Poster Tesfa and Fred
Tesfa and Fred explore downtown St. Paul, Minn.
APM photo/Suzanne Schaffer
Performance Today®

Christmas cheer with Tesfa Wondemagegnehu

Tesfa Wondemagegnehu is a singer, teacher, conductor, and an all-around good guy. On Tuesday's Performance Today, he'll join Fred in the studio to talk about how music changes lives. Plus, he'll bring along a stack of his favorite holiday music, and share his tips for avoiding common caroling pitfalls.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Traditional (arr. Matthew Culloton): Angels We Have Heard on High
The Singers; Matthew Culloton, conductor
Dulci Jubilo: Christmas with The Singers
The Singers

George Frederic Handel (arr. Take 6): Joy to the World
Take 6
We Wish You a Merry Christmas
Warner Brothers/ Word Entertainment 47391

Franz Gruber (arr. Stephen Paulus): Silent Night
The Singers; Matthew Culloton, conductor
Dulci Jubilo: Christmas with The Singers
The Singers

Franz Biebl: Ave Maria
Chanticleer
Our Heart's Joy: A Chanticleer Christmas
Chanticleer Records

Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium
Chamber Choir of Europe; Nicol Matt, conductor
Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium - Lux Aeterna - Madrigali - Les Chansons Des Roses
Haenssler Classic 98272

Traditional (arr. Steven Sharp Nelson & Al van der Beek): Carol of the Bells-God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen
Steven Sharp Nelson, cello; The Piano Guys
A Family Christmas
Sony Masterworks

Pietro Antonacci: Sinfonia Pastorale: 2. Pastorale
Il Giardino Armonico
Christmas Concertos
Teldec 46013

Three Mo' Tenors: Have You Heard About the Baby - Glory to the Newborn King
Three Mo' Tenors: Thomas Young, Roderick Dixon, Victor Trent Cook
Three Mo' Tenors
RCA Records

Hour 2

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony No. 40 in g minor: Menuetto
Philharmonia Orchestra; Emmanuel Krivine, conductor
Mozart Symphonies Nos. 25 and 40
Denon 6103

Traditional (arr. Arturo Delmoni): From Heaven Above
Arturo Delmoni, violin; Danielle Maddon, violin; Ellen De Pasquate, viola; Rafael Figueroa, cello
A String Quartet Christmas
Listen 50001

Friedrich Silcher (arr. Eva Beneke): Alle Jahre Wieder
Eve Beneke, guitar; Scott Tennant, guitar; Moni Simeonov, violin; Phil Popham, oboe and English horn; Lars Hoefs, cello
In Dulci Jubilo
GSI 98010

Traditional German (arr. Eva Beneke): Maria Durch Ein Dornwald Ging
Eve Beneke, guitar; Scott Tennant, guitar; Moni Simeonov, violin; Phil Popham, oboe and English horn; Lars Hoefs, cello
In Dulci Jubilo
GSI 98010

Hugh Martin & Ralph Blane: Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas
Imani Winds
This Christmas with the Imani Winds
Koch 7748

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Trio for Violin, Cello, and Piano in B-flat Major, K. 502
Benjamin Beilman, violin; Bion Tsang, cello; Joyce Yang, piano
Seattle Chamber Music Society, Nordstrom Recital Hall at Benaroya Hall Seattle, WA

Pierre Dandrieu: Si c'est pour oter la vie
Radio France Youth Chorus, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien; Sofi Jeannin (chorus), Francois Lazarevitch (instrument ensemble), conductors
FRSRF, Auditorium, Radio France, Paris, France

Marc-Antoine Charpentier: A la venue de Noel, H. 531/3
Radio France Youth Chorus, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien; Sofi Jeannin (chorus), Francois Lazarevitch (instrument ensemble), conductors
FRSRF, Auditorium, Radio France, Paris, France

Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Les Bourgeois de Chastre, H. 534/4
Radio France Youth Chorus, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien; Sofi Jeannin (chorus), Francois Lazarevitch (instrument ensemble), conductors
FRSRF, Auditorium, Radio France, Paris, France

Marc-Antoine Charpentier: Joseph est bien marie
Radio France Youth Chorus, Les Musiciens de Saint-Julien; Sofi Jeannin (chorus), Francois Lazarevitch (instrument ensemble), conductors
FRSRF, Auditorium, Radio France, Paris, France

Love the music?

Donate by phone
1-800-562-8440

Show your support by making a gift to YourClassical.

