Celebrated Norwegian soprano Lise Davidsen will make her highly anticipated debut for the Schubert Club International Artist Series at the Ordway. Joined by her acclaimed recital partner, pianist James Baillieu, Davidsen will deliver an intimate, all-Schubert program that spans the vast emotional depth of human experience, from intense rapture to tragic encounters with death.

The carefully curated performance features iconic masterpieces like Gretchen am Spinnrade alongside haunting narrative ballads such as Der Zwerg and Der Tod und das Mädchen.

Listen live on YourClassical MPR on Friday, Oct. 23, starting 7:30 p.m. Central.

See the full program, along with song translations, in the program below, provided courtesy the Schubert Club:

Ariana Kim is a violinist who has an appetite for music outside of the classical tradition. A tenured violin professor at Cornell University, she’s built a career that now includes performances with musicians across various genres from jazz to bluegrass. Kim recently went to India on a five-month sabbatical to study Carnatic music. Everything she learned during that trip appears on her latest recording, (un)common thread — an album that connects pieces from a variety of composers through a single theme: improvisation.

Kim joins host Julie Amacher in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio at Minnesota Public Radio’s headquarters in St. Paul to talk about her upbringing, her sabbaticals and her approach to improvisation.

Watch Kim's performance of her own composition for violin and looping pedal: Migrating Home.

Musicians
Ariana Kim, violin

Credits
Guest: Ariana Kim
Host: Julie Amacher
Video Producer: Ines Guanchez
Video Editor: Evan Clark
Camera Operator: Evan Clark, Ariel Tilson
Audio Engineer: Josh Sauvageau
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Ariana Kim is a violinist who has an appetite for music outside of the classical tradition. A tenured violin professor at Cornell University, she’s built a career that now includes performances with musicians across various genres from jazz to bluegrass. Kim recently went to India on a five-month sabbatical to study Carnatic music. Everything she learned during that trip appears on her latest recording, (un)common thread — an album that connects pieces from a variety of composers through a single theme: improvisation.

Kim joins host Julie Amacher in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio at Minnesota Public Radio’s headquarters in St. Paul to talk about her upbringing, her sabbaticals and her approach to improvisation.

Watch Kim’s performance of her own arrangement of the Raga Aalapana Bahudari — an improvisation in the Carnatic classical music style.

Musicians
Ariana Kim, violin

Credits
Guest: Ariana Kim
Host: Julie Amacher
Video Producer: Ines Guanchez
Video Editor: Evan Clark
Camera Operator: Evan Clark, Ariel Tilson
Audio Engineer: Josh Sauvageau
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

French composer and organist Jean-Baptiste Robin has established an international career as a performer, composer and teacher. He is Organist of the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Versailles, one of France’s most distinguished musical appointments, and has teaching appointments in Versailles and London.

Earlier this year, Robin joined Pipedreams host Michael Barone at the Catholic Church of St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis, where they spoke about music, the organ and Robin’s career, as well as recorded his interpretation of various compositions from across the organ repertoire.

Watch as Robin performs Pavane of a Sleeping Beauty by Maurice Ravel on the church’s Lively-Fulcher pipe organ. Gentle and restrained, this interpretation leans into the piece’s quiet elegance and sense of space.

Musician
Jean-Baptiste Robin, organ

Credits
Guests: Jean-Baptiste Robin
Host: Michael Barone
Video Producer: John Kuntz
Video Editor: Evan Clark
Camera Operator: Evan Clark
Audio Engineer: Ruben Schneiderman
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Ariana Kim is a violinist who has an appetite for music outside of the classical tradition. A tenured violin professor at Cornell University, she’s built a career that now includes performances with musicians across various genres from jazz to bluegrass. Kim recently went to India on a five-month sabbatical to study Carnatic music. Everything she learned during that trip appears on her latest recording, (un)common thread — an album that connects pieces from a variety of composers through a single theme: improvisation.

