Saturdays at 11:00 am
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.
Jeffery Tong, 16, cello
Jeffery Tong of CYSO and Naperville North High School plays Saint-Saëns, Beethoven, Bach, Perkinson, and Nadia Boulanger; joined by pianist Liang-yu Wang.
Encore broadcast | Simon Updegraff, 16, cello
Cellist Simon Updegraff presents Elgar's Cello Concerto, followed by works of Bach and Bloch; a cello suite of Chad "Sir Wick" Hughes, and Monti's Csárdás.
Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month Highlights
To mark Asian-American and Pacific Island Heritage Month, Introductions features young performers in music with Indian, Chinese, Japanese and Korean influences.
Hayden Joyce, 17, horn & Fabrizio Milcent, 18, bassoon
Two seniors and principal players from Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, playing instruments that aren't often featured on Introductions.
Chamber Music
Young chamber ensembles from around the Chicago area.
LIVE | Esme Arias-Kim, 18, violin
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.
Serge Kalinovsky, 17, cello
Today we're joined by Serge Kalinovsky, a resident of Indiana and a recent graduate of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. He's joined by pianist Lyudmila Lakisova in music of Piatti, Debussy, Clara Schumann, Piazzolla and Martinů.
Encore broadcast | Isabel Edgcomb, 18, flute & Anna Edgcomb, 18, oboe
We’re featuring twin sisters on Introductions today: Isabel and Anna Edgcomb are joined by pianist Lyudmila Lakisova in music of Telemann, Kalliwoda, Liebermann, Poulenc, Taffanel and Cimarosa.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Class of 2024
Today we hear from four graduating seniors from Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, representing four different instruments of the orchestra.
Tyler Shaver, 18, composer & piano; Zachary Guo, 18, piano, organ & composer
Today we feature two recent high school graduate composers. Tyler Shaver and Zachary Guo present their own works, performed by themselves and by others. Zachary Guo has previously been featured on Introductions as a pianist in August 2023 and in October 2023.