Poster Pianist Jon Nakamatsu
Pianist Jon Nakamatsu
Courtesy of artist
Performance Today®

Jon Nakamatsu

It seems to be human nature that when something is forbidden, it becomes all the more enticing. When Jon Nakamatsu was a boy, no one in his family was allowed to touch the piano. Can you see where this is going? Learn how Jon Nakamatsu became a pianist on today’s show.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Amy Beach: A Cradle Song of the Lonely Mother, Op. 108
Kirsten Johnson, piano
Album: Amy Beach: Piano Music, Vol. 4 - The Late Works
Guild 7387

Gioacchino Rossini: Overture to William Tell
Taipei Music Academy and Festival Orchestra | Leonard Slatkin, conductor
Taipei Music Academy & Festival, National Concert Hall, Taipei, Taiwan

Piano Puzzler
Contestant: Marc Loudon calling from New Orleans, Louisiana

Amy Beach: Theme and Variations for String Quartet and Flute, Op. 80
Adam Sadberry, flute | The Balourdet String Quartet
Strings Music Festival, Strings Pavilion, Steamboat Springs, CO

Hour 2

Michael Fine: Quintet for Clarinet and String Quartet: I. Andante lyrico
Anton Rist, clarinet | Scott Yoo, violin | Erik Arvinder, violin | Maurycy Banaszek, viola | Jonah Kim, cello
Album: Five for Five: Chamber Music
Evidence Classics

Muzio Clementi: Sonata in F-sharp Minor, Op. 25 No. 5
Jon Nakamatsu, piano
Southeastern Piano Festival, Trinity Episcopal Cathedral, Columbia, SC

Jean Francaix: Octet: Movement 2
Anton Rist, clarinet | Conrad Cornelison, bassoon | Kaitlyn Resler, horn | Abigel Kralik, Aurelia Duca, violins | Jessica Oudin, viola | Dariusz Skoraczewski, cello | Robert Franenberg, double bass
Festival Mozaic, Harold J. Miossi Cultural and Performing Arts Center San Luis Obispo, CA

Ellen Taaffe Zwilich: Septet for Piano Trio and String Quartet
Geoffrey Herd, Jinjoo Cho, Eric Wong, violins | Ettore Causa, viola | Max Geissler and Clive Greensmith, cellos | Henry Kramer, piano
Geneva Music Festival, Smith Opera House, Geneva, NY

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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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