Arts and Music

Great Performances

Great Performances brings the best in the performing arts from across America and around the world to a US television audience. It presents a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.

George Jones: Still Playin’ Possum

1h 24m

Honor one of the most beloved stars in country music history with this all-star tribute concert featuring Brad Paisley, Dierks Bentley, Wynonna, Jelly Roll, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Lorrie Morgan, Justin Moore, Trace Adkins and more.

Episodes

  • Great Performances: Keeping Company with Sondheim: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances: Keeping Company with Sondheim

    S49 E29 - 1h 13m

    Take an inside look at the reimagined gender-swapped production as it returns to Broadway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Features new interviews with Tony and Grammy-winning cast members Katrina Lenk, Patti LuPone, Sondheim and more.

  • Great Performances: Merry Wives: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances: Merry Wives

    S49 E28 - 1h 49m

    Experience Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece from the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park set in South Harlem telling the story of the trickster Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a celebration of Black joy, laughter and vitality.

  • Great Performances: Anything Goes: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances: Anything Goes

    S49 E27 - 2h 20m

    Enjoy this London production of Cole Porter’s classic musical led by Sutton Foster who reprises her Tony-winning role as Reno Sweeney directed by Kathleen Marshall with favorite songs like “I Get A Kick Out of You” and “You’re the Top.”

  • Now Hear This "New American Voices": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Now Hear This "New American Voices"

    S49 E25 - 54m 25s

    Scott Yoo discovers how American composers are inspired by their immigrant roots today through two composers: Brazilian-born Sergio Assad and Indian American Reena Esmail.

  • Now Hear This "Amy Beach: American Romantic": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Now Hear This "Amy Beach: American Romantic"

    S49 E22 - 53m 54s

    Host Scott Yoo and his wife, flutist Alice Dade, perform the work of Romantic era classical composer Amy Beach at Festival Mosaic and uncover Beach’s many musical influences. Featuring performances of Beach’s works, the duo visits places Beach took inspiration from throughout her life, including an artist residency at MacDowell in New Hampshire.

  • Great Performances: The Conductor: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances: The Conductor

    S49 E20 - 1h 24m

    Follow Marin Alsop’s journey to become the first female music director of a major American symphony despite repeated rejection by the classical music industry. Features archival footage with her mentor Leonard Bernstein and is set to a soundtrack of her performances.

  • Great Performances – Reopening: The Broadway Revival: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances – Reopening: The Broadway Revival

    S49 E16 - 54m

    Go behind the scenes of Broadway as shows reunite, rehearse and re-stage for their long-awaited reopening nights while the theater industry learns how to turn the lights back on after its longest hiatus in history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Coppelia: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Coppelia

    S49 E10 - 1h 16m

    Enjoy this contemporary reboot of the 1870 classical ballet favorite. Blending live action ballet with CGI, the film features ballet stars Michaela DePrince and Daniel Camargo.

  • Great Performances: San Francisco Symphony Reopening Night: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances: San Francisco Symphony Reopening Night

    S49 E9 - 1h 22m

    Celebrate opening night of San Francisco Symphony’s 110th season as it welcomes its new GRAMMY-winning music director Esa-Pekka Salonen, featuring music by John Adams, esperanza spalding & Wayne Shorter and performances by Alonzo King LINES Ballet.

  • Great Performances: A John Williams Premiere at Tanglewood: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Great Performances: A John Williams Premiere at Tanglewood

    S49 E8 - 1h 24m

    Experience a concert of works by legendary composer John Williams from Boston Symphony Orchestra’s summer home at Tanglewood including Williams’ new violin concerto performed by virtuoso Anne-Sophie Mutter and other works conducted by Andris Nelsons.

Extras + Features

  • The Jewish Tune That Inspired Composer Aaron Copland: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Jewish Tune That Inspired Composer Aaron Copland

    S49 E24 - 4m 22s

    Host Scott Yoo and Cantor Daniel Mutlu discuss how Aaron Copland may have drawn inspiration from his Jewish roots and Cantor Mutlu performs "Mipnei Ma," the source material for Copland's "Vitebsk."

  • Aaron Copland's Ideas on Film Scores: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Aaron Copland's Ideas on Film Scores

    S49 E24 - 5m 14s

    Host Scott Yoo and pianist John Novacek discuss Copland's career as a film composer. Copland was a firm believer in "less is more" in terms of scoring, an idea that can be heard in scores today. To demonstrate this, Novacek and the student orchestra at the Colorado College Music festival perform Copland's "Grover's Corner" from the film "Our Town."

  • 5 Facts About Florence Price: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    5 Facts About Florence Price

    S49 E23 - 1m 35s

    Learn five facts about American composer Florence Price. Although she won a handful of awards for her work, Price struggled to find greater success, fighting against the twin issues of racism and sexism in the classical music industry. After dozens of her manuscripts were rediscovered in 2009, Florence Price has finally started to gain the success that eluded her during her lifetime.

  • The Lost Manuscripts of Composer Florence Price: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    The Lost Manuscripts of Composer Florence Price

    S49 E23 - 4m 15s

    Host Scott Yoo travels to the University of Arkansas with violinist Er-Gene Kahng and pianist Karen Walwyn to get an up-close look at classical music composer Florence Price's previously lost manuscripts.

  • Boston's Gaelic Music Jam Session: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Boston's Gaelic Music Jam Session

    S49 E22 - 3m 48s

    Scott Yoo visits Boston to learn more about the early career of Amy Beach and gets treated to a Gaelic jam session courtesy of Celtic Sojourn radio host, Brian O'Donovan.

  • Now Hear This "Amy Beach: American Romantic" Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Now Hear This "Amy Beach: American Romantic" Preview

    S49 E22 - 30s

    Host Scott Yoo and his wife, flutist Alice Dade, perform the work of Romantic era classical composer Amy Beach at Festival Mosaic and uncover Beach’s many musical influences. Featuring performances of Beach’s works, the duo visits places Beach took inspiration from throughout her life, including an artist residency at MacDowell in New Hampshire.

  • Amy Beach's "Hermit Thrush At Morn" and "Beach Romance": asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Amy Beach's "Hermit Thrush At Morn" and "Beach Romance"

    S49 E22 - 3m

    Scott Yoo and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute play Amy Beach's "Hermit Thrush At Morn" and "Beach Romance" at MacDowell, an artist residency that the composer frequented during her life. This piece is an homage to the scenery and wildlife of Petersborough, New Hampshire.

  • Highlights: Fire Shut Up In My Bones: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Highlights: Fire Shut Up In My Bones

    S49 E21 - 3m

    Grammy-winning jazz musician and composer Terence Blanchard’s adaptation of Charles M. Blow’s memoir marks the Met’s first performance of an opera by a Black composer and its first production back in its theater following the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown. Featuring a libretto by filmmaker Kasi Lemmons, the opera tells the story of a young man’s journey to overcome a life of trauma and hardship.

  • Fire Shut Up In My Bones Preview: asset-mezzanine-16x9

    Fire Shut Up In My Bones Preview

    S49 E21 - 30s

    Experience Grammy-winning composer Terence Blanchard and librettist Kasi Lemmon’s adaptation of Charles M. Blow’s memoir. James Robinson and Camille A. Brown co-direct with Brown also choreographing. Baritone Will Liverman stars with soprano Angel Blue.

Schedule

WETA Passport

Stream tens of thousands of hours of your PBS and local favorites with WETA Passport whenever and wherever you want. Catch up on a single episode or binge-watch full seasons before they air on TV.

Similar Shows