| Dear Program Director, Thank you so much for your support and commitment to YourClassical’s Performance Today and our work in delivering music and programming to your audiences. With the announcement of Fred Child stepping down as host of Performance Today in October 2025, we are in the process of collecting listener and station feedback to understand audience behavior and sentiment around the show and how we can continue to deliver quality programing in the future. We would greatly appreciate your feedback about how you and your audiences listen to Performance Today, what you value, what you might like to see change, and how you engage with the show. Please click THIS LINK to take the survey. You may choose to remain anonymous and results will only be used internally. Please let me know if you have any questions, and thank you for your participation, Amy Lundgren Director, Portfolio & Operations APM Distribution |
Category Archives: Performance Today
Classical APM Monthly – September 2024
C24 Holiday Programming Preview
Thanksgiving 2024
Thanksgiving Eve and Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27 & 28 – C24 will program festive music to celebrate family, feasting and harvest themes.
Christmas 2024
As in the past, Classical 24 will gradually increase Christmas programming throughout December.
- Nov 29 – Dec 6: 3-5 minutes of Christmas music per hour
- Dec 7-13: 5-10 minutes of Christmas music per hour
- Dec 14-18: 10-15 minutes of Christmas music per hour
- Dec 19-21: 50% Christmas programming
- Dec 21: 4pm-6pm CT The Nutcracker ballet with Mindy Ratner
- Dec 22-25: 100% Christmas programming
- Dec 24 (Christmas Eve): 6:01pm CT and 9:01 pm CT “The Night Before Christmas,” complete with classical music and sound effects, narrated by C24 host, Lynne Warfel, inside the news holes.
Chanukah 2024
Wednesday, Dec. 25 – Thursday, Jan. 2: Classical 24 celebrates each day of Chanukah with a bit of music to celebrate the Jewish Festival of Lights throughout the Chanukah.
ADDITIONAL HOURS of Holiday Music from C24
All APM affiliates: 8 Hours of Christmas Music
C24 is offering 8 hours of Christmas music hosted by Mindy Ratner. Stations may use these hours to best suit their needs. These evergreen hours will be posted on Content Depot Dec. 1, 2024.
C24 affiliates: 20 Bonus hours at no charge
Remember that if you subscribe to any day part of C24, you are entitled to 20 additional C24 hours per quarter without charge. Many stations use this C24 bonus during the holidays.
Contact your APM Station Relations Rep if you have questions about C24 holiday use.
APM Presents: September Specials
- Music for the Days of Awe
Available September 27 – October 31, 2024
Host Mindy Ratner guides us in a musical observance of Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, and Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, known in Hebrew as Yamim Noraim, the Days of Awe. - Folk Classics Across the Globe (Encore)
Available now – September 30, 2024
Newly recorded versions of folk songs from cultures typically on the fringes of the classical canon. - Fur, Feathers and Flutes (Encore)
Available now – September 30, 2024
A light-hearted look into the relationship between our pets and music. - I Hear America Singing (Encore)
August 23 – September 30, 2024
Join Cantus for a joyful examination of the role work has played in our lives in years past and how work might evolve into the future.
Visit our APM Presents webpage for more information on these specials perfect for the summer!
C24 Host News
In October, C24 afternoon drivetime host Jeff Esworthy will retire, changing his status from a full-time host to on-call.
For nearly 30 years, Jeff has kept listeners company sharing his love of classical music including several of those years hosting Music Through the Night. Jeff has been an essential voice on YourClassical with his commitment to his craft, humor, and his deep knowledge of the classical repertoire.
We are so grateful to Jeff and his work with C24. We are also happy that he will be staying with us as an on-call host so that listeners may still occasionally hear him. You may send your congratulations to your Station Relations Rep and we’ll pass them along to Jeff. His last day on air as a full-time host will be October 30th. YourClassical.org will also celebrate him in an article that will be available in October with a more in-depth look at Jeff and his time with C24.
Steve Staruch, a familiar voice, will be the interim afternoon drive host.
SymphonyCast
Coming up on SymphonyCast in September, it’s a wrap to two months of the world’s greatest classical music festival–the BBC Proms! Highlights include Anthony McGill and Mozart’s emotional Clarinet Concerto, the inimitable Patricia Kopatchinskaja and Schoenberg’s Violin Concerto, and an end-of-season party like no other: the Last Night of the Proms! (more below)
Pipedreams
PIPEDREAMS Program #2346 (9/2/24) celebrates the 200th birthday of Anton Bruckner with “A Big Bruckner Bicentennial Bash” featuring transcriptions of movements form his symphonies plus new works commissioned by soloist Hansjörg Albrecht.
PIPEDREAMS Program #2347 (9/9/24) honors the memory of the late, lauded Canadian musician Rachel Laurin (1961-2023), with concert performances and composer comments…Remembering Rachel.