Kim joins host Julie Amacher in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio at Minnesota Public Radio’s headquarters in St. Paul to talk about her upbringing, her sabbaticals and her approach to improvisation.

Listen to the New Classical Tracks episode from this interview

Musicians
Ariana Kim, violin

Credits
Guest: Ariana Kim
Host: Julie Amacher
Video Producer: Ines Guanchez
Video Editor: Evan Clark
Camera Operator: Evan Clark, Ariel Tilson
Audio Engineer: Josh Sauvageau
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Katherine Bergman is a Minnesota-based composer who draws on nature, environmentalism, and the intersection between art and science to create music described as hypnotic and visceral. She is also co-founder and artistic director of the Minnesota Winds, a professional concert band with a vision to embrace the dynamic energy and inclusive culture of school band and bring it to the professional level.

Host Vernon Neal joined Bergman at her home to talk about her latest composition for the Minnesota Winds, Unfurl.

Watch guest conductor Cynthia Johnston Turner lead the Minnesota Winds in a performance of Unfurl by Katherine Bergman from the ensemble’s first-ever season finale.

Musicians
Cynthia Johnston Turner, conductor
Katherine Bergman, composer
Minnesota Winds

Credits
Guest: Katherine Bergman
Host: Vernon Neal
Video Producer: Ines Guanchez
Video Editor: Josh Sauvageau
Camera Operator: Josh Sauvageau, Isaí Trujillo
Audio Engineer: Josh Sauvageau
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

French composer and organist Jean-Baptiste Robin has established an international career as a performer, composer and teacher. He is Organist of the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Versailles, one of France’s most distinguished musical appointments, and has teaching appointments in Versailles and London.

Earlier this year, Robin joined Pipedreams host Michael Barone at the Catholic Church of St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis, where they spoke about music, the organ and Robin’s career, as well as recorded his interpretation of various compositions from across the organ repertoire.

Watch as Robin performs François Couperin's 'Plein Jeu' on the church's Lively-Fulcher pipe organ, highlighting the clarity and rhythmic vitality that defines the French Baroque style.

Musician
Jean-Baptiste Robin, organ

Credits
Guests: Jean-Baptiste Robin
Host: Michael Barone
Video Producer: John Kuntz
Video Editor: Evan Clark
Camera Operator: Evan Clark
Audio Engineer: Ruben Schneiderman
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Performance Today Young Artist in Residence Samuel Frois has a strong affinity for the music and culture of his home country, Brazil. During his residency, he gave a recital that featured mostly Brazilian composers for students at Walker West Music Academy in St. Paul, Minnesota’s historic Rondo neighborhood. Here is an excerpt from the concert, where he and pianist Neilson Chen perform the Aria from Bachianas Brasileiras No. 5 by Heitor Villa Lobos.

Find more music and interviews with Performance Today!

More on Samuel Frois

More about Walker West Music Academy

Performance Today team
Producer: Meghann Oglesby
Camera Operator: Evan Clark
Editors: Evan Clark, Eric Xu Romani
Audio Engineer: Craig Thorson

French composer and organist Jean-Baptiste Robin has established an international career as a performer, composer and teacher. He is Organist of the Royal Chapel at the Palace of Versailles, one of France’s most distinguished musical appointments, and has teaching appointments in Versailles and London.

Earlier this year, Robin joined Pipedreams host Michael Barone at the Catholic Church of St. Olaf in downtown Minneapolis, where they spoke about music, the organ and Robin’s career, as well as recorded his interpretation of various compositions from across the organ repertoire.

Watch as Robin performs Jean-Philippe Rameau’s Les Sauvages on the church’s Lively-Fulcher pipe organ, highlighting the clarity and rhythmic vitality that defines the French Baroque style.

