Performance Today®

Come see our exclusive photos, and take a video tour of the Aspen Percussion studio with percussionist Jonathan Haas.

If he did the same thing these days, George Gershwin might be accused of plagiarism. But in 1932, he got away with it - he used a Cuban pop song as a theme for his Cuban Overture. On this weekend's Performance Today, Gustavo Dudamel leads the Los Angeles Philharmonic in Gershwin's borrowed masterpiece.

"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." On Friday's Performance Today, a musical celebration of July 4th.

We're living at a special moment in the history of classical music - there has never been a time with so many supremely talented young players. On Thursday's Performance Today, we'll continue our celebration of the great year we've had with PT Young Artists.

On Wednesday's Performance Today, double bass virtuoso TianYang Liu joins us as our Young Artist in Residence. He'll talk with Fred about why he chose the double bass, and we'll hear him perform a formidable arrangement of Pablo de Sarasate's Zigeunerweisen.

The Rondo Capriccioso by Camille Saint-Saens is one of the great virtuoso showpieces for violin. On Tuesday's Performance Today, we'll go to a concert at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam to hear Barnabas Kelemen perform this violin showstopper with the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic.

On Monday's Performance Today, we'll explore classical highlights from cinema soundtracks. Joshua Bell talks about a concerto based on the soundtrack for the film The Red Violin, and we'll hear a Mozart symphony with just the right atmosphere for the film Amadeus. Plus, a little something special from The Simpsons Movie.

In 2011, composer Clarice Assad wove together a dozen tunes by Bach. The violas and cellos play the melodies, so it's called the "Suite for Lower Strings, based on themes of Bach." On this weekend's Performance Today, we'll hear this 21st century music - inspired by 18th century music - from a concert in San Francisco.

In 2011, composer Clarice Assad wove together a dozen tunes by Bach. The violas and cellos play the melodies, so it's called the "Suite for Lower Strings, based on themes of Bach." On Friday's Performance Today, we'll hear this 21st century music - inspired by 18th century music - from a concert in San Francisco.