PIPEDREAMS Program #2348 (9/16/24) preludes the upcoming Canadian International Organ Competition (October 17-27) with highlights from the final round and gala awards concert of the 2021 competition and festival.
PIPEDREAMS Program #2349 (9/23/24) honors the centenary of the death of celebrated Irish-English composer Charles Villiers Stanford with a cross-section of his organ and choral music…The Stanford Standard.
Also, check out Pipedreams new video content – visit their Facebook Page or visit YourClassical.org to watch, learn, and listen!
BBC Proms 2024
Proms on C24: C24’s programming will air BBC Proms selections every weekday at 10 am and 10 pm starting on August 19 and running through September 27th. Some hours will contain multiple selections from either the same program or different programs, depending on timing and programmatic elements. We’re delighted to share this beloved annual event with your listeners!
Proms on SymphonyCast: Beginning with the August 5th program and ending with The Last Night of the Proms on the September 30th program, SymphonyCast will once again broadcast the BBC Proms. A full list with dates and details is available here. These programs are available to ALL APM affiliates regardless of your SymphonyCast subscription status. We hope you’ll take advantage of this much-anticipated annual gift to your listeners.
Welcome Additions
- KHCC (Witchita, KS) – Rhapsody in Black
- KWRV (Sun Valley, ID) – Performance Today Weekend
2024 Fall Fundraising Package
It’s fall member drive time again and we have a new batch of fundraising assets available for you to use. If you don’t find what you need below, please submit a custom request.
This year’s fall 2024 fundraising tools include:
- BBC Newshour – new feature segments for pitching around the program
- The Daily – two new evergreen episodes for use in pledge drives.
- Performance Today – new promos and long-form, in-studio segments.
- On Point – 7 new promos voiced by Meghna Chakrabarti
- The Splendid Table – new fundraising episode hosted by Francis Lam
All assets are available now on ContentDepot. Subscribe to the fundraising program pages today and receive all future updates for each program. Visit the ‘Episodes’ section of the pages below to download the new promos.
We are aware of the changes coming to ContentDepot tomorrow that will allow these assets to be consolidated on the program pages. APM will take a look at the new functionality and will communicate any migration of these assets at a future date.
Check out the links below, and if you have any questions please reach out to your station relations representative.
News
- 8 new featured BBC Newshour segments
- 6 new promos voiced by Kai Ryssdal
- 6 new promos voiced by David Brancaccio
- 4 promos voiced by Meghan McCarty Carino
- 4 new promos voiced by Michael Barbaro and Sabrina Tavernise
- 2 shortened evergreen episodes (including promos) to pitch around
- 7 new promos voiced by Meghna Chakrabarti
Classical
- 7 new promos voiced by hosts Valerie Kahler, Lynne Warfel, Scott Blankenship, Steve Seel, Jillene Khan and Kevin O’Connor
- 4 new promos voiced by Fred Child
- 4 long in-studio segments (11:00-14:00) with guest artists
- 5 new promos voiced by Michael Barone
- 5 new promos voiced by Steve Seel
Arts & Culture
- 1 new, fundraising episode
We welcome your fundraising questions and feedback! Please contact your Station Relations Representative.
Fred Child to Step Down from Performance Today® After 25 Years
| ST. PAUL, MINN. July 23, 2024 – American Public Media today announces Fred Child will step down in October 2025 from his position as Host and Senior Editor of YourClassical’s Performance Today®, completing a 25-year run as host of America’s most popular classical music radio show. Performance Today, winner of the 2014 Gabriel Award for artistic achievement, is broadcast on hundreds of public radio stations across the country and features live concert recordings, highlights from new album releases, and in-studio performances and interviews. The show is based at the APM studios in St. Paul, Minnesota, and is frequently on the road, with special programs broadcast from festivals and public radio stations around the country. In addition to hosting Performance Today, Child was the Emmy-winning commentator and announcer for the PBS program Live From Lincoln Center and has hosted many live national concert broadcasts. His music reviews and commentary have appeared on NPR, the BBC and Billboard magazine. He continues to host musical events on stages around the country, working with major orchestras and festivals and connecting with audiences coast to coast. “It’s been the greatest joy of my working life to share music, stories, conversations, and ideas with audiences around the country for a quarter of a century. I will dearly miss our daily meeting in the virtual space we all create together in our hearts and imaginations, via radio and streaming. But after 25 years, I feel I have accomplished far more than I could have imagined, connecting music-makers with music-lovers in service of this wondrous art form we call classical music. I’m ready to step away from this platform, and to heartily welcome new voices and talent who will carry this work forward. My deepest thanks to the entire APM and YourClassical team. Hugs and thanks to every member of the Performance Today team, past and present. And special thanks to every station that has entrusted their airtime to me, and to every listener I’ve connected with through our shared love of music,” Child said. “We have the deepest