Poster Globe
A globe
Mark Doliner/Flickr
Performance Today®

Highlights from around the world

Every week, composer Bruce Adolphe joins us for a musical game. Play along; see if you can name the tune, and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking. On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll play the Piano Puzzler, plus we'll hear highlights from concert halls around the world.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Richard Wagner: Romanza (Albumblatt)
Elissa Lee Koljonen, violin; Robert Koenig, piano
Heartbreak, Romantic Encores for Violin
Dorian 90268

Michael Engelhardt: Gaudete!
Utah State University Chamber Singers; Cory Evans, conductor
Kent Concert Hall, Chase Fine Arts Center, Logan, UT

Benjamin Britten: The Spirit of the Lord (World of the Spirit)
St. Olaf Choir Massed Choirs; St. Olaf Orchestra; Anton Armstrong, conductor
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Skoglund Center Auditorium, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Walter "Jack" Rollins & Steve Nelson (arr. Dallas Brass): Frosty the Tuba
Dallas Brass; Mike Levine, conductor
Beaches Fine Arts Series, St. Paul's by-the-Sea Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, FL

The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Cynthia Schwab from Joplin, MO

Richard Wagner: Prelude to Act 1 of Lohengrin
National Festival Orchestra; Asher Fisch, conductor
The University of Maryland, The Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center, College Park, MD

Abbie Betinis: In the Bleak Midwinter
Evan Mitchell, piano; Luther College Nordic Choir; Dr. Allen Hightower, conductor
Center for Faith and Life, Decorah, IA

William James Kirkpatrick (arr. Patrick Kerber and David Bryan): Away In A Manger
Pepe, Celin, Lito, Celino and Angel Romero
Christmas with Los Romeros
DG 17474

Alex Bigney: New Snow/Mittens for Christmas
Kirkmount: Alex Bigney, harp and bones; Samuel Bigney, fiddle; Simeon Bigney, cello and bodhran
Mittens for Christmas
Dorian 93236

Hour 2

Antonin Dvorak (arr. Fritz Kreisler): Sonatina for violin and piano, Op.100, "Indian Lament"
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Patricia Zander, piano
Kreisler, Paganini: Works
Sony 37280

Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Excerpts from Noels pour les instruments
Masques; Olivier Fortin, conductor
Noel baroque
Analekta 9908

Gustaf Nordqvist: Jul, jul, stralande jul
Chanticleer; Ragnar Bohlin, conductor
Sacred Music in a Sacred Space, Church of St Ignatius Loyola, New York, NY

Pietro Yon: Gesu Bambino
Adagio Trio
Winter Gift
Adagio Trio 2

Antonin Dvorak: Songs My Mother Taught Me
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Kathryn Stott, piano
The Arc of Life
Sony 10316

Johann Sebastian Bach: Orchestral Suite No. 3: Air on the G String
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Bobby McFerrin, vocals
Hush
Sony 48177

Traditional: Dona Nobis Pacem/Auld Lang Syne
Yo-Yo Ma, cello; Chris Botti, trumpet
Yo Yo Ma & Friends - Songs of Joy and Peace
Sony 24414

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Overture to The Wasps
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra; Andrew Litton, conductor
Grieg Concert Hall, Bergen, Norway

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Antiphon (Five Mystical Songs)
Massed Choirs of St. Olaf College and the St. Olaf Orchestra; Christopher Aspaas, conductor
St. Olaf Christmas Festival, Skoglund Center Auditorium, St. Olaf College, Northfield, MN

Ralph Vaughan Williams: Wassail Song from "Two Songs of Winter"
Judy Mason, piano; Spivey Hall Children's Choir; Martha Shaw, conductor
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

‘Performance Today’ has selected performer and composer Jessie Montgomery as the 2025 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!

PT Weekend: Emilie Mayer

PT Weekend: Emilie Mayer

On today's show, we explore the fascinating career of German composer Emilie Mayer. Join us at a concert in Houston for a ROCO performance of Mayer's Symphony No. 4, a piece she composed in 1850 that was only recently reconstructed by German composer and arranger Andreas Tarkmann.

1:59:00
The Cerus Quartet

The Cerus Quartet

In Greek mythology, a wild bull named Cerus is turned into a constellation by the goddess Persephone. It's a story of chaos tamed into beauty. Similarly, the Cerus Quartet aims to reimagine the wily saxophone as a symbol of beauty and expressive depth. On today's show, we'll hear the Cerus Quartet perform Joan Perez-Villegas's 'Solo el misterio' at a recent concert in Interlochen, Michigan.

1:59:00
Franz Liszt's fascination with mortality

Franz Liszt's fascination with mortality

When composer and pianist Franz Liszt was a young man, he was fascinated with death. He went to hospitals to observe people who were sick or dying. He went to prisons to meet people who had been condemned to die. On today’s show, we’ll hear Franz Liszt’s Totentanz, The Dance of Death, a piece based on the Dies Irae, a chant from the Catholic Mass for the Dead.

1:59:00
Two pianos, one orchestra

Two pianos, one orchestra

Today, we'll hear two Chopin Competition Gold Medalists… at the same time. Yulianna Avdeeva and Garrick Ohlsson shared the stage at the 2025 International Chopin Competition to perform Poulenc's Concerto for Two Pianos, a musical pastiche of Mozart, French songs, and jazz.

1:59:00
Henriëtte Bosmans

Henriëtte Bosmans

On today's show, we explore music by Dutch composer Henriëtte Bosmans. Join us at a concert in Wismar, Germany, to hear a performance of Bosmans's String Quartet, a piece from a time when in-home concerts were a matter of necessity for artists whose work had to be kept undercover.

1:59:00
Emilie Mayer

Emilie Mayer

On today's show, we explore the fascinating career of German composer Emilie Mayer. Join us at a concert in Houston for a ROCO performance of Mayer's Symphony No. 4, a piece she composed in 1850 that was only recently reconstructed by German composer and arranger Andreas Tarkmann.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Leila Josefowicz

PT Weekend: Leila Josefowicz

Violinist Leila Josefowicz has built a career exploring less conventional music; she is well known for performing works by 21st-century composers. She also connects with Igor Stravinsky's music because he was interested in exploring unexpected sounds. Today, we take you to a recent concert in Berlin to hear Leila Josefowicz perform Stravinsky's Violin Concerto with the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, led by conductor Roderick Cox.

1:59:00
Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo's Fire

Jeannette Sorrell and Apollo's Fire

Jeannette Sorrell founded the early music group Apollo's Fire back in 1992... and that fire is still burning hot. We'll hear Apollo's Fire at a concert in Cleveland on this episode of Performance Today.

1:59:00
Damien Geter: String Quartet No. 1 "Neo-Soul"

Damien Geter: String Quartet No. 1 "Neo-Soul"

Composer Damien Geter spent much of the pandemic reliving his love of 90s neo-soul. He says the music of Jill Scott, Erykah Badu, and Lauryn Hill helped him get through. As a classical composer, he wanted to write his own music in homage to neo-soul. On today's show, we'll hear what he came up with: "Neo-Soul," the String Quartet No. 1 by Damien Geter.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.

American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Hosted by Valerie Kahler, Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00