WFMT Hosts

Eddie Arruza's media career has spanned more than three decades in two of the country's major markets, Chicago and New York City. For 15 years he was a correspondent for WTTW's Chicago Tonight and, most recently, Eddie launched his own production enterprise. Before joining Classical WFMT as a fill-in presenter, he was a frequent on-air guest for the station's pledge drives. Eddie's lifetime interest in classical music and opera began with his mother, Olga, who was a concert pianist. That led to many concertgoing experiences at which he met such legends of the piano as Vladimir Horowitz, Alicia de Larrocha and Van Cliburn. His background in the classical repertoire has proved beneficial in his media career which has included interviews with many luminaries of the concert and operatic stages. Eddie has sung with various vocal groups over the years including his hometown's Cincinnati May Festival Chorus and Chicago's William Ferris Chorale and Lincoln Opera. And then there was the time he appeared in the University of Chicago's production of Gilbert and Sullivan's The Gondoliers in the fleeting but indispensable role of Francesco.

Oliver Camacho joined the announcer team in February of 2019. He is the co-host and creative consultant of Opera Box Score and co-host of OperaNow! Podcast. A proud graduate of Chicago’s Lane Technical High School, where he was mentored by George Rico, Oliver went on to study music at Northwestern University, and historically informed performance practice at the Amherst Early Music Festival and Early Music Vancouver. His musical passions are opera, art song, choral music, Early Music, and discovering new composers as well as those who have been previously marginalized or disenfranchised. In January of 2021, Oliver began hosting Listening to Singers, and in October of the same year, he was named WFMT’s Music Director.

Lisa Flynn has been a program host and producer for WFMT since 1991. As the midday weekday announcer, she presents The New Releases and Music in Chicago, hosts live studio performances, and interviews guest artists. She has hosted many programs for the WFMT Radio Network, including War Letters (the 2002 winner of the Peter Lisagor Award), as well as broadcasts for Mozart’s 250th birthday from Salzburg and the International Chopin Piano Competition from Warsaw. Before coming to Chicago, Lisa presented classical music in Columbus, Ohio, and Orlando, Florida. She holds a music degree from the University of Central Florida.

Kristina Lynn is the Operations Coordinator at WFMT and joined the announcing staff in 2020. She has hosted live performances and artist interviews with the Rush Hour Concerts and has done voiceover work for the WFMT Radio Network. With an easygoing approach, Kristina aims to welcome all types of listeners to classical music and explore the art form from a 21st-century perspective. She holds a Bachelor of Music degree specializing in Trumpet Performance from DePaul University. Before announcing at WFMT, she has previously worked in radio production at both WFMT and at WQXR in New York.

LaRob K. Rafael joined the WFMT announcing staff in 2020 as a fill-in host and became WFMT’s full-time weekend morning host and producer in Fall of 2021. A Bass-Baritone from the DMV area (Maryland), LaRob has been involved with music since childhood and is a graduate of DePaul University, where he studied Vocal Performance. He has since gone on to work with arts organizations including Lyric Opera of Chicago, La Caccina (a professional women’s ensemble), Black Opera Alliance, Black Administrators of Opera, and Sphinx Organization to name a few. He is the Founder and Artistic Director of Hearing in Color and combines his experience and research to change the predominantly white, European, male classical canon.

Peter van de Graaff joined the Beethoven Satellite Network in February 1989 after a year as one of the staff announcers on WFMT. He serves as overnight host on WFMT, a program heard on many radio stations across the United States. As a professional singer, Peter has performed with opera companies and orchestras throughout the world including the Czech State Orchestra, and with the New Orleans, Utah, Colorado Springs, and San Antonio symphonies. Peter is currently the music director and morning host of KWAX, Classical Oregon.