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.

Carl Grapentine joined WFMT in 1986 and was the host of WFMT’s morning program from 1996 to 2018. Since his retirement from his “dream job” of hosting mornings at WFMT, Carl hosts Carl’s Almanac, a regular weekday feature which airs at 7:30 am. He gives pre-concert lectures for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Lyric Opera of Chicago, Music of the Baroque, and many other arts organizations. An alumnus of the University of Michigan School of Music, Carl has been the stadium voice of the Michigan Marching Band since 1970. His voice has been heard on national telecasts of 16 Rose Bowls and numerous other bowl games. In 2006, he became the announcer at Michigan Stadium. Carl has sung the national anthem at Wrigley Field, U.S. Cellular Field, and several other sports venues.

Dennis Moore joined the WFMT announcing staff in 1990 after being a regular listener to the station via cable during his ten years as music director of WMFE in Orlando, Florida. Since 2018, Dennis has served as the host of Weekday Mornings. Dennis has worn many hats at WFMT: as program director, announcer, host of Music in Chicago, the Dame Myra Hess Concerts, concerts from Northeastern Illinois University, and special broadcast events including the Aspen Music Festival. Dennis also presents music on weekday evenings and on weekend mornings. Dennis is active making music around town (and in Reykjavik, Iceland and Malibu, California, among other locations) as a pianist with his partner, violinist Sara Su Jones.

Dave Schwan has been around music all his life and has worked in broadcasting for over 40 years. Dave joined WFMT in 2010, and he hosts a number of programs including live broadcasts from Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts and the Grant Park Music Festival. In addition, he is a program host for the internationally syndicated WFMT Jazz Network. Dave is also the Sunday morning news anchor at WGN radio. As an amateur musician, he has been involved in various instrumental and choral groups in Chicago, playing both classical and jazz music. A native of Highland, Indiana, Dave grew up listening to WFMT and attending concerts around the Chicago area. During his travels, he’s had the opportunity to attend concerts around the U.S. and in Europe.

Rich Warren grew up in Evanston, Illinois. When he left for the University of Illinois in 1968, he created the radio show Changes on a local station, an unabashed imitation of The Midnight Special. Since 1974, Rich has recorded a thousand folk music concerts and produced and hosted the WFMT Folk Music Festival. In 1983, Rich became a co-host of The Midnight Special, and later became its sole host in 1996. In 1999, he launched Folkstage, a live concert series from WFMT’s Levin Performance Studio. Rich has also contributed to newspapers and magazines as a freelance technology writer, and as a reviewer for Sing Out! magazine. In 2008, Folk Alliance International honored him as Folk DJ of the Year. In 2017, he was inducted by FAI into the Folk DJ Hall of Fame.