Live broadcasts from the WFMT studios with some of today’s best artists.
Our live afternoon series of “impromptu” music and conversation features some of today’s most sought-after musicians from around the world. Previous guests on Impromptu have included cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, and author Salman Rushdie. Other guests have included Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, tenor Joseph Calleja, violinist Joshua Bell, and the vocal ensemble Chanticleer. Broadcast live from the Levin Performance Studio at WFMT, the program also features local performers who are vital to Chicago’s vibrant musical culture.
There are no upcoming broadcasts at the moment.
Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin
April 15, 2022
In Spring 2011, Kerry Frumkin welcomed members of the Akademie für Alte Musik Berlin, a group heralded as “the best period orchestra in the world.” This musical hour on Impromptu includes music by Telemann and Handel.
Danish String Quartet and Juho Pohjonen, piano
March 25, 2022
Frederik Øland, Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, Asbjørn Nørgaard, and Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin – known collectively as the Danish String Quartet – have described their ensemble with these words: “Yes, playing string quartets is our job, and yes it is hard work, but we mostly do it for pleasure, like we always did.” Sometimes, of course, they revel in quintets, too, as ...
Mūza Rubackytė, piano
March 18, 2022
Mūza Rubackytė began her stunning career when she made her debut at the age of 7. Kerry Frumkin has long been a champion of this great Lithuanian pianist, and you can hear why in this 2011 Impromptu broadcast.
Tai Murray, violin & Ann Hobson Pilot, harp
March 11, 2022
The great American harpist Ann Hobson Pilot collaborated with violinist Tai Murray in this performance from 2012.
Juan Falú, guitar
March 4, 2022
It was in April 2019 that the beloved Argentine folkloric guitarist and composer Juan Falú shared his music on Impromptu on WFMT.
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
February 25, 2022
Lisa Flynn welcomed pianist Marc-André Hamelin to WFMT for this 2014 Impromptu. At the time, he was on tour with the Takács Quartet, and violinist Edward Dusinberre and violist Geraldine Walther visited the studio with him.
Barcelona Duo de Guitarra
February 18, 2022
When some people go on vacation they bring home souvenirs to share with friends. When Kerry Frumkin and his family travelled to Barcelona in 2010, they met a terrific guitar duo and invited them to perform on Impromptu during their 2012 U.S. tour.
Joseph Calleja, tenor & Jerad Mosbey, piano
February 11, 2022
Join us for a special Valentine’s Day Impromptu featuring Joseph Calleja. The Maltese tenor included songs by Mario Lanza and Edith Piaf when he sang live on WFMT in 2017.
Imani Winds
February 4, 2022
Since its formation in 1997, the Grammy nominated Imani Winds has established itself as one of America’s premier wind quintets. When Kerry Frumkin welcomed the group in 2013, they played works by ensemble member Valerie Coleman, as well as Igor Stravinsky and Manuel de Falla.
Reginald R. Robinson, piano
January 28, 2022
The story goes that Reginald R. Robinson first heard the sweet strains of ragtime music through the loudspeaker of a neighborhood ice cream truck. Years later, the self-taught pianist and composer received a 2004 “genius” fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation. Reginald Robinson performed some of his original compositions on Impromptu in 2017.
Anthony Molinaro, piano & Howard Levy, harmonica
January 21, 2022
This Impromptu encore features a beautiful collaboration between two relentless musical explorers: pianist Anthony Molinaro and harmonica virtuoso Howard Levy. George Preston welcomed the duo to WFMT’s Levin Performance Studio in 2012, and they performed music by the Beatles.
Sybarite5
January 14, 2022
SYBARITE5’s eclectic repertoire and dynamic performance style has earned this string quintet great acclaim. The group’s members, violinists Sami Merdinian and Sarah Whitney, violist Angela Pickett, cellist Laura Metcalf, and bassist Louis Levitt, made their WFMT debut on January 13, 2013.
R. Carlos Nakai, flute & members of Fulcrum Point New Music Project
January 7, 2022
Ten years ago, Stephen Burns and Fulcrum Point New Music Project performed live on Impromptu with a very special guest, Native American flute virtuoso and composer R. Carlos Nakai.
Paul Galbraith, guitar
December 31, 2021
Paul Galbraith’s guitar has eight strings and he makes the most out of the extra high and low notes. The instrument rests, supported by an end-pin, on a wooden resonance box. Paul brought his unusual guitar and his unique playing to Impromptu in 2017.
Patrick Dupré Quigley and singers from Music of the Baroque
December 24, 2021
In this 2019 Impromptu, guest conductor Patrick Dupré Quigley, founder and artistic director of the vocal ensemble Seraphic Fire, led a Music of the Baroque chorus in music for the holiday season.
Alisa Weilerstein, cello, Sergey Khachatryan, violin, and Inon Barnatan, piano
December 17, 2021
Originally broadcast in May 2019, this Impromptu Encore features violinist Sergey Khachatryan, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and pianist Inon Barnatan in an outstanding performance of Beethoven’s “Ghost” Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1.
The Knights
December 10, 2021
Back in August 2017, we had to bring in extra music stands and even considered stretching the walls of the Levin Studio. That’s because the magnificent orchestra, The Knights, returned to WFMT to perform live on Impromptu.
Chanticleer
December 3, 2021
Chanticleer is known around the world for the seamless blend of its twelve male singers ranging from countertenor to bass. In December 2012, Carl Grapentine welcomed this “orchestra of voices” for an Impromptu filled with music of the season.
Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues
November 26, 2021
Corky Siegel’s Chamber Blues blends the sounds of classical chamber music, American blues, and Indian percussion. This broadcast with the ebullient harmonica virtuoso and composer and his ensemble colleagues took place in 2009.
Paul Huang, violin & Marta Aznavoorian, piano
November 19, 2021
On July 19, 2018, violinist Paul Huang was in Chicago to make his Grant Park Music Festival debut. First though, the recipient of the prestigious 2015 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2017 Lincoln Center Award for Emerging Artists performed on Impromptu with pianist Marta Aznavoorian.