Performance Today®

In the late 1980s, American composer Aaron Jay Kernis heard music written by Hildegard von Bingen more than 800 years ago. Kernis was struck by the powerful simplicity and sheer beauty of that music. On this weekend's show, hear 'Musica Celestis' by Aaron Jay Kernis. Plus, Bruce Adolphe has this week's Piano Puzzler!

When Anyango Yarbo-Davenport turned two years old, she asked her parents if she could get her own... orchestra. Anyango's mom said she didn't think she could make enough food for an entire orchestra. Still, the gift she received instead made a profound impact. On today's show, violinist Anyango Yarbo-Davenport plays from 'Carolinian Dances' by Robert Aldridge.

The members of A Far Cry are strong believers in musical democracy. They rotate leadership roles among all of the players; those personalities make their concerts refreshing and unexpected and vibrant. On today's show, hear A Far Cry play music by Philip Glass, from a concert in Rockport, Massachusetts.

When Francis Poulenc was drafted into World War One, he was assigned to an anti-aircraft unit. He wasn't particularly... useful... in that situation. He was sent back to Paris to be a typist, a job that left Poulenc with some time on his hands. On today's show, hear a piece written in his spare time: Mouvements Perpetuels (Perpetual Motion), by Francis Poulenc.

100 years ago, the 19th amendment for the U.S. Constitution was ratified, and women in this country finally won the right to vote. The determination and resilience of the suffragettes inspired future generations, and also inspired music. On today's show, we celebrate with music inspired by the women's suffrage movement.

In the late 1980s, American composer Aaron Jay Kernis heard music written by Hildegard von Bingen more than 800 years ago. Kernis was struck by the powerful simplicity and sheer beauty of that music. On today's show, hear Aaron Jay Kernis's Musica Celestis. It's simply beautiful.

American composer Michael Abels has been getting a lot of attention in the past few years; in particular, for his movie music. He's in high demand after scoring Jordan Peele's satire horror films Get Out and Us. On today's show, hear Abels's Delights and Dances, from a concert presented by the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Composer Wayne Shorter is fascinated by the metaphorical idea of terra incognita, the undiscovered territory in ourselves... and the courage that it takes to explore that territory. On Today's show, hear Imani Winds play Shorter's Terra Incognita at a concert presented by the University of Chicago.

The young Beethoven borrowed a song that everybody was singing in Vienna, a tune from a popular opera. Beethoven made it very much his own by writing nine playful variations. On today's show, hear an all-star performance of Beethoven's Gassenhauer Trio, from a concert in Steamboat Springs, Colorado.