Chicago-based Juliani Ensemble joins us for the final concert of the Live From WFMT’s 2018-2019 season for a recital of works of Haydn, Mozart, and Webern. Monday at 8:00 pm.
Summer is here, and we have the perfect musical accompaniment!
Check out our interactive guide to make the most of Chicago's best season.
Finding the Details in Grand Opera — Muti, CSO, and CSO Chorus Present Verdi’s Aida
Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida is the apotheosis of grand opera: a story about forbidden love, with one of the most famous triumphal marches in the repertoire – horses and elephants included. The pomp and circumstance of this epic tale set in ancient Egypt has enchanted audiences for well over a century. But as Riccardo Muti, often considered the world’s leading Verdi ...
Closets Are For Clothes — Celebrating Pride Month through Musical “Coming Out” Stories
“As an adult, knowing that music and my identity as a gay man have always been so closely intertwined, I’ve decided that my mission as a professional musician is to find ways to give back to my LGBTQ community through music and offer my community the safety and healing that music has shown me,” expresses John Heffernan, a violinist and ...
After a 50-year wait, ‘Stonewall’ opera was written in weeks
NEW YORK (AP) — The Pulitzer Prize-winning librettist Mark Campbell received a note in late February 2018 from the general director of the New York City Opera: “I may have a project for you, but you have to write quickly.” A day later, the note writer, Michael Capasso, asked Campbell to collaborate on an opera commemorating the 50th anniversary of ...
PLAYLIST | WFMT Selects Classical Music for Your Serene, Sunny Summer
Summer is upon us! Maybe you’ll be traveling, spending time with family, soaking up the sun, or just enjoying a quality read. Whatever your plans, we have the perfect musical accompaniment: summery classical music selected by WFMT hosts and staff!
Baltimore Symphony locks out its musicians as talks stall
BALTIMORE (AP) — The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is locking out its musicians now that contract and salary negotiations have stalled. The Baltimore Sun reports the lockout starts Monday. Musicians say they’re also losing 12 weeks of pay since management abruptly cancelled summer concerts. Musicians have been playing without a new contract since September. A statement from orchestra president and Chief Executive Peter ...
Sergio and Clarice — Music Runs in the Family for this Father-Daughter Duo
The father is Sergio Assad — guitarist, composer, arranger, educator, and with his brother Odair, half of the groundbreaking Assad Brothers guitar duo. The daughter is Clarice Assad — a bold and highly innovative vocalist, composer, orchestrator, videographer, and mentor. Together, they represent the Assad family, for whom making music is breathing...
Living in the Realms of Classical and Jazz — How composer and musician Paquito D’Rivera thrives in both
A fourteen-time Grammy Award winner, Cuban-born saxophonist and clarinetist Paquito D’Rivera is revered in both the jazz and classical worlds. When asked about how he is able to work in both realms, D’Rivera says, “It’s just music you know. The great Duke Ellington always said ‘there is only two kinds of music, good music and the other stuff.’ I don’t know what the other stuff is, but I can imagine it!"
VIDEO | Escher Quartet performs works by Mozart, Dvořák for a WFMT Facebook Live
On Tuesday, June 11, 2019, WFMT hosted the Escher Quartet in a Facebook Live from the Village Presbyterian Church in Northbrook ahead of their performances at the 2019 North Shore Chamber Music Festival, which begins on June 12. The quartet bookended the second movement from Mozart's String Quartet No. 23 with selections from Dvořák's American Quartet.
WFMT’s Musical Chicago Summer Guide
Few will argue that summer is the best season to be in Chicago. The same could be said for its musical offerings — the city’s off-season is not only as vibrant as the rest of the year, but includes an incredible diversity of concert experiences. That’s where this interactive guide comes in. We know that every listener is different, so ...
Strike Up the Wind Band: Celebrating 50 Years of the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble
When I was a freshman in high school, I was selected to perform in a district honors band. I decided to find some reference recordings for our repertoire, and with my new iTunes account, I purchased an album by Dr. Mallory Thompson and the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble — I was awestruck. I had no idea that music could ...
