Poster Pianist Michelle Cann
Pianist Michelle Cann
Steven Mareazi Willis
Performance Today®

Michelle Cann

When pianist Michelle Cann was a student, she had severe doubts about herself. She even thought about giving up the piano. Looking back now, she says that no matter who you are, the most important battle is the one within yourself. In this edition of Performance Today, we look into Michelle Cann's philosophy and music-making.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Daniel Bernard Roumain: Divergence
Daniel Bernard Roumain, violin | Phillip Glass, piano
Album: Etudes 4 Violin and Electronix
Thirsty Ear Recordings

Ulysses Kay: Aulos for Solo Flute and Orchestra
Julia Bogorad-Kogan, flute | Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra | Timothy Lovelace, conductor
Saint Paul's United Church of Christ, St. Paul, MN

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet No. 4 in C minor, Op. 18, No. 4
Elias Quartet
Spivey Hall, Clayton State University, Morrow, GA

Ferde Grofe: Mississippi Suite: Movement 4 Mardi Gras
New York Philharmonic | Andre Kostelanetz, conductor
Album: Grofe: Grand Canyon Suite & Mississippi Suite
Sony

Hour 2

Charles Gounod: Romeo and Juliet: L'amour, l'amour! ... Ah! leve-toi, soleil!
Vittorio Grigolo, tenor | RAI National Symphony Orchestra | Eveline Pido, conductor
Album: The Romantic Hero
Sony 75658

David Baker: Roots II
Eliot Heaton, violin | Max Geissler, cello | Michelle Cann, piano
Geneva Music Festival, Froelich Hall, Gearan Center for the Performing Arts, Hobart & William Smith College, Geneva, NY

Frederic Chopin: Scherzo No. 4 Op. 54 in E major
Yekwon Sunwoo, piano
Close Encounters with Music, Mahaiwe Performing Arts Center, Great Barrington, MA

Charles Gounod: Romeo and Juliet: Ballet Music: Danse Bohemienne
Orchestra of Toulouse | Michel Plasson, conductor
Album: Gounod: Romeo Et Juliette
EMI

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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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.

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. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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