Musician
Jean-Baptiste Robin, organ

Credits
Guests: Jean-Baptiste Robin
Host: Michael Barone
Video Producer: John Kuntz
Video Editor: Evan Clark
Camera Operator: Evan Clark
Audio Engineer: Ruben Schneiderman
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Performance Today Young Artist in Residence soprano Claudia Diaz and pianist Kevin Korth perform “¿Dónde estás, Cristóbal?” by Daniel Catán from Act II of the opera Florencia en el Amazonas at the historic Van Dusen Mansion in Minneapolis.

Find more Performance Today music and interviews

More on The Van Dusen Mansion

Listen to Claudia’s radio broadcast

Performance Today Team
Host and Producer: Meghann Oglesby
Camera Operators: Evan Clark, Sean Belcher, Ruben Schneiderman
Editors: Evan Clark, Ruben Schneiderman
Audio Engineer: Michael Osborne
Musicians: Claudia Diaz, soprano; Kevin Korth, piano

Throughout its almost 40 year history, first as the Bakken Quartet and then as the Bakken Piano Trio (now as Bakken Ensemble), the Bakken musicians have always performed a diverse repertoire including classics, unusual works by old and new composers, and world premieres that demonstrate their ability to thrive in difficult and seldom-traveled waters.

The ensemble joins host Tom Crann in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio at Minnesota Public Radio’s headquarters in St. Paul to talk about its origins as a chamber group and its recent projects and commissions.

Watch the group’s performance of Fly Away Moon by American composer, producer and performer TJ Cole.

Musicians
Stephanie Arado: violin
Pitnarry Shin: cello
Grace Takeda: viola
Matt Haimovitz: cello

Credits
Guests: Stephanie Arado, Pitnarry Shin, Grace Takeda, Matt Haimovitz
Host: Tom Crann
Video Producer: John Kuntz
Video Editor: Josh Sauvageau
Camera Operator: Josh Sauvageau
Audio Engineer: Cameron Wiley
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Listen to Tom Crann’s on-air interview with the ensemble!

Throughout its almost 40 year history, first as the Bakken Quartet and then as the Bakken Piano Trio (now as Bakken Ensemble), the Bakken musicians have always performed a diverse repertoire including classics, unusual works by old and new composers, and world premieres that demonstrate their ability to thrive in difficult and seldom-traveled waters.

The ensemble joins host Tom Crann in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio at Minnesota Public Radio’s headquarters in St. Paul to talk about its origins as a chamber group and its recent projects and commissions.

Watch the group’s performance of the second movement of Russian composer Anton Arensky’s String Quartet No. 2 above.

Musicians
Stephanie Arado: violin
Pitnarry Shin: cello
Grace Takeda: viola
Matt Haimovitz: cello

Credits
Guests: Stephanie Arado, Pitnarry Shin, Grace Takeda, Matt Haimovitz
Host: Tom Crann
Video Producer: John Kuntz
Video Editor: Josh Sauvageau
Camera Operator: Josh Sauvageau
Audio Engineer: Cameron Wiley
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Listen to Tom Crann’s on-air interview with the ensemble!

Throughout its almost 40 year history, first as the Bakken Quartet and then as the Bakken Piano Trio (now as Bakken Ensemble), the Bakken musicians have always performed a diverse repertoire including classics, unusual works by old and new composers, and world premieres that demonstrate their ability to thrive in difficult and seldom-traveled waters.

The ensemble joins host Tom Crann in the Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio at Minnesota Public Radio’s headquarters in St. Paul to talk about its origins as a chamber group and its recent projects and commissions.

Musicians
Stephanie Arado: violin
Pitnarry Shin: cello
Grace Takeda: viola
Matt Haimovitz: cello

Credits
Guests: Stephanie Arado, Pitnarry Shin, Grace Takeda, Matt Haimovitz
Host: Tom Crann
Video Producer: John Kuntz
Video Editor: Josh Sauvageau
Camera Operator: Josh Sauvageau
Audio Engineer: Cameron Wiley
Digital Producers: Ines Guanchez, Jenny Cvek-Walmsley

Listen to Tom Crann’s on-air interview with the ensemble!

