André Watts, Groundbreaking Concert Pianist, Dies at 77

In 1963, Watts made his national television debut performing Liszt's First Piano Concerto with Leonard Bernstein and the NY Phil.

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Students Commemorate Matthew Shepard, LGBTQ Hate Crime Victim, Through Song

More than two decades after a tragedy catalyzed a generation of LGBTQ activists, Matthew Shepard's story is being shared with a new generation through music.

Bolshoi Ballet to Return to Chicago After 16 Years

The Bolshoi Ballet is returning to Chicago for the first time in sixteen years. The Russian ballet company will perform at the Auditorium Theatre in June 2020, which will be the only Midwest stop on their United States tour. The Bolshoi Ballet will perform Yuri Grigorovich’s Swan Lake, set to Tchaikovsky’s classic score. Grigorovich, who served as the Bolshoi’s director ...

André Previn, Oscar-winning composer, has died at 89

Previn was a child prodigy whose family fled Nazi Germany. As a teenager, he found work as a composer and arranger in Hollywood, mostly at MGM, winning four Oscars for his orchestrations of such stylish musicals as 1964's "My Fair Lady."

Pianist, composer Ramsey Lewis to be honored in Chicago

A jazz pianist and composer is being honored with a lifetime achievement award on the occasion of African-American Heritage Month.

14-year-old flutist Rosie Wang wins 2019 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition

Many musicians dream of performing on the stage of Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition makes this dream come true for one young musician every year. On Saturday, February 23, four young musicians competed on that famous stage for the opportunity to perform with the CSO during the 2019-2020 season. ...

Unrecognizable: A Stage Makeup Transformation for Lyric’s Elektra

Richard Strauss's Elektra is challenging, dramatic, and very, very bloody. This thrilling, one-act opera is based on an ancient Greek myth: Elektra seeks her sweet revenge on her mother for murdering her father. Lyric Opera of Chicago's intense production features WFMT host Maggie Clennon Reberg. Go behind the scenes at Lyric, and be astonished as Maggie transforms in hair and makeup!

Settling the Score: Oscar Noms Highlight Gender Disparity in Film Composition

Despite shifting tides, especially since the rise of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements in 2017, women are often left out of the spotlight when it comes to leadership roles in film and music production.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento dead at 91

Known for composing in styles ranging from melody to dissonance, he earned the Pulitzer in 1975 for From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, a composition for voice and piano.

Met Opera to hire all-black chorus for ‘Porgy and Bess’

The Metropolitan Opera will hire an all-black outside chorus next season for its first presentation in nearly three decades of the Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.

A First-Time Nominee Takes Us Behind the Scenes at Grammy Week

Music’s Biggest Night not only as a member, but also as a nominee!

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