Memorial Day

How do musicians handle stage fright? Research indicates a connection between body language and increased self-confidence. Trumpet soloist Matilda Lloyd favors using the 'Superman pose' to boost her confidence before going on stage. Hear the results on today's episode; join us at a concert in Amsterdam to hear Matilda Lloyd and pianist Martin Cousin perform ‘Continuum’ by British composer Dani Howard.

When Marin Alsop was a kid, her parents taught her she could achieve anything she set her heart to; no one was going to stop her. She's now the Music Director of the National Orchestral Institute and Festival and guest conducts orchestras worldwide. On today's program, we'll hear Marin Alsop make her conducting debut with the Berlin Philharmonic at a concert in Germany.

American composer Caroline Shaw is inspired by some of the piano music that Frederic Chopin wrote in the 1830s and 1840s. In 2012, Shaw wrote a piece for solo piano that quotes a Chopin mazurka while adding a personal twist. Tune in today to hear 'Gustave Le Gray' by Caroline Shaw, performed at a recent concert in Interlochen, Michigan.

Pianist Michelle Cann made her orchestral debut at the age of fourteen and has since performed with numerous top-tier orchestras. Lauded as “exquisite” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone, Cann is also a leading interpreter of Florence Price's music. On today's show, Michelle Cann joins Fred Child in our St. Paul studio, introducing listeners to the music of Irene Britton Smith and Hazel Scott.

Pianist Michelle Cann made her orchestral debut at the age of fourteen and has since performed with numerous top-tier orchestras. Lauded as “exquisite” by The Philadelphia Inquirer and “a pianist of sterling artistry” by Gramophone, Cann is also a leading interpreter of Florence Price's music. On today's show, Michelle Cann joins Fred Child in our St. Paul studio, introducing listeners to the music of Irene Britton Smith and Hazel Scott.

Conductor Joana Mallwitz aims for new concert hall audiences to experience the orchestra's vibrant energy, feeling the floors tremble. In today’s program, we'll hear a result of Mallwitz’s enthusiasm as she leads the Berlin Philharmonic in Paul Hindemith’s “Symphony: Mathis der Maler.”

Jennifer Frautschi plays a violin made by Antonio Stradivarius in 1722. A foundation loaned the instrument to her with the understanding that they could ask for its return at any time. That was 24 years ago… and apparently, they're happy with what she's doing with their violin! We’ll hear Frautschi—and her ‘loaner’ instrument—perform music by Haydn on today’s program.

Pianist Imogen Cooper loves how Franz Schubert's music can shift from moment to moment. She says, “It's as if he takes you by the shoulders, swings you around, and says, 'That was then, this is now.'" Tune in today to hear Cooper's interpretation of Schubert's Impromptus at a recent concert presented by the Frederic Chopin Society in St. Paul, Minnesota.

In 2006, composer Missy Mazzoli wrote a piece dedicated to her father, who served in the Vietnam War. The music explores the connection between her father’s war memories and a poem by James Tate. Today’s show takes us to a recent concert in Switzerland to hear “These Worlds in Us” by Missy Mazzoli.

In 1945, Austrian composer Anton Webern and his family fled Vienna. Most of Webern’s valuables, mementos, and manuscripts were placed in a lock box, which they buried in the backyard. Sixteen years later, the box was recovered with the manuscripts inside. On today's show, we'll hear one of those 'found' pieces: Im Sommerwind (In the Summer Breeze) by Anton Webern. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week’s Piano Puzzler!