The Greater Twin Cities Youth Symphonies (GTCYS) is the largest youth orchestra program in the country, serving more than 1300 students through its 11 school-year orchestras, camps and community initiatives. Its programs provide a musical pathway for students from across the region, ages 7-18, of all backgrounds and musical levels.

Watch as host Vernon Neal speaks to three members of GTCYS’ Symphony ensemble at Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis about their instruments and experiences, as well as how GTCYS is helping shape their future.

Musicians
Hansel Pérez Carrero: violin
Ana Caridad Frómeta: violin
Amaya Fuentes Sarria: viola
Denise Hernández Rabeiro: cello

Music Excerpts
An Overture: The Mouse and Its Shadow by Luke Soneral
Prelude from Die Meistersinger by Richard Wagner

Credits
Guests: Solanite Ketema, Kyle Garay, Tom Sella
Host: Vernon Neal
Video Producer: Ariel Tilson
Video Editor: Evan Clark
Camera Operator: Evan Clark
Audio Engineer: Sean Belcher
Digital Producer: Ines Guanchez

Performance Today Young Artist in Residence Sean Terada Yang says he was drawn to music by the same impulse that initially led him toward medicine: helping people feel better. The pianist, who’s pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree at Rice University, joins producer Meghann Oglesby to bring music to Pillars of Prospect Park Memory Care Residents in Minneapolis and takes a moment to rate the food at The Nook, a historic neighborhood pub and burger joint in St. Paul, Minnesota.

More on Sean Terada Yang

More about The Pillars of Prospect Park

Peformance Today Team
Host and Producer: Meghann Oglesby
Camera Operators: Evan Clark, Sean Belcher
Editor: Evan Clark
Audio Engineer: Cameron Wiley

Recorded at Icehouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota featuring cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O’Riley.

Hosted by Valerie Kahler recorded at Icehouse in Minneapolis, Minnesota featuring cellist Matt Haimovitz and pianist Christopher O'Riley. They discuss their collaborative process, instrument mechanics, performance tuning, and their album The Bach Dialogues.

Did you miss Bach's Birthday Bash on Saturday with Pipedreams host Michael Barone? This year's celebration included five free, hourlong concerts at venues in St. Paul. Listen to the first concert now!

Bach's birthday comes around every year on March 21. The occasion calls for a celebration of this most remarkable of musical talents, and Minnesota Public Radio's Michael Barone (host of Pipedreams) decided that Johann Sebastian Bach deserved something special. A number of years ago, he and colleagues from the Twin Cities chapter of the American Guild of Organists arranged a Bach's Birthday Bash, and the idea blossomed.

The event has become something of a local tradition, with enthusiasts from all parts of the state participating or just listening.

This year's activities featured five free, hourlong public concerts of Bach's music, presented at five venues and churches in St. Paul during the morning and afternoon of Saturday, March 21.

Co-sponsors include the Twin Cities Chapter of the American Guild of Organists and YourClassical MPR.

9 a.m. at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church (700 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul): The first concert was aired live at 9 a.m. Central by YourClassical MPR. You can hear listen to it through the player above. Performers included organists Brenda Sevcik, Dean Billmeyer and Celina Kobetitsch; pianists Gideon Scheeler; and guitarist Lukas Murdych.

Other concerts will follow in St. Paul:

10:30 – 11:30 a.m. at Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church (1900 Stanford Ave., St. Paul): Performers included organists Joel Anderson and Bruce Jacobs; flutist Jeeyoun Kang; pianists Sujin Cho and Jeana Ogren; the Elm Ensemble; conductor Sally Messner; and saxophonist David Milne.

1 – 2 p.m. at St. Thomas More Catholic Parish (Summit Avenue at Lexington Avenue, St. Paul): Performers included organists Samuel Libra, Emily Roth, Noah Strom and Daniel Schwandt; and violist Samantha Lee.

