About Performance Today

NPR's Performance Today welcomes both longtime classical music lovers and newcomers to experience first hand the creative vitality of classical music.

Performance Today recreates the thrill of live concerts by world-renowned artists in concert halls around the globe. Without the cost or hassle of purchasing a ticket, our listeners experience the finest solo, chamber, and symphonic works, recorded by the best audio engineers and producers in the industry.

Check our listing for a station near you that carries PT.

Staff | Commentators | Frequently Asked Questions

Fred Child, Host
Korva Coleman, Host
Lisa Simeone, frequent Guest Host
Roger Wight, Supervising Producer
Marty Ronish, Editor
Gail Wein, Associate Producer
Penny Hain, Associate Producer/Director
Thomas Huizenga, Associate Producer
Valerie Stains, Assistant Producer
Samantha McElhaney, Administrative Coordinator

Benjamin K. Roe, Director of Music Programs

Commentators

Bruce Adolphe

Frequently Asked Questions

What was that music I just heard on PT?
For something you heard today, click on 'latest playlist' -- at the top of the navigation elements on the right side of any PT Web page.

What was that music I heard on PT a few days ago? And last month? And a year ago?
Click on 'previous playlists' and select from year, month and date options.

Can I purchase a CD of the music I just heard?
Most of the music we air on PT comes from live concert recordings that are not commercially available. We also do not offer CD recommendations. However, you can browse our list of essential classical recordings on CD, the PT 50.

Why can't I listen to the PT shows online?
Due to rights issues, we are unable to post most audio from the show on the Web. However, we do post all Live at NPR sessions and features.

I'm having trouble accessing PT's audio features online. Help!
Please go to the Online Audio Help page for more information.

I have a comment about your show. How should I get it to you?
We welcome your feedback about anything you have heard on PT -- and we particularly want to hear your reactions to specific broadcasts. There are several ways to be in touch:

» Call the PT listener comment line at (202) 842-3522. We will record your message for possible use on the air during our letters and comments segment, usually heard on Fridays.

» E-mail us: pt@npr.org. Please be sure to include your full name, a daytime telephone number, and your city of residence.

» Send us a letter. Here is our mailing address: Performance Today, National Public Radio, 635 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20001-3753.

Where can I tune in to Performance Today?
Click on 'where can i hear it?' and select from the state options. The listings include call-letters, and the times you can hear PT on the radio each day.

Who wrote the show's theme music?
The credit goes to Jim Pugh, a New York composer who wrote the piece exclusively for the program.

Who are the sponsors of Performance Today?
The program is made possible through funding from The National Endowment for the Arts, the Helen F. Whitaker Fund, Sempra Energy, the Argosy Contemporary Music Fund, The Music Performance Funds, The Frank & Lydia Bergen Foundation, Steinway & Sons, The Schimmel Piano Company, and Grove Dictionaries Inc.

How do I submit a recording of a classical music performance?
Performance Today tries to bring its listeners the highest quality concert recordings possible. Here are the requirements for submitting tapes:

General Criteria

Significant or interesting repertoire, well played, and recorded in a way that allows the music to be heard clearly.

The repertoire should be accessible, keeping in mind that the majority of Performance Today's 1.5 million listeners hear the program in the morning.

Package Contents

We require DAT masters or clones, or CDRs. No cassettes, please.

Enclose a program from the concert and a detailed log, indicating start and stops of pieces as well as each individual movement. For DATs, indicate absolute time; for CDRs, indicate track number and track time. Timings of applause are helpful, too. If selections not approved for broadcast are included on the audio element, clearly notate such on the program.

Include background information on performers, venue, repertoire, etc.

Provide information on mic placement and recording chain.

Include reference tone (see detail below).

Tape is non-returnable, unless arranged for in advance.

If a tape is to be considered for broadcast, a warranty attesting to the tape submitter's legal right to submit tape on behalf of performers will be required. Contact us at (202) 513-2374 for details.

Please send to: Gail Wein, Associate Producer for Acquisitions, Performance Today, NPR, 635 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington DC 20001-3753.

Technical Details

Stereo image width
We like stereo recordings which have spectral balance across the image, have a reasonably believable localization of the concert stage, and don't have a "hole in the middle" (too-widely-spaced mikes can cause this). There should be interesting information in the left, center, and right of the image.
Recordings should be mono-compatible, that is, when summed to mono the sense of loudness and clarity should not diminish much.

Movement breaks:
Please leave these as they were originally recorded, we'll shorten them if we feel the need.

Applause:
Volume and perspective of the applause should be congruent with the music; the audience shouldn't feel closer and louder than the musicians. Also, please include the full applause on the recordings, up to two minutes after each piece. We often have our host talk over that applause, so we like to have plenty to work with. We'll shorten it if needed.

Compression:
Please do not use any compression or limiting. If you feel the need to add artificial reverberation, please use a very light touch, or just include a note for us to add a measure of reverb if you feel the original recording is too dry. Do not use any noise removal or other processing before sending to us.

Format:
We generally get submissions on 16-bit DAT or CDR. If you work in another format, we may be able to accommodate or convert it, contact our Technical Director at 202-513-2373 about particulars.
If submitting on DAT, make sure the tape has Absolute Time (ABS) recorded on it. Start IDs or Program Numbers (PNOs) are not required, but if you do use them, make sure they're placed a couple of seconds before the start of musical selections. We don't have gear to accommodate 24-bit DATs recorded on the Tascam DA45s, only the 16 bit standard. 48K sampling rate is preferred but 44.1 can be accommodated.

If submitting on CDR and if you are placing Track IDs, please make sure they are placed a couple of seconds before the start of musical selections. Also please make sure your CD mastering software is not inserting silent pauses between tracks! Take care to use a blank CDR that has not been scratched, and handle it carefully before shipping to us. We can also accommodate uncompressed (linear) .WAV files submitted on DVDRs, CDRs, or via FTP. Please contact our Technical Director for details.

Reference Tones:
Normally we're looking for a 1 kHz sine wave tone 12 dB below the peaks in the audio program. Thus, if you use all the bits and the maximum program peak is at 0 dBFS (dB below full scale), the tone should be at -12 dBFS. More typically recordists leave some additional headroom, so if your maximum peak is at -4 dBFS, the tone should be at -16 dBFS. One test tone at the top of the tape before the program is fine, we don't need a separate one for each piece. The tone should be recorded at equal level to both channels.