Poster JoAnn Falletta
JoAnn Falletta
Courtesy of the artist
Performance Today®

JoAnn Falletta

When JoAnn Falleta began her career in the 1970s, there were no women conducting major American orchestras on a regular basis. Falletta says she never set out to be a pioneer; she just feels lucky to be able to do what she loves. Join us for music and conversation with JoAnn Falletta on Tuesday's Performance Today.

Episode Playlist

Hour 1

Vincenzo Bellini: Chi veggio La regina: Act II Finale From La Straniera
Pretty Yende, soprano; Piero Pretti, tenor; Mattia Olivieri, baritone; Carlo Lepore, bass; Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Giuseppe Verdi; Giacom Sagripanti, conductor
Dreams
Sony Music Entertainment 617

Charles Gounod: Ah! Je veux vivre, from 'Romeo et Juliette'
Pretty Yende, soprano; Orchestra Sinfonica di Milano Guiseppe Verdi; Giacomo Sagripanti, conductor
Dreams
Sony Music Entertainment 617

Aldo Lopez-Gavilan: Emporium for Solo Piano and Orchestra
Aldo Lopez-Gavilan, piano; The Classical Tahoe Orchestra; Joel Revzen, conductor
Classical Tahoe, The Pavilion, Incline Village, NV

Carl Philipp Emanuel Bach: Sinfonia in C Major for Strings, W. 182, No. 3
Danbi Um, violin; Daniel Phillips, violin; Yura Lee, viola; Daniel McDonough, cello; David Grossman, double bass; Kenneth Weiss, harpsichord
University of Georgia, Performing Arts Center, Hodgson Concert Hall, Athens, GA

Hour 2

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

Peter Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto No. 3
Fabio Bidini, piano; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Peter Tchaikovsky: Polonaise, from Eugene Onegin
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Johann Strauss Jr.: Rosen aus dem Suden Waltz, Op. 388
Geoff Nuttall, violin; Livia Sohn, violin; Daniel Phillips, viola; Anthony Manzo, double bass; Geoff Nuttall, conductor
Spoleto Festival USA 2015, Dock Street Theater, Charleston, SC

Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dance No.1
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

Franz Schmidt: Intermezzo from Notre Dame
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra; JoAnn Falletta, conductor
Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, Kleinhans Music Hall, Buffalo, NY

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Latest Performance Today® Episodes

VIEW ALL EPISODES

Latest Performance Today® Episodes

PT Weekend: Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

PT Weekend: Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

Jazz guitarist Charlie Christian was at his peak in the late 1930s and early 40s. To this day, guitarists are inspired by his recordings, and composer Igor Stravinsky said Charlie Christian helped inspire one of his pieces. We'll hear that piece, Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto, on today's show.

1:59:00
Marin Alsop on an American icon

Marin Alsop on an American icon

When conductor Marin Alsop was a kid, she begged her parents to decorate her bedroom. She says, "I talked them into buying me two posters: one of the Beatles and one of Leonard Bernstein." Join us today to hear some of Marin Alsop's memories of Bernstein and more as we celebrate Independence Day with all-American music.

1:59:00
Jessie Montgomery

Jessie Montgomery

Earlier this year, we announced that Jessie Montgomery is our 2025 PT Classical Woman of the Year. Montgomery is a celebrated composer, violinist, and educator known for compositions that blend classical, folk, jazz, and contemporary influences. Among her numerous accomplishments, she founded the Young Composers Initiative, where she mentors high school composers, assisting them in preparing their music for performance by members of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Tune in today to learn more about Jessie Montgomery and why her work is so influential.

1:59:00
Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto

Jazz guitarist Charlie Christian was at his peak in the late 1930s and early 40s. To this day, guitarists are inspired by his recordings, and composer Igor Stravinsky said Charlie Christian helped inspire one of his pieces. We'll hear that piece, Stravinsky's Ebony Concerto, on today's show.

1:59:00
Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

Clarice Assad: Total Eclipse

Last year, a total solar eclipse was visible in parts of our country. The shared experience of an eclipse—an extraordinary moment of wonder and awe—inspired composer and pianist Clarice Assad to create a new piece for piano and orchestra. Join us today for a musical exploration of light and darkness: "Total Eclipse" by Clarice Assad.

1:59:00
Considering Matthew Shepard

Considering Matthew Shepard

In 2016, Craig Hella Johnson wrote an oratorio about Matthew Shepard, a young gay man from Wyoming who was murdered in a hate crime in 1998. The oratorio urges all of us to find our shared humanity—the threads that connect us—to see if love can be found even in the darkest moments. Tune in today for "Considering Matthew Shepard" by Craig Hella Johnson.

1:59:00
PT Weekend: Optimism in dark times

PT Weekend: Optimism in dark times

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.

1:59:00
Yuja Wang and the Vienna Philharmonic in Paris

Yuja Wang and the Vienna Philharmonic in Paris

It was arguably the biggest classical music event of 2025: a gala concert in Paris celebrating the 150th anniversary of the Opera Garnier venue. We'll take you there to hear the Vienna Philharmonic and pianist Yuja Wang perform the opening movement of Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto No. 1.

1:59:00
Malek Jandali

Malek Jandali

The Syrian Civil War has devastated more than lives, homes, and communities. With all that has been lost, Syrian-American composer Malek Jandali feels an imperative to preserve and share traditional Syrian music. On today's show, we'll hear a piece full of traditional Syrian styles and themes: the Concerto for Clarinet and Orchestra by Malek Jandali.

1:59:00
Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

Prokofiev's optimism in a dark time

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.

1:59:00
VIEW ALL EPISODES

About Performance Today®

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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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