Performance Today

Performance Today
Show name	Performance Today
Format	Classical music radio program
Runtime	120
Country	United States
Language	English
Home station	American Public Media
Presenter	See Hosts and Contributors
First aired	1987
Audio format	FM, digital streaming, podcast

Performance Today is a nationally distributed classical music radio program produced by American Public Media and syndicated to public radio stations across the United States. The program features live concert recordings, studio sessions, interviews, and festival coverage, drawing on performances by orchestras, chamber ensembles, soloists, and composers from institutions such as the New York Philharmonic, London Symphony Orchestra, and Berlin Philharmonic. Over decades it has become a major conduit between concert halls—including the Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, and Walt Disney Concert Hall—and radio listeners, while also engaging with arts organizations like the Metropolitan Opera and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra.

History

Performance Today's origins trace to the late 1980s within the nonprofit media landscape shaped by entities such as Minnesota Public Radio and later American Public Media. Early programming intersected with festival seasons at the Tanglewood Music Festival, the Glyndebourne Festival Opera, and summer residencies at institutions like Aspen Music Festival and School. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s the program expanded partnerships with presenters including the PBS music specials and collaborations with recording labels such as Deutsche Grammophon and Nonesuch Records. Technological shifts—bootstrapped by developments at National Public Radio peers and the rise of digital distribution pioneered by platforms like iTunes—helped the show evolve from FM broadcast to streaming and podcast formats. Institutional relationships with conservatories such as the Juilliard School and Curtis Institute of Music have influenced artist selection and educational outreach.

Format and Content

The program typically blends live recordings from venues like Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and regional orchestras such as the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra with pre-recorded sessions from chamber series including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Segments feature interviews with composers associated with Igor Stravinsky, Arvo Pärt, and contemporary figures represented by labels like ECM Records. Coverage often includes festival dispatches from events like the Salzburg Festival, contemporary music showcases at the Lucerne Festival, and opera excerpts tied to houses such as Royal Opera House. The show also spotlights soloists affiliated with competitions and institutions like the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition and the Tchaikovsky Competition. Educational features have highlighted curricula at schools like Berklee College of Music and outreach programs run by orchestras including the Philadelphia Orchestra.

Hosts and Contributors

Over its run the program has featured hosts and producers who have worked with broadcasting entities like NPR and media groups such as Minnesota Public Radio. Notable presenters have conducted interviews with artists represented by agencies like IMG Artists and managers from firms such as Opus 3 Artists. Regular contributors include critics and writers affiliated with publications such as The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Washington Post, plus producers who have coordinated live feeds from venues like Royal Festival Hall. Guest hosts and interviewers have included musicians and presenters connected to institutions like the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and academic centers including Oxford University and Harvard University.

Distribution and Audience

Distributed by American Public Media, the program reaches audiences on member stations including WNYC-FM, KQED-FM, and WGBH while also providing streams through platforms originally popularized by iTunes and later adopted by services tied to Spotify and podcast aggregators. The listenership spans subscription donors to public radio stations, subscribers to concert series at venues like Avery Fisher Hall and patrons of festivals such as Mostly Mozart Festival. Audience engagement includes live event ticketing partnerships with orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra and educational outreach matching conservatory audition calendars at institutions like New England Conservatory.

Notable Episodes and Features

The program has presented special broadcasts of landmark performances: full concert presentations from ensembles like the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, gala events at Carnegie Hall, and premiere broadcasts of commissions from composers affiliated with Boosey & Hawkes. Features have included multi-part profiles of composers such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Gustav Mahler, Johann Sebastian Bach, and modern premieres by composers represented by Boosey & Hawkes and Universal Edition. Series have spotlighted chamber residencies at the Ravinia Festival and live competitions such as the Leeds International Piano Competition.

Awards and Recognition

The program and its contributors have received honors and citations from arts organizations including awards from the Peabody Awards, recognition lists published by Gramophone (magazine), and industry acknowledgment from bodies such as the National Endowment for the Arts. Producers and hosts have been cited in year-end critics' polls in outlets like The New Yorker and recipients of grants from foundations such as the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation and awards administered by institutions like the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Category:American classical music radio programs Category:American Public Media programs