Performance Today®

Every week on our Piano Puzzler, composer Bruce Adolphe re-writes a familiar tune in the style of a classical composer. On today's show, play along on; see if you can guess the tune and the composer whose style Bruce is mimicking.

In the classical music of North India, there are moments when singers really cut loose and show their vocal virtuosity. It's called a "tarana." Composer Reena Esmail has brought that idea and sound into a Western ensemble. Hear Tuttarana, by Reena Esmail, on this episode of Performance Today

When Sam Haywood was four years, old his parents got a rickety old piano, with built-in candlestick holders. He would only play when the candles were lit. On today's show, Haywood trades candlesticks for stage-lights...hear him and Joshua Bell together in concert at Spivey Hall in Morrow, Georgia.

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.

The trombone players in the Buffalo Philharmonic asked composer Eric Ewazen if he would write something especially for them. Ewazen loved the idea and came up with his Triple Concerto for Three Trombones and Orchestra. On today's show, we take you to Buffalo to hear it in concert.

In 2017, as debates about immigration escalated, composer Valerie Coleman added her voice by writing a piece for wind quartet. She wrote an anthem of support, declaring a person's right live the American Dream. On today's episode, we'll hear "A Right to Be" by Valerie Coleman. Elena See guest-hosts today's show.

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.

The Shalin Liu Performance Center in Rockport, Massachusetts is an intimate venue with about 330 seats. The stage sits right above the water of the Atlantic Ocean. Every concert is enhanced by the ambience of the world backstage. On today's episode, hear two separate performances from this inspiring venue. With guest-host Garrett McQueen.

Czech composer Bedrich Smetana and his wife had four beautiful daughters. They were a happy family until, over the course of two years, three daughters and Smetana's wife all died from illness. On today's episode, hear dramatic music inspired by personal heartbreak: Bedrich Smetana's Piano Trio, Op. 15.