2:30 – 3:30 p.m. at St. Clement Episcopal Church (901 Portland Avenue, St. Paul): Performers included organists Catherine Rodland, Amy Maakestad, Graeme Schields and Nicholas Kees.

4 – 5 p.m. at House of Hope Presbyterian Church (797 Summit Ave., St. Paul): Performers included organists Wolfgang Rübsam, David Jenkins and Nils Halker; and pianist Jacob Marvets.

Enjoy pictures from Bach’s Birthday Bash!

Pictures from Bach's Birthday Bash

Fullscreen SlideshowPrevious Slide

14 of 14

1 of 14

2 of 14

Next Slide

On Wednesday, YourClassical MPR hosted a free event at Surdyk’s Liquor & Cheese Shop in Minneapolis featuring classical music and complimentary tastings of wine and other beverages at multiple tasting stations.

YourClassical MPR host Vernon Neal set the mood with a curated soundtrack before duo The OK Factor gave a live performance consisting of original compositions and classic arrangements. Those in attendance appreciated the music provided by Neal and by cellist Olivia Diercks and violinist Karla Peters of The OK Factor; many guests spoke to Neal and to The OK Factor throughout the evening.

Browse a gallery of photos from the event:

YourClassical MPR Happy Hour with The OK Factor

Fullscreen SlideshowPrevious Slide

28 of 28

1 of 28

2 of 28

Next Slide

Jess Gillam is a phenomenal young saxophonist who, at 27, has already made her mark in the world of classical music. At 17, she became the first saxophonist in history to make the finals of the BBC Young Musician of the Year competition. Listen to Gillam’s performance of her own arrangement of Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen’s Shine You No More, recording during her recent visit to Minnesota Public Radio’s headquarters.

Find out more about Gillam’s latest project, Prism, on New Classical Tracks with host Julie Amacher.

Nicole Keller performs Toccata in F Major, BuxWV 156 by Dietrich Buxtehude. This video was filmed in the beautiful sanctuary at Hamline Church United Methodist in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Thank you to Dr. David Kozisek and the administration at HCUM for the facilitation of this video.

Check out our website to listen and engage with more performers like Nicole and follow us at Pipedreams for more organ content.

Credits:
Nicole Keller: Organist
John Kuntz: Video Producer
Evan Clark: Technical Director
D’Vir Rudin: Camera Operations

Nicole Keller performs “Almande” from Klavierbuch der Susanne van Soldt (1590). This video was filmed in the beautiful sanctuary at Hamline Church United Methodist in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Thank you to Dr. David Kozisek and the administration at HCUM for the facilitation of this video.

Check out our website to listen and engage with more performers like Nicole and follow us at Pipedreams for more organ content.

Credits:
Nicole Keller: Organist
John Kuntz: Video Producer
Evan Clark: Technical Director
D’Vir Rudin: Camera Operations

Nicole Keller performs “De Frans Galliard” from Klavierbuch der Susanne van Soldt (1590). This video was filmed in the beautiful sanctuary at Hamline Church United Methodist in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Thank you to Dr. David Kozisek and the administration at HCUM for the facilitation of this video.

Check out our website to listen and engage with more performers like Nicole and follow us at Pipedreams for more organ content.

Credits:
Nicole Keller: Organist
John Kuntz: Video Producer
Evan Clark: Technical Director
D’Vir Rudin: Camera Operations

Nicole Keller performs “Myn God Voet mi Gals myn Herder Ghepressen, 23 Sallem” from Klavierbuch der Susanne van Soldt, 1590. This video was filmed in the beautiful sanctuary at Hamline Church United Methodist in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

Thank you to Dr. David Kozisek and the administration at HCUM for the facilitation of this video.

Check out our website to listen and engage with more performers like Nicole and follow us at Pipedreams for more organ content.

Credits:
Nicole Keller: Organist
John Kuntz: Video Producer
Evan Clark: Technical Director
D’Vir Rudin: Camera Operations

When Jean-Yves Thibaudet visited NPR to play a Tiny Desk, everything about him was stylish. His shoes were custom made for him by the late Vivienne Westwood, his jacket was by Simon Porte Jacquemus, his necklace, Cartier.

