Performance Today®

Sol Gabetta plays cello with intelligence, emotion, and a lively wit. She lives in Switzerland, and her career is mainly in Europe. But on Friday's Performance Today, we'll hear from a concert Sol Gabetta gave here in the states with the Houston Symphony.

Sixteen-year-old Ray Ushikubo has been playing both the piano and violin for nearly 10 years. Since his first solo orchestral debut at the age of 10, he has performed with world-renowned artists and orchestras, including pianist Lang Lang, and the Los Angeleles Chamber Orchestra. On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll hear Ray Ushikubo play "Love Song," by Josef Suk.

Despite their tragic ending, Romeo and Juliet have become one of the most famous couples of all time. On Wednesday's Performance Today, we'll celebrate the romance and music of Valentine's Day with selections from Romeo and Juliet, by Sergei Prokofiev. Elena See guest-hosts.

Hurricane Harvey devastated Houston last summer, and the people are still rebuilding and healing. On Tuesday's Performance Today, the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra premieres a fanfare celebrating Houston's resilience and courage: "Anthem of Hope: Houston Strong" by Anthony DiLorenzo.

During the First World War, Maurice Ravel composed a work and dedicated each movement to a fallen friend or colleague. At first, Ravel was criticized because the music has a bright, reflective quality; his response was "The dead are sad enough, in their eternal silence." On Monday's Performance Today, we'll hear Ravel's Le tombeau de Couperin, from a concert in Helsinki, Finland. Guest-hosted by Jade Simmons.

For the Ebene Quartet, great music has no boundaries; they love playing a huge range of music. On this weekend's Performance Today, we'll hear the Ebene Quartet play and improvise on a jazz classic: Milestones by Miles Davis.

On Friday's Performance Today, we learn about a musician's journey from metal rocker to classical composer. Then take a seat as the Nashville Symphony plays Conversations with Nijinsky, by Kip Winger. Guest-hosted by Jade Simmons

Philippa Schuyler achieved national acclaim as a child prodigy on the piano, and was known as Harlem's Mozart and the Shirley Temple of American Negroes.

It's music that pianist Elizabeth Roe says sounds like the end of the world. On Thursday's Performance Today, the Anderson and Roe Piano Duo give a wild performance of La Valse by Maurice Ravel, from a concert in Winona, Minnesota.