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 | Porphyrion String Quartet
May 30, 2026
On this week’s Introductions we hear a rebroadcast of a performance from Porphyrion String Quartet. They are Mingshi Xia and Sasha Varchenko, violins, Neena Agrawal, viola and Simon Updegraff, cello. This episode first aired on September 6, 2025. More details and the podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Amelia Zitoun
May 23, 2026
Amelia Zitoun is in her fifth and final year in the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, commuting every week from Wisconsin. She’s joined by pianist Liang-yu Wang in music of Alfredo Piatti, Nadia Boulanger, and Johannes Brahms. This episode first aired on October 14, 2023. More details and the podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Jan Vargas Nedvetsky
May 16, 2026
On this week’s Introductions we revisit a recital by cellist Jan Vargas Nedvetsky of Wilmette. This episode first aired on September 14, 2024. More details and a podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | The Purple Hippopotami and Trioscuro
May 9, 2026
We feature two chamber trios, one of flutes and a traditional piano trio, with students from Merit School of Music and the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. Some players have appeared on Introductions as soloists: – Sofia Villanueva was featured in the CMPI Class of 2024 episode in July 2024 – Simon Updegraff performed a live cello recital in November 2023 – Ethan Zheng ...
Encore broadcast | Esme Arias-Kim, 18, violin
May 2, 2026
We welcome a return guest, Esme Arias-Kim, who grew up in the Chicago area but has spent the last two years studying at the Colburn School in Los Angeles. She’s joined by Milana Pavchinskaya in music of Bach, Brahms, Debussy, Price, Wieniawski, and Tchaikovsky. Esme Arias-Kim, 18, recently graduated from the Colburn Music Academy as a Kohl Scholar, holding a ...
Encore broadcast | Kashyap Prasad, 18, piano
April 25, 2026
A piano recital from 18-year-old Kashyap Prasad, a senior at Lake Forest High School. He plays Beethoven, Chopin, Price and Scriabin. Kashyap Prasad, 18, studies piano with Dr. Matthew Hagle at the Music Institute of Chicago and plays viola in the Lake Forest High School Symphony Orchestra. This episode first aired on March 3, 2025. More details and a podcast ...
Encore broadcast | Serge Kalinovsky, 17, cello
April 18, 2026
Today we hear a rebroadcast of a performance by cellist Serge Kalinovsky, graduate of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. This episode first aired on June 8, 2024. For more information, visit the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Noah Kim, 17, piano
April 11, 2026
For this week’s Introductions we hear a rebroadcast of a performance by pianist Noah Kim, winner of the 2022 CSO Young Artists Competition. This episode first aired on December 9, 2023. More details and a podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Elysian Quartet
April 4, 2026
Today we hear a rebroadcast of a performance by Elysian Quartet, who formed at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy in the 2023-2024 school year. This episode first aired on November 9, 2024. For more information, visit the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Seraphim String Quartet & Meraviglia Quartet
March 28, 2026
Today we hear a rebroadcast of performances by Seraphim String Quartet & Meraviglia Quartet. These quartets formed at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy in the 2023-2024 school year. This episode first aired on November 9, 2024. For more information, visit the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Jeffrey Wang, 17, piano
February 28, 2026
For this encore broadcast we bring you pianist Jeffrey Wang, a senior at the University of Chicago Lab Schools and a student of Soo Young Lee. He plays Bach, Mozart, Ravel, Chopin and Niedermaier on the Fay & Daniel Levin Performance Studio Steinway. This episode first aired on April 19, 2025. For more information, visit the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Evelyn Zhang, 17, guitar
February 21, 2026
We revisit the guitar recital of Evelyn Zhang, a student of Brad Conroy. She brings music from Cuba, Venezuela, Austria, Italy, the UK and Brazil to the Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio. This episode first aired on September 27, 2025. For more information, visit the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Gallwas Twins, 17, piano duet
February 14, 2026
Revisiting the recital of the Gallwas Twins, Kenneth and Joseph Gallwas, who made their duet debut at Carnegie Hall at just nine years old as winners of the American Protégé Competition, and took 3rd place in the 2024 Music Teachers National Association Competition in the nationwide Senior Piano Duet category, winning 1st prize in the state and district levels. They performed ...
Encore broadcast | Clara Zhang, 16, piano
January 31, 2026
We hear once again from pianist Clara Zhang, playing Bach, Chopin, Ravel, Haydn, Walker, Rachmaninoff, and Bowen. This episode first aired on February 17, 2024. More details and the podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Clark Snavely, 18, violin
January 24, 2026
We revisit the violin recital of Clark Snavely, formerly a student of Almita Vamos through the Music Institute of Chicago Academy and now a freshman at the New England Conservatory studying with Miriam Fried. He’s joined by pianist Milana Pavchinskaya in Chopin, Chausson, and Corigliano. This episode first aired on August 3, 2024. For more information, visit the original episode ...
Encore broadcast | Anna Huelke, 18, flute
January 17, 2026
Revisiting the recital of former CYSO Principal Flute Anna Huelke, a student of Hideko Amano. She brings music selections highlighting her Czech heritage, joined by pianist Kay Kim and fellow CYSO Principal Flute Destina Sarussi. Anna is imminently starting Flute study at Wheaton College, while Destina is starting a Flute Performance degree at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. This episode ...
Encore broadcast | Jeffery Tong, 16, cello
January 10, 2026
Today we hear from cellist Jeffery Tong of Lisle. He’s joined by pianist Liang-yu Wang in music of Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, Bach, Perkinson, and Nadia Boulanger. This episode first aired on April 27, 2024. More details and a podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Zarin Mehta, 16, piano and composer
January 3, 2026
We welcome a return guest, pianist and composer Zarin Mehta. In addition to music of Bach, Beethoven, and Lyapunov, Zarin presents a composition and a transcription of his own, plus the North American premiere of Augusta Read Thomas’s Amalgam. This episode was first broadcast on March 30, 2024. More details and the podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Chamber music for strings: Spizella Quartet, Luscinia Trio, Vermilion String Quartet
December 27, 2025
For this encore broadcast we hear pieces by Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Debussy, Dohnányi, Shostakovich & Casarrubios, performed by groups from Merit School of Music and the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. This episode first aired live on May 24, 2025. More details and a podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Angelika Wang, 17, piano
December 20, 2025
Today we feature Angelika Wang, a piano student of Brenda Huang and a senior at Whitney Young High School. She plays music of Beethoven, Messiaen, Rachmaninoff and Bach-Busoni. This episode first aired live on October 12, 2024. More details and a podcast are available at the original episode page.
Encore broadcast | Aurum Quartet
June 6, 2026, 11:00 am
On today’s Introductions we feature a rebroadcast of the Aurum Quartet. They are violinists John Lee & Vincenzo Zuppardo, violist Kay Ito, and cellist Jocelyn Gao. This episode first aired on November 4, 2023. More details and the podcast are available at the original episode page.
