Poster Violinist and Pianist Ray Ushikubo
Violinist and Pianist Ray Ushikubo
AU Photography
Performance Today®

Ray Ushikubo

Fifteen-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. Music and conversation with Ray Ushikubo, our PT Young Artist in Residence, on this weekend's Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Camilla de Rossi: Sinfonia from "Il Sacrifizio di Abramo": Movements 1 & 4
JoAnn Falletta, lute; Bay Area Women's Philharmonic; Jo Ann Falletta, conductor
Baroquen Treasures
Newport 60102

Antonio Vivaldi: Concerto in B-flat Major for Violin, Oboe, Strings & Basso Continuo, RV 548
Venice Baroque Orchestra; Andrea Marcon, conductor
University of Georgia, Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA

The Piano Puzzler: This week's contestant is Lauren Cason from Greer, SC

Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances, Op. 45: Movements 1 & 3
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
The Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Hour 2

Franz Schubert: German Dance, D 783, No 10 ; Landler D 790, No. 3; Moment Musical D 780, No. 3
Gil Shaham, violin; Goran Sollscher, guitar
Schubert for Two
DG 471 568

Maurice Ravel (arr. WindSync): Bolero
WindSync
The Schubert Club, St Paul, MN, Saint Anthony Park United Church of Christ, St Paul, MN

Frederic Chopin: Polonaise in A-flat Major "Heroic"
Ray Ushikubo, piano
PT Young Artist in Residence, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN

Domenico Scarlatti: Sonata in B minor K. 27
Ray Ushikubo, piano
PT Young Artist in Residence, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN

Franz Liszt: Transcendental Etude No. 10
Ray Ushikubo, piano
PT Young Artist in Residence, Maud Moon Weyerhaeuser Studio, St. Paul, MN

Franz Schubert: Symphony No. 3 in D major, D. 200: Movements 3 & 4
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra; James Feddeck, conductor
Royce Hall, Los Angeles, CA

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

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Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

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Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

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In 1944, during the height of World War II, Sergei Prokofiev composed a piece intended “…to sing the praises of the free and happy man.” It’s an optimistic work created during a time of darkness. On today's show, we'll hear the opening movement of Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 5 performed by the National Orchestral Institute (NOI) Philharmonic and conductor Joseph Young at a concert in College Park, Maryland.

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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.

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. Also, each Wednesday, composer Bruce Adolphe joins host Fred Child for a classical musical game and listener favorite: the Piano Puzzler.

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