Saturdays at 11:00 am
Members of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras perform during a live broadcast of Introductions from Millennium Park. (Photo: Tipping Point Photography)
Hear talented pre-college classical musicians from the Chicago area
Introductions is WFMT’s weekly Saturday morning program that features talented pre-college classical musicians in the Chicago area. We invite soloists and chamber ensembles to perform live in WFMT’s Fay & Daniel Levin Performance Studio. Large ensembles, including orchestras, choirs, and bands, are recorded at their home venues and broadcast at later dates. The program also features youth music competition winners. While many Introductions alumni pursue careers outside of music, some have gone on to study at some of the most prestigious music schools around the world and maintain careers as professional musicians.
Encore Broadcast | Omaggio String Quartet & Peresson String Quartet
Two prize-winning string quartets perform Haydn, Hindemith, Puccini, Ravel, and Bartók.
Encore Broadcast | Ukrainian Music with Myroslav Mykhailenko and friends
18-year-old pianist Myroslav Mykhailenko is joined by young friends and colleagues with selections by five different Ukrainian composers.
Encore Broadcast | Catherine Woods, 18, violin
Catherine is already an active violin and piano teacher, and in this recital she presents music by Bach, Beethoven, Boulanger, and Saint-Saëns.
Encore Broadcast | Bazyli Siwek, 17, piano and composer
Along with three of his own pieces, he presents music by Clara Schumann, Robert Nathaniel Dett, Maurice Ravel, and Lowell Liebermann.
Encore Broadcast | Tara Hagle, 18, violin
In this recital of Brahms, Bacewicz, Messiaen and Wieniawski, Tara Hagle is joined by her father, Matthew Hagle, on piano.
No Introductions | WFMT Fall Membership Drive
Donate to Classical WFMT so we can keep bringing you Introductions and other great programming. Call (773) 279-2100 or visit wfmt.com/donate.
Tabitha Mo, 16, flute
Tabitha plays music by Nielsen, Mozart, Still, and Sarasate in WFMT's Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio, joined by pianist Inah Chiu.
LIVE | Shivshankar Prasad, 17, piano
Prasad's live recital in WFMT’s Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio features music of Rachmaninoff, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, and Danielpour.
LIVE | Nazeeh Shahid, 17, viola
Nazeeh Shahid plays music by Bach, Bartók, Ngwenyama, and Piazzolla, joined by Liang-yu Wang on piano.
Encore Broadcast | Ella Wimbiscus, 11, cello
Only 11 years old, Ella Wimbiscus has already been playing the cello for nearly a decade.
LIVE | Bianca Ciubancan, 16, violin
Joined by pianist Qi Kong, Bianca presents music of Bach, Beethoven, Montgomery, and Ysaÿe.
Encore Broadcast | CYSO Jubilee Woodwind Quintet with Taki Salameh, 18, composer
Five principal players from the CYSO present wind quintet music by Paul Taffanel, Carl Nielsen, and Paul Hindemith.
Encore Broadcast | Elinor Detmer, 17, violin
A live broadcast of Beethoven, Bach, Perkinson, Gershwin and Sibelius from the Rhapsody Theater.
Introductions Class of 2022
It’s a graduation special for Labor Day Weekend: we mark 18-year-olds who are now our alumni, having performed on Introductions in the past few years.
Omaggio String Quartet & Peresson String Quartet
Two prize-winning string quartets perform Haydn, Hindemith, Puccini, Ravel, and Bartók.
Hermes Piano Trio & Hyacinth Quartet
Piano trio movements by Beethoven and Arensky and string quartet movements by Haydn and Grieg.
Encore Broadcast | Sidney Lee, 18, viola
A live performance — from Rogers Park's Rhapsody Theater — of music by Clarke, Bach, Brahms, and Prokofiev.
Ukrainian Music with Myroslav Mykhailenko and friends
18-year-old pianist Myroslav Mykhailenko is joined by young friends and colleagues with selections by five different Ukrainian composers.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras performs Mahler 1
This week on Introductions, the flagship group of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras performs Gustav Mahler’s Symphony No. 1, the Titan. This was recorded on May 22, 2022 in Orchestra Hall in downtown Chicago.
LIVE | Introductions in the Community at Navy Pier
The Incendio Saxophone Trio and brothers Louis & Henry Auxenfans bring a range of lively music to the outdoor Lake Stage in Polk Bros Park, hosted by Robbie Ellis. Lawn seating is available: bring your picnic rug!
