CHICAGO – November 7, 2025 – WFMT classical music radio host Elbio Barilari will be among the Community Champions honored at the International Latino Cultural Center’s 25th anniversary gala on Friday, November 14 at 6:00 pm at CineCity Studios (2429 W. 14th St., Chicago).
Barilari hosts Fiesta!, WFMT’s weekly series that since 2012 has celebrated the sound, culture, and history of Latin American classical music. Each week, Barilari shares his passion for repertoire ranging from little-known Baroque works to new compositions by living Latin American composers across the world. The series reaches audiences locally and globally on WFMT 98.7FM, wfmt.com, and the WFMT app.
Composer, musician, and professor Elbio Rodríguez Barilari was born in 1953 in Montevideo, Uruguay. He studied at the Conservatorio Universitario before continuing his education in Brazil at the Cursos Latinoamericanos de Música Contemporánea. Since settling in the United States in 1998, Barilari has lectured at the University of Chicago and the Instituto Cervantes and currently serves on the faculty of the University of Illinois Chicago.
As a composer, Barilari has received commissions from the Grant Park Music Festival, Concertante di Chicago, Chicago Park District, and the Orquesta Filarmónica de Montevideo. In addition to works for orchestra, chamber ensembles, and solo instruments, he has composed scores for more than forty plays in the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
About WFMT
WFMT is one of the world’s most respected classical music radio stations, accessible via broadcast at 98.7FM, streaming live at wfmt.com, and on the WFMT app. Recognized for trusted hosted programming, immersive live performances and concerts, strong partnerships with community organizations and championing young, local musicians and access to the arts, WFMT spotlights inspiring music, musicians, and musical performances from Chicago and around the world including the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Sinfonietta, Lyric Opera of Chicago, the New York Philharmonic, and many more. Connect with WFMT on Facebook and X.
About the International Latino Cultural Center
The International Latino Cultural Center (ILCC) is one of the longest-running Latino organizations in Chicago. First incorporated in 1987 under the name Chicago Latino Cinema and changed to its current name in 1999, the Center has established itself as a true Pan-Latino organization in the city serving the entire Latino community.
