Independence Day Highlights on WFMT

All day long on July 4, WFMT will celebrate Independence Day. Here are some of the highlight performances and recordings!

Don't Miss a Beat

Mister Rogers Remembered by His Former Music Director [Video]

For many of us, just hearing the lyrics "It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood," is enough to transport us back to our childhoods.

Opera Explores the Brink of Humanity: ‘Dog Days’ Gets Chicago-Area Premiere

“It has been said that a society can be judged by the way it treats its animals,” composer David T. Little says in the program notes for his chamber opera, Dog Days. Based on a short story by Judy Budnitz, the opera is set in a war-torn future that’s not too far away from our own time.

Discover the versatility of Jan Peerce in 3 powerful recordings

In a career of more than sixty years, Jan Peerce reigned as a Met favorite, sang popular music, and performed Jewish cantorial repertoire.

Opera’s Ryan McKinny on Friendship, Artistic Bond with Death-row Inmate: ‘We’re Human Just Like Him’

Terence Andrus has been on death row since 2012. Through a penpal program, celebrated bass-baritone Ryan McKinny has become a friend and artistic collaborator.

Grammy Nominations Announced with Nods for Third Coast Percussion and Cedille Records

The 2020 Grammy Nominations were announced this morning, and several members of the Chicago classical community received recognition as nominees.

A Striking Musical Retreat in the Big Sky State

Located on 12,000 acres in the foothills of the Beartooth Mountains, the rolling, expansive landscape of Tippet Rise provides an evocative complement for an art center and summer festival that combines music, sculpture, poetry, and nature.

Totenberg Stradivarius reborn 4 decades after theft

Roman Totenberg didn't live to see his instrument again; he died in 2012 at the age of 101. But Nathan Meltzer, a nineteen-year-old star violinist, has revived the prized instrument.

Video: Ahead of Chicago Premiere, An Excerpt From Rachmaninoff’s ‘Aleko’

Two operatic opus ones will have their Chicago premieres this weekend, and they both command a chorus of well over 100. Chicago Opera Theater opens its 2019-20 season with a double bill: Joby Talbot's Everest and Rachmaninoff's Aleko.

This Animated Video Explains Why Mozart Was One of the Best Procrastinators

"Mozart led a hectic life — he was basically an overcommitted freelancer,” says Josh Davidoff, program coordinator at 92nd Street Y in New York.

Be a fly on the wall for a Third Coast Baroque rehearsal

Behind every great performance or recording is untold hours of practice. Don't get us wrong, we love the final product, but it's also illuminating to go behind the scenes and witness musicians preparing.

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