Hear the acclaimed piano duo perform tonight at 10:00 pm
Sally Field, ‘Sesame Street’ to receive Kennedy Center award
San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas is among the awardees. Asked why he felt he was chosen for the award, Tilson Thomas laughed and said, "I guess I've just been around a long time!"...
Over the Moon for “Moon River”
This 45 is the first record I ever bought. In 1961, I went with my parents to see Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Henry Mancini and Johnny Mercer’s “Moon River” was the hit song and Audrey Hepburn the star. I was thirteen years old and on a definite budget: I took some of my paltry allowance and spent the princely sum of ...
Elliott Golub, founding concertmaster of Music of the Baroque, dies at 85
Respected Chicago violinist Elliott Golub has died at age 85. He was the founding concertmaster of Music of the Baroque, holding the position from the ensemble’s establishment in 1972 until his retirement in 2006.
VIDEO | Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis discusses her Chicago ties and the wide world of harp repertoire
It all started in Chicago. As a child, Yolanda Kondonassis and her family visited the Windy City. During the trip, her mother, a piano instructor, brought the family to the Lyon & Healy showroom, which was at that time sort of a "music department store," Kondonassis recalls. "Because it was Valentine's Day... they had a very kind of 'dream love' ...
10 Piano Concertos You Need to Know But Probably Don’t
You voted on your 10 favorite piano concertos and we aired them on WFMT along with 10 piano concertos that might be less familiar to you. Which of the concertos below are discoveries to you? Which of your favorites would you add to the list?
76 Trombone Pieces?! Hear a Big Parade of Trombone Music in our Music Man-Inspired Playlist
When you think of the trombone, what comes to mind? A particular classical work, or more likely, “Seventy-Six Trombones” leading a big parade? Although The Music Man brings the instrument into the spotlight in Meredith Willson’s hallmark song, the musical leaves a lot of room to explore the wide world of trombone repertoire.
David Bromberg fears huge violin collection must be split up
WILMINGTON, Del. (AP) — David Bromberg, a master of stringed-instrument Americana, says a deal to sell his massive collection of historic violins to the Library of Congress has fallen through. The singer-songwriter and session musician has compiled a collection of 263 historic American violins over the years, and at 73, was hoping to sell it intact for $1.7 million as ...
Violinist Aaron Rosand dies at 92
Violinist Aaron Rosand has died at the age of 92. Rosand was born in 1927 just outside of Chicago in Hammond, Indiana, and at age ten, the lauded virtuoso made his orchestral debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Best known for his interpretations of Romantic works (self-billed as the “Last Romantic”), Rosand studied with Efrem Zimbalist at the Curtis Institute of Music at the beginning of what would become a more than 70-year playing career.
Fretless and Linear: How Classical Violin shaped Andrew Bird’s Sound
Using his violin and virtuosic whistle, Andrew Bird genre-jumps from indie rock to jazz, and from folk to classical. Born in Lake Forest, Bird began learning classical violin from the Suzuki Method at the age of four and recalls, “My mom would have WFMT on all the time… My dad listened to Merle Haggard.”
Cat’s Meow — 9 Classical Selections Inspired by Feline Friends [Playlist]
What animals have nine lives and are beloved by the internet and classical composers alike? Cats, cats, and — you guessed it — more cats. While kitties are favored in contemporary popular culture (memes, viral videos, #Instagram), they have also long dominated the hearts of humans throughout history and are reflected through past art and music. One of the most ...