Each day, we’re here for you with thoughtful streams that set the tone for your day – not to mention the stories and programs that inspire you to new discovery and help you explore the music you love.

YourClassical is available for free, because we are listener-supported public media. Take a moment to make your gift today.

More Ways to Give

Your Donation

$5/month
$10/month
$15/month
$20/month
$

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

2025 Classical Woman of the Year: Jessie Montgomery

‘Performance Today’ has selected performer and composer Jessie Montgomery as the 2025 Classical Woman of the Year. This annual award recognizes women who have made significant contributions to the classical music art form and have inspired our listeners. Find out more!

Isata Kanneh-Mason

Isata Kanneh-Mason

Pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason draws inspiration from Clara Schumann both as a musician and as a powerful female role model. On today's show, Kanneh-Mason performs Schumann’s Piano Concerto, a piece Schumann began composing at just 13 years old.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Hanna Helgegren

PT Weekend: Hanna Helgegren

On today’s episode, we're featuring the world premiere of a new suite by Hanna Helgegren. Inspired by the quiet magic of the forests and bogs near her home in rural Sweden, the work pays tribute to the natural world. On today's show, we'll hear the Camerata Nordica Octet perform Helgegren’s "The Nordic Seasons."

1:59:00
James Ehnes and Dvořák's Violin Concerto

James Ehnes and Dvořák's Violin Concerto

Violinist James Ehnes says Dvořák's Violin Concerto can surprise listeners. Many violin concertos emphasize high, soaring notes, but Dvořák’s work highlights the rich, warm colors of the violin’s lower register. Join us today to hear Dvořák's concerto performed by James Ehnes and the Minnesota Orchestra, with Edward Gardner conducting.

1:59:00
Kevin Puts: Home

Kevin Puts: Home

For composer Kevin Puts, the key of C major is a sonic representation of "home." It's familiar and comforting. In 2019, Puts wrote a string quartet that begins in that familiar key, but the music soon moves into what Puts calls "the search for new and unfamiliar harmonic terrain." He wanted the music to explore the sonic possibilities, but then return to his musical idea of home. Puts knew that, however he got there, the feeling of home would be changed by the journey. Join us today to hear the Miro Quartet play Home by Kevin Puts.

1:59:00
Hanna Helgegren

Hanna Helgegren

Today, we're featuring the world premiere of a new suite by Hanna Helgegren. Inspired by the quiet magic of the forests and bogs near her home in rural Sweden, the work pays tribute to the natural world. On today's show, we'll hear the Camerata Nordica Octet perform Helgegren’s "The Nordic Seasons."

1:59:00
Jimmy López: Fiesta!

Jimmy López: Fiesta!

Composer Jimmy Lopez says the pulse of techno music is instantly recognizable in any dance hall or club around the world —a steady, thumping rhythm that you feel in your body. Tune in today to hear the thrilling power of techno combined with world music: Fiesta! by Jimmy Lopez.

1:59:00
Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr.

In the spring of 1968, the late conductor Paul Freeman ran into Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at the Atlanta airport. Their brief conversation was one he never forgot. On this episode of Performance Today, hear about that life-changing encounter in our musical celebration of King's life and legacy.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Gabriela Ortiz

PT Weekend: Gabriela Ortiz

Gabriela Ortiz's vibrant orchestral work 'Kauyumari' is named after the spiritual guide of Mexico's Huichol people. The piece uses a recurring folk melody to evoke healing and ecstasy. Today, we’ll take you to a concert in Turin, Italy, to hear how Ortiz transforms traditional sounds into a joyful journey through what she calls the "invisible realm."

1:59:00
Anna Clyne: This Midnight Hour

Anna Clyne: This Midnight Hour

In 2015, English composer Anna Clyne wrote an orchestral piece inspired by the poetry of Juan Ramón Jiménez and Charles Baudelaire, evoking a world of "melancholy waltz and languid vertigo." Join us today for a sonic journey through Anna Clyne's powerful orchestral work, This Midnight Hour. 

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

To find a station near you on our Stations Listings page, click here.

American Public Media’s Performance Today® is America’s most popular classical music radio program and a winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement. The show is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country, including at 1 p.m. central weekdays on Minnesota Public Radio. More information about our stations can be found at APM Distribution.

Hosted by Valerie Kahler, Performance Today® features live concert recordings that can’t be heard anywhere else, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. Performance Today® is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, but is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country.

How do I leave a comment?

Send us a comment here.

About Performance Today®
YourClassical Radio
0:00
0:00