Violinist Richard Lin and collaborative pianist Chih-Yi Chen perform Weiniawski, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky live from the Chicago Cultural Center. Wednesday at 12:15 pm.
Perform on WFMT’s showcase of the Chicago area’s finest pre-college musicians!
10 of the most creative, unconventional recordings of Schubert’s “Ave Maria” on the internet
Dogs can sing, too! Did you know Franz Schubert never actually wrote a piece called "Ave Maria?" The famed melody comes from Schubert’s “Ellens dritter Gesang,” or “Ellen’s Third Song,” which was part of his Opus 52 — a collection of seven songs based off Sir Walter Scott’s 1810 legendary epic poem, The Lady of the Lake. Scott's poem is set ...
Met Opera ticket sales improve slightly off 2015-16 low
NEW YORK (AP) — The Metropolitan Opera’s percentage of box office revenue rose slightly this season, giving general manager Peter Gelb hope the company’s finances have rebounded. Gelb said the season that ended Saturday saw 69 percent of box office revenue capacity realized, up from 67 percent in each of the previous two seasons and a low of 66 percent ...
Where Are the Women Composers? How Classical Music is Faring in the Fight for Gender Equality
American orchestras have taken some steps to represent women composers, but that there is still a long way to go. So says a newly-released study by Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy (WPA). This non-profit organization, which promotes the performance of works by women composers, analyzed the subscription series of 2019-20 seasons of the 21 American orchestras with the highest operating budgets. Here ...
North, South Korean musicians hold rare joint performance
SHANGHAI (AP) — South Korean violinist Won Hyung Joon took the stage, nodded once to his North Korean soprano partner, and placed his instrument on his shoulder. With a flick of the conductor’s wrist, she began to sing, and he began to bow — the beginning of a rare joint performance Sunday that they hope will bring the Koreas closer ...
WFMT takes NYC | Postcards from Host Peter van de Graaff
Another fantastic trip with Earthbound Expeditions and WFMT! Although we visited the Metropolitan Art Museum, The Frick and the Guggenheim and had a tour of the city and Ellis Island, the highlights, of course, were the amazing concerts: Richard Strauss’ Ein Heldenleben with the New York Philharmonic and Semyon Bychkov, paired with the gorgeous and rarely-heard Bruch Two-Piano Concerto with ...
Marvelous Music For Your Mother’s Day
Celebrate Mother's Day with this playlist of wonderful classical music inspired by and dedicated to mothers and grandmothers! And while you're celebrating, make sure to share a dedication for the special mothers in your life — we may read it on air!
Orchestra searching for child who charmed crowd with ‘wow!’
BOSTON (AP) — America’s oldest performing arts group is looking for a child who was literally wowed by a recent classical music concert. The Handel & Haydn Society had just finished its rendition of Mozart’s “Masonic Funeral” at Boston’s Symphony Hall on Sunday when a youngster blurted out loudly: “WOW!” Boston classical music station WCRB-FM captured the exuberance on audio. The crowd ...
Japan’s New Emperor is a Violist
The list of classical works about royals and royalty is long — everything from Purcell’s King Arthur to Verdi’s Macbeth to Puccini’s Turandot. But what about a royal who can play classical music? Emperor Emeritus Akihito, Empress Emeritus Michiko, and Emperor Naruhito in a family concert in 1987.
Soprano Lisette Oropesa wins Beverly Sills Artist Award
NEW YORK (AP) — Soprano Lisette Oropesa has won the Beverly Sills Artist Award, given by the Metropolitan Opera to rising young singers, adding to the Richard Tucker Award she won earlier this season. The 35-year-old made her Met debut in 2006 as a Woman of Crete in Mozart’s “Idomeneo.” She is scheduled to sing the title role next season ...
Interview | Trans baritone Lucia Lucas on making her historic US debut
Tonight, baritone Lucia Lucas will sing the title role in Tulsa Opera’s production of Don Giovanni, making history as the first trans opera artist to star in a professional American opera production of a standard repertory opera. In this previously unpublished interview from 2018, WFMT spoke with Lucia about her background, her connection to Chicago, and her hopes for her ...