When he sat down to play, arguably only one thing seemed to be missing: a shiny, 9-foot grand piano. But Thibaudet, like many great pianists who have graced our office space, understands the vibe of our beloved little concert series. He knows that the point is not to be playing on the largest piano possible. Instead, he delighted in bringing music by Villa-Lobos, Brahms and Ravel to our diminutive — but meticulously groomed — upright. And the colors and textures he conjured from that trusty box of wood and wire was unforgettable.

Thibaudet begins with a firecracker of a piece from the early 20th century — two-minutes of effervescence by the Brazilian composer Heitor Villa-Lobos. Watch the pianist's fingers in a blur, stabbing hundreds of notes like a sewing machine. It was an encore favorite of the great pianist Arthur Rubinstein, Thibaudet explains.

What follows could not be more different. The Intermezzo Op. 118, No. 2, is classic late Brahms, filled with muted, fall afternoon light and whispered inner voices. Thibaudet ends with a tribute to one of his idols, Maurice Ravel, whose 150th birth anniversary is being celebrated far and wide. Turns out that one of the composer's biggest hits, the Pavane for a Dead Princess, was not among his own favorites. And the evocative title was merely tacked on as a poetic afterthought. Still, the wide palette of coloring and shading Thibaudet offers is a masterclass in how to make an upright piano sound like a symphony orchestra.

SET LIST

• Heitor Villa-Lobos: "O polichinelo" (from A prole do bebê No. 1)

• Johannes Brahms: Intermezzo in A major, Op. 118, No. 2

• Maurice Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte

MUSICIANS

• Jean-Yves Thibaudet: piano

TINY DESK TEAM

• Producer: Tom Huizenga

• Director/Editor: Kara Frame

• Audio Technical Director: Josh Newell

• Host/Series Producer: Bobby Carter

• Videographers: Kara Frame, Joshua Bryant

• Audio Engineer: Andie Heuther

• Production Assistants: Ashley Pointer, Dora Levite

• Photographer: Alanté Serene

• Tiny Desk Team: Maia Stern, Lars Gotrich

• Executive Producer: Suraya Mohamed

• Series Creators: Bob Boilen, Stephen Thompson

• VP, Visuals and Music: Keith Jenkins

Copyright 2025, NPR

Greg Zelek performs the ending of Symphony for Organ No. 6, I. Allegro by Charles-Marie Widor. Thank you to Northrop at the University of Minnesota for facilitating the creation of this performance video. Check out the Pipedreams website to listen and engage with more performers like Greg.

Greg Zelek performs Je te Veux by Erik Satie. Thank you to Northrop at the University of Minnesota for facilitating the creation of this performance video. Check out the Pipedreams website to listen and engage with more performers like Greg.

Performance Today Young Artist in Residence Jiajun David Lai plays the Prelude in D Minor, Op. 28, No. 24, by Frédéric Chopin in the Maud Mood Weyerhaeuser Music Studio in St. Paul, Minnesota.

Find more music and interviews at http://performancetoday.org.

Videography by: Whiskey Kilo

Inon Barnatan gave an exclusive performance at the La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest 2024. Here, he plays Sheep May Safely Graze, by J.S. Bach, at the JAI, a cabaret-style space at the Conrad Prebys Performing Arts Center in La Jolla, California.

Find more music and interviews at https://www.performancetoday.org.

For more on SummerFest: https://theconrad.org/summerfest.

For more about Inon Barnatan: https://www.inonbarnatan.com.

Pianist Inon Barnatan chats with Performance Today host Fred Child at the La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest 2024. Watch now!

Find more music and interviews at https://www.performancetoday.org.

For more on SummerFest: https://theconrad.org/summerfest.

For more about Inon Barnatan: https://www.inonbarnatan.com.