says, "The physical beauty is beyond description, and the quality of music-making defies rational explanation." On today's show, we'll take you to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, to hear Ehnes play Max Bruch's Violin Concerto No. 1. 

Composer Richard Danielpour found musical inspiration in a sculpture made by his mother—an image of an Iranian woman breaking away from her veil. He contemplated recent protests in Iran, led by young women who want to choose whether to wear a headscarf. On today's show, we'll hear music inspired by the brave women of Iran: Breaking the Veil by Richard Danielpour.

In 1940, Paul Hindemith wrote a piece music based on themes written more than a century earlier by Carl Maria von Weber. He kept Weber's basic ideas intact but gave them some inventive 20th-century twists. Hear that piece on today's show: the ‘Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes of Carl Maria von Weber’ by Paul Hindemith, from a concert in Taipei, Taiwan.

On today's show, we'll hear some fascinating new music by Navajo composer Juantio Becenti. Becenti found a unique parallel between the Navajo creation story and his own musical journey. Join us to hear the ensemble A Far Cry play The Glittering World by Juantio Becenti at a concert in Rockport, Massachusetts.