Let Freedom Ring: A Musical Celebration of Juneteenth with Lara Downes

A special program featuring the music of Black composers from Florence Price to Bob Marley, and performers like Jessye Norman and the Kanneh-Mason.

Season Finale: Music and Conversation with Randall Goosby

The American violinist comes to WFMT to share his new album—a collaboration with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra that showcases violin concertos by Max Bruch and Florence Price.

Music of the Baroque: Circles of Friends and ’23-24

We hear MOB’s May concert Circles of Friends — featuring selections by Haydn, Mozart, and contemporaries Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf and Johann Baptist Wanhal — with an intermission feature: Declan McGovern previews the 23-24 season.

War Letters

War Letters, an award-winning documentary WFMT created in 2001.

Memorial in Song with John Brancy and Peter Dugan

A program for Memorial Day to honor those whose lives have been forever changed by war, including songs written by composers and poets who were soldiers themselves.

Masterworks for Organ and String Orchestra

Maestro Emanuele Andrizzi leads the Chicago College of Performing Arts Chamber Orchestra in music by Mendelssohn, Poulenc, and Vaughan Williams.

Lyric Opera of Chicago Rising Stars in Concert

A showcase performance by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center 2022/23 Ensemble with members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra conducted by Roberto Kalb.

The Third Coast Baroque Festival

The period instrument ensemble announces its inaugural festival which will features Aldo López-Gavilán & Ilmar Gavilán, Third Coast Percussion, and a performance of Bach’s B Minor Mass.

Mother’s Day Requests

Celebrate Mother’s Day with WFMT. Honor the mother or mother figure in your life with a spoken dedication and musical request.

Shabbat Shirah – A Celebration of Jewish Community in Chicago

Cantor David Berger, the Hyde Park Jewish Choral Society, and the Rockefeller Chapel Choir share a Shabbat Evening service celebrating the musical heritage of Chicago Judaism.

Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Music Festival

With principal conductor and artistic director Carlos Kalmar, we look forward to the Grant Park Music Festival’s 2023 season and also relive a July 2022 concert featuring Rachel Barton Pine playing Billy Childs as well as music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Victor Agudelo.

Aznavoorian Duo

Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian present a program celebrating Armenian composers and honoring the duo’s family heritage.

The 2023 Boston Early Music Festival

Kathleen Fay and Paul O’Dette preview the upcoming operas, concerts, and events of the biennial festival that brings together the finest performers, scholars, and instrument makers who are the vanguard of Baroque performance.

New Light on French Romantic Women Composers

A survey of the new compendium of recordings of works by 19th century women composers, Compositrices.

Bach Week Festival’s 50th Anniversary

The Evanston-based festival’s music director shares a history and previews the upcoming concerts that launch the organization’s golden anniversary.

Rachmaninoff 150: A Celebration

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth, acclaimed musicians discuss and perform his compositions.

Music of the Baroque: London Calling

A 2023 Music of the Baroque concert featuring orchestral music by Mozart, Haydn, and Handel written for the great city of London. Conducted by Nicholas Kraemer.

Cheryl Frazes Hill on Margaret Hillis

Hillis was the first woman to regularly conduct a major symphony orchestra, she was the founder of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and served for thirty-seven years as its first director, winning nine Grammy Awards.

A Women’s History Month Playlist: Sara Davis Buechner

After coming out as transgender, Buechner was shunned by the classical music industry. Decades later, Buechner finds herself in a more accepting world and is proud to support other LGBTQ+ musicians.

Music and Conversation with Hilary Hahn

Hilary Hahn’s barrier-breaking attitude towards classical music and commitment to sharing her experiences with a global community have made her a fan favorite.

Aizuri Quartet

Champions of new music, the Aizuri Quartet performs selections from the Aizuri Songbook, a soulful collection celebrating the most direct human expression in music.

Black Music Spotlight (2/27-2/28)

Every weekday morning in February, WFMT host LaRob K. Rafael will present and introduce a piece by a Black musician or composer.

Black Music Spotlight (2/20-2/24)

Every weekday morning in February, WFMT host LaRob K. Rafael will present and introduce a piece by a Black musician or composer.

Music of the Baroque: Montero Plays Mozart

The Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero is featured in Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 21 in a program from January 2021.

Black Music Spotlight (2/13-2/17)

Every weekday morning in February, WFMT host LaRob K. Rafael will present and introduce a piece by a Black musician or composer.