Performance

Eleanor Alberga decided she wanted to be a concert pianist when she was five. By age ten, she was composing works for the piano. Alberga is now a highly-regarded music composer for much more than just piano. On today's show, hear members of the Minnesota Orchestra play "Shining Gate of Morpheus" by Eleanor Alberga.

Pride Month is a wonderful time to celebrate our unique identities and to reflect on how pride and authenticity show up in our lives. This year, we asked classical musicians in the LGBTQIA community about their thoughts on Pride. Listen now.

Composer Ahmed Alabaca identifies as nonbinary. They told us their joyful exploration of their gender identity has significantly impacted their musical creativity. Join us today to hear a superb example of that creativity: "Ascension" by Ahmed Alabaca.

When Claude Debussy wrote music for the ballet "Jeux," he was picturing a game of tennis between two women and one young man. In tennis, "love" means nothing; in Debussy's music, love is everything. On today's episode, we'll hear romance and seduction on the courts, from a concert by the New York Philharmonic.

On today's show, we'll hear a cello concerto that premiered last fall: Last Year by Mark Adamo. Adamo described it as an updated, environmental take on a familiar classic by Vivaldi.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Emanuel Ax, and violinist Leonidas Kavakos recently released a new album titled "Beethoven for Three." The idea is to take play Beethoven's symphonies arranged for a trio. It works surprisingly well, and we love it! Hear a couple of these pieces and a conversation with the musicians on this episode of Performance Today.

When Claude Debussy wrote music for the ballet "Jeux," he was picturing a game of tennis between two women and one young man. In tennis, "love" means nothing; in Debussy's music, love is everything. On today's episode, we'll hear romance and seduction on the courts, from a concert by the New York Philharmonic.

Composer Joel Thompson made one rule when he began work on a piece in 2019. He would go through the major news stories each day before working on his composition. Hear the results on this episode of PT: "In Response to the Madness" by Joel Thompson.

Pianist Sara Davis Buechner says that music takes her to a place where she feels completely herself, especially the music of Mozart. Learn more about Sara Davis Buechner and hear her play a sonata by Mozart on today's show.

Conrad Tao wrote a piece when he was 15 years old called Eventide. It's inspired by the gentle arrival of night. Now, more than a dozen years later, it's still one of his favorites. On today's show, we'll hear Conrad Tao and friends play Eventide from a concert in Rockport, Maine.