NPR has agreed to broadcast recordings of 26 Philadelphia Orchestra concerts from the current season on upcoming episodes of the weekly program SymphonyCast and the daily show Performance Today. Twelve of the concerts will be broadcast in their entirety on the SymphonyCast, and 12 will be divided into shorter segments and broadcast on Performance Today. Plans for the remaining two concerts have yet to be determined.

The orchestra expects to extend the agreement annually, according to a press release.

The Philadelphia Orchestra has not been heard regularly on national radio broadcasts since 1998, according to the orchestra. Like the recording contract the ensemble signed with Ondine last year, the new deal was made possible by a revenue-sharing agreement included in the contract signed by musicians and management in the fall of 2004.

"We are delighted that The Philadelphia Orchestra will once again be heard by radio listeners across the United States," interim executive director Elizabeth Warshawer said. "Many of our audiences grew up listening to this orchestra over the airwaves. We are thrilled that, as a result of our innovative collaboration with the musicians of the orchestra, we can give them and a new generation of listeners the opportunity to hear our broadcasts."

The broadcasts begin today with a performance of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, recorded in September 2005, on Performance Today. On April 30, SymphonyCast will broadcast a program of Beethoven, Prokofiev, and Magnus Lindberg, with violinist Midori as soloist.

Neither SymphonyCast nor Performance Today can be heard in the New York City area. In Philadelphia, Performance Today is heard on WHYY 90.9 FM on Sundays at 10 p.m. For more information about outlets for the programs, visit http://www.npr.org/templates/stations/schedule/.