In the first Met performances of Agrippina, Joyce DiDonato stars in the “controlling, power-hungry” title role. Noon.
The Well-Tempered Election Analyst: How Arnon Mishkin prepares (with a little help from Bach)
Arnon Mishkin has been called a data ninja, able to crunch numbers more powerfully than a 3.4 GHz computer processor. How, then, does this man, who leads the Fox News Decision Desk, analyzing exit polls and explaining shifting voting blocs from what has come to be known as the “Nerdquarium,” prepare for the grueling hours ahead on the day and night of (and increasingly the morning after) a Presidential Election? He plays the cello. Mishkin, mild-mannered media ...
Three Faiths Connected Through Music: ‘O, Jerusalem!’ With Apollo’s Fire
Does a city have its own distinctive musical style? The early music ensemble Apollo’s Fire and artistic director Jeannette Sorrell explore that question with their upcoming Chicago-area performance, “O Jerusalem! Crossroads of Three Faiths."
Your Guide to Chopin’s Études
Explore Chopin’s études - some of the most beloved works in the piano repertoire - by listening to some of our favorites and learning more about them.
Higdon opera for Philadelphia to have 3 different endings
Jennifer Higdon has been commissioned by Opera Philadelphia to compose “Woman with Eyes Closed,” which will open the company’s O20 Festival on Sept. 17 and in a novel twist will feature three different endings. Higdon is the winner of the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Music and a three-time Grammy Award winner. She has teamed with librettist Jerre Dye for the ...
5 Questions with Marin Alsop [Video]
"I think that art needs to serve the public... not just to be comforting and familiar, but to push the envelope," declares Marin Alsop. Speaking on the need for classical music to evolve and change, the celebrated conductor proudly admits that she's "not very good with all the rules of what falls into what category." Earlier this month, the Ravinia ...
AP: US opera union probe finds Plácido Domingo abused power
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — People familiar with the findings have told The Associated Press that an investigation into Plácido Domingo by the U.S. union representing opera performers found more than two dozen people who said they were sexually harassed or witnessed inappropriate behavior by the superstar over two decades. They said the report concluded that the accounts of those interviewed ...
Robbie Ellis’ Comedy Tunes Prove that Classical Music Can Be Funny [Videos]
Think you know a lot about classical music? Robbie Ellis, WFMT host, composer, music director, and comedy songmaker extraordinaire shares four untold musical revelations that will have your head spinning!
Music of the Baroque Announces 2020-21 season
On February 21, Music of the Baroque announced its 2020-2021 season, the ensemble’s 50th. “We want this golden jubilee season to be a big thank you to the people of Chicago who come to our concerts, and the musicians of Chicago who perform them,” remarked executive director Declan McGovern in the release. “I am so grateful to the amazing musicians ...
Pianist Taek Gi Lee shares a dynamic recital of Beethoven and Liszt
Pianist Taek Gi Lee, who hails from Seoul and studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, shared a sensitive performance of works by Beethoven and Liszt in a February 19, 2020 Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert. Enjoy the full recital below, and make sure to like WFMT on Facebook to be notified every time we go live!
UK patient plays violin during unusual brain surgery
LONDON (AP) — Surgeons at King’s College Hospital in London have removed a brain tumor from a woman who played the violin during the procedure. Doctors for violinist Dagmar Turner, 53, mapped her brain before the surgery to identify areas that were active when she played the instrument and those responsible for controlling language and movement. Doctors then woke her ...