gratitude and admiration for Fred and his talents for connecting with listeners worldwide. We will work with Fred to ensure his legacy with Performance Today is honored and that he has a fantastic final year hosting for us,” said Liwanag Ojala, Chief Transformation Officer at American Public Media Group and brand leader for YourClassical. “Fred’s distinctive style has guided and enthralled audiences far and wide blending his genuine passion for classical music with eloquence, knowledge and insightful commentary. We’re mutually excited for the next chapter of Performance Today and we’re working on next steps.” ### About YourClassical YourClassical® is a collection of curated classical music listening experiences and information produced by Minnesota Public Radio and American Public Media Group. YourClassical provides audiences with the music they love through terrestrial broadcasts and multiple web-based platforms. Nationally syndicated YourClassical programs include Pipedreams®, SymphonyCast®, Composers Datebook® and Performance Today®, and are in addition to the YourClassical Radio Lullaby, Sleep, Relax, Peaceful Piano, and Holiday audio streams that can be found at YourClassical.org. Regional music programming produced by YourClassical MPR®, is a trusted companion for listeners across Minnesota on broadcast radio, web, and live events. YourClassical MPR’s Class Notes program strives to inspire the next generation of music fans and artists through in-school learning experiences, educational content, and resources for teachers and parents. Each week, nearly 2.75 million people engage with YourClassical. Learn more and listen at yourclassical.org. |
Performance Today Overview as shared by Fred Child
We spoke with Fred Child, host of Performance Today, to learn more about the popular classical music program including its origin, mission, and the processes applied in selecting music and artists to highlight. Fred has hosted Performance Today since 2000 and is a lifelong lover of music.
What is the origin of the show? Performance Today was founded in 1987 by NPR, National Public Radio. It was initially conceived as a bridge between the morning news program, Morning Edition, and midday music (then in vogue on many stations that carried both news and music.
How has its mission/focus evolved? Performance Today is a music program with a clear focus on classical music and those two words: Performance Today. In the beginning, and still, the focus is on music in PERFORMANCE – i.e., the presence and vitality found in concert recordings. And TODAY: the current state of the music scene – contemporary music, diverse talent and the most inventive and enthralling of today’s interpreters of the great works of the past.
What is your philosophy as host? To convey a true love of music, to share that joy in an accessible way with listeners and to be an exclusive home for recordings and concert highlights not heard anywhere else – all while providing a certain degree of musical insight and occasional education tidbit for those interested, while not hectoring those who aren’t.
Share the talk:music Ratios: 9.5 minutes of talk and 49.5 minutes of music each hour. (1/0 billboard; .5/4.5 cutaway; 3/18 seg003; 0/1 seg004; 2/18 seg005; 0/1 seg006; 3/9 seg007) Episodes that include a performance interview typically have more talk, but the talk segment in those cases does not exceed 3.5 minutes.
How much “new/contemporary” classical is played per program/per year? Generally, a new piece of classical music broadcasts on Performance Today once per program, a couple of times each week – or roughly 100-150 contemporary pieces annually of the approximately 1600 featured pieces of music on our show each year (about 5-10% of our music).
How are the new pieces introduced on PT selected? Our producers listen to live concert recordings after the year 2000 that we receive from around the world. From those we chose compositions that are musically interesting, have fascinating stories behind them and fit in our programming principle to ‘delight and surprise.’
How are the traditional pieces played on PT chosen? Producers choose familiar classical pieces to broadcast on the show when the performance is exceptionally outstanding or inclusive or rare performance nuances.
How are the artists/composers highlighted selected? We feature performers and composers whose artistry we find captivating.
Tell us more about the available ::30 Imaging Spots: These ::30 second daily promo spots are available to stations to help to encourage listeners who aren’t familiar with PT to familiarize themselves with the show. In addition, the spots also work to promote specific pieces of music or stories coming up on the next program so as to underscore the program’s capacity for discovery, access and the storytelling within the genre of contemporary classical music.
New spring fundraising tools
As you look forward to warm spring days and member drives, we’re here to help with new fundraising assets to raise your audience engagement and revenue.
Segments are available now on ContentDepot. Subscribe to individual fundraising program pages now to receive all future updates.
New for spring 2019:
All programs
- Updated talking points for your live pitches are available now on ContentDepot (following each rundown on fundraising pages) and on our website (under ‘Fundraising’ on program pages).
- New fundraising promo options (excluding BBC World Service and The Daily) include general, sustainer, sustainer upgrade, and thank you messages from our hosts; new spots are between 0:25 and 0:59.
