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. Soloists and chamber ensembles perform live in WFMT’s 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 | John Lee, 18, violin
After solo pieces by Eugène Ysaÿe and Jessie Montgomery, John Lee is joined by pianist Milana Pavchinskaya in music of Johannes Brahms and Fritz Kreisler.
Encore Broadcast | Louis Auxenfans, 18, clarinet
Introductions welcomes a return guest for a full clarinet recital: Louis Auxenfans of Chicago’s South Loop neighborhood.
Encore Broadcast | Zachary Allen, 18, oboe
WFMT welcomes Zachary Allen for a live-to-air recital today – this Skokie oboist has been a mainstay of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras and Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Fall 2023 concert
This week, the latest performance from the CYSO Symphony Orchestra in Orchestra Hall in downtown Chicago. Allen Tinkham conducts the Chicago premiere of a new Augusta Read Thomas piece, followed by works of Claude Debussy and Gustav Mahler.
Encore broadcast | Sofia Radovic, 17, violin & viola
Radovic, a student at Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, plays both violin and viola in this recital.
Encore broadcast | Samuel Lam, 18, piano
Today, a piano recital from Samuel Lam presenting works by Domenico Scarlatti, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Béla Bartók, and Tan Dun.
Encore broadcast | Ma’ayan Kertcher, 18, cello
Ma’ayan Kertcher plays the music of Reena Esmail and Johannes Brahms, joined by Shirley Trissell on piano.
Black History Month Highlights
Our annual highlights episode for the start of Black History Month features solo and ensemble pieces by composers from the United States, the United Kingdom and Cuba.
Encore broadcast | Amelia Zitoun, 17, cello
Amelia Zitoun, a student of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, joins us for the first live recital of the new school year.
LIVE | Clara Zhang, 16, piano
Live on Introductions today is pianist Clara Zhang, a student of Matthew Hagle. She plays a recital of Bach, Chopin, Ravel, Haydn, Walker, Rachmaninoff and Bowen. Clara Zhang, 16, is a Merit Scholar at the Music Institute of Chicago. She has won prizes and honors at the Illinois State Music Teachers Association Competition, the Walgreens National Concerto Competition, the Carmel ...
