Performance Today is America's most popular classical music radio program, with more than 1.3 million weekly listeners on more than 260 stations around the country.
Performance Today features timely recordings that can't be heard anywhere else: recent performances by the great artists of our time and by the next generation of classical artists, from concert halls around the globe. The program also features interviews and performances from the APM studios and from concert stages around the country, along with classical music news and features.
Valerie Kahler, Host.
Val began her radio career in 1989 as a volunteer at KNAU (now Arizona Public Radio) in Flagstaff, Arizona, and worked as a classical music host and music director for over a decade before joining APM in 2001. In addition to her radio work, Kahler is an active musician, playing cello with two Minnesota orchestras and her chamber group, the Lochan Quartet. Kahler is also an avid singer and was a founding member of the Prairie Fire Choir (formerly Prairie Fire Lady Choir), where she arranged songs by artists such as Bonnie "Prince" Billy, The Magnetic Fields and Leonard Cohen for a cappella treble voices. Val has hosted Performance Today since 2025.
Current and past playlists can be viewed at the Performance Today website under Program Archives.