Live from Here
- Fundraising episode with 13 interchangeable segments featuring Chris Thile and a variety of artists: David Crosby, Jon Batiste, Lindsey Buckingham, John Prine, Meshell Ndegeocello, Emmanuel Ax, St. Vincent, Jonathan Biss, Dessa, Cory Henry and the Funk Apostles, Vulfpeck, Tuneyards, Jeff Tweedy, Sylvan Esso, Snarky Puppy, David Rawlings, Willie Watson & the Fairfield Four, Parker Millsap, The Knights, Rachael Price, Gaby Moreno, Sarah Jarosz, Aoife O’Donovan, Sara Watkins, Punch Brothers, Tracy K Smith, The Sklar Brothers, Jim Gaffigan, Chris Gethard, Joey Ryan, and Tom Papa.
Performance Today
- Long-form, in-studio segments with a variety of classical artists.
Visit the ‘Episodes’ section of the pages below to find new fundraisers, with suggested pitch points following each rundown:
News
BBC World Service (generic promos and pitch points)
The Daily (generic promos, pitch points and listener testimonials)
Marketplace
- Marketplace (11 promos with Kai Ryssdal, pitch points)
- Marketplace Morning Report (10 promos with David Brancaccio, pitch points)
- Marketplace Tech (8 promos with Molly Wood, pitch points)
Arts and Culture
Live from Here (fundraising episode, pitch points)
The Splendid Table (6 promos with Francis Lam, pitch points)
Classical Music
Classical 24 (11 promos with C24 hosts, pitch points)
Performance Today (7 promos with Fred Child, 5 in-studio segments with guest artists, pitch points)
Pipedreams (6 promos with Michael Barone, pitch points)
SymphonyCast (6 promos with Alison Young, pitch points)
Custom Promo Requests
We encourage you to use our new fundraising promos, but we’re here to help if you need a custom spot. Please complete our custom promo form.
Due to ongoing production schedules, please allow 3-4 weeks for custom promo delivery, and up to 6 weeks for BBC World Service spots. Note: BBC World Service is prohibited by British law to make direct asks to listeners for monetary support.
Holiday programming schedule
Here’s what audiences will hear on our regular programs next week.
Additional details, and/or programming changes, will be shared via ContentDepot.
Marketplace
- Marketplace Morning Report: Live broadcasts
- Marketplace Tech: Monday, Dec. 24 and Wednesday, Dec. 25 shows will include replays of this year’s favorite interviews on automation in the workforce, regulating tech companies, self-driving cars, artificial intelligence and battling fake news.
- Marketplace (p.m.): Live broadcasts. Interview with Birchbox CEO Katia Beauchamp about the economics of subscription boxes (date TBD).
BBC World Service
- Newshour:
- Monday, Dec. 24-Friday, Dec. 28: Reports on the war in Yemen and its affects on the women who live there. 9 a.m. ET and 3 p.m. ET editions.
- Tuesday, Dec. 25 editions include the annual quiz. James Coomarasamy tests Newshour presenters on their knowledge of 2018 events and newsmakers. Available for download on ContentDepot through Monday, Dec. 31.
- Friday, Dec. 28: Correspondent’s Look Ahead 2019. Lyse Doucet hosts this year’s discussion with BBC senior correspondents, who share their predictions for the big news stories of the new year. Available for download through Thursday, Jan. 3.
The Daily
Pending programming changes due to the potential government shutdown, audiences will hear encore episodes next week:
- Monday, Dec. 24: Korea
- Tuesday, Dec. 25: Climate change
- Wednesday, Dec. 26: Family separation
- Thursday, Dec. 27: Trump taxes
- Friday, Dec. 28: Kavanaugh reaction, with new content, including reactions from teenage boys
Performance Today
- Monday, Dec. 24 and Tuesday, Dec. 25: Holiday-themed music
The Splendid Table
- Saturday, Dec. 29: Michael Solomonov, Philadelphia chef and author of Israeli Soul and Zahav, talks about Israeli food and disaster stories, and takes questions from callers with Francis.
Live from Here
- Saturday, Dec. 29: Year-end compilation show with 2018 highlights
Year-End Fundraising Promos Available
We have a variety of new promos available now for your year-end fundraising needs. Download 13 segments on ContentDepot.
Segments include:
- Segments 1-4: The Splendid Table with Francis Lam
- Segments 5-6: Performance Today with Fred Child
- Segments 7-10: Marketplace Morning Report with David Brancaccio
- Segments 11-13: Marketplace with Kai Ryssdal
Contact your Station Representative with any questions.
Custom promos are also available. Please complete our request form.
Performance Today Celebrates 30 Years!
On January 5, 2017, Performance Today will celebrate 30 years at the forefront of classical music. In that time, the show has featured over 65,000 live concert performances, as well as hundreds of rising stars and established headliners from around the world.