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.
Ukrainian Music with Myroslav Mykhailenko and friends
August 6, 2022
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
July 30, 2022
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
July 23, 2022
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!
Hanna Choi, 18, flute
July 16, 2022
Today we feature flute player Hanna Choi before she heads off to U of I.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Class of 2022
July 9, 2022
Today on Introductions, we hear from four departing seniors from the flagship group of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, all featured as soloists.
American Composer Highlights
July 2, 2022
For the holiday weekend, Introductions looks back at some of the most notable performances of American music from the past year.
Catherine Woods, 18, violin
June 25, 2022
Catherine is already an active violin and piano teacher, and in this recital she presents music by Bach, Beethoven, Boulanger, and Saint-Saëns.
LIVE | Tara Hagle, 18, violin
June 18, 2022
In this recital of Brahms, Bacewicz, Messiaen and Wieniawski, Tara Hagle is joined by her father, Matthew Hagle, on piano.
Noah Jung, 17, clarinet
June 11, 2022
Starting the clarinet at age three, Noah Jung is a graduate of the Colburn Music Academy, where he studied with professor Yehuda Gilad.
Bazyli Siwek, 17, piano and composer
June 4, 2022
Along with three of his own pieces, he presents music by Clara Schumann, Robert Nathaniel Dett, Maurice Ravel, and Lowell Liebermann.
Ella Wimbiscus, 11, cello
May 28, 2022
Only 11 years old, Ella Wimbiscus has already been playing the cello for nearly a decade.
CYSO Jubilee Woodwind Quintet with Taki Salameh, 18, composer
May 21, 2022
Five principal players from the CYSO present wind quintet music by Paul Taffanel, Carl Nielsen, and Paul Hindemith.
No Introductions | Early Opera
May 14, 2022
There is no episode of Introductions this week: the Metropolitan Opera is starting Richard Wagner’s Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg at the earlier time of 11:00am Central.
LIVE | Elinor Detmer, 17, violin
May 7, 2022
A live broadcast of Beethoven, Bach, Perkinson, Gershwin and Sibelius from the Rhapsody Theater.
LIVE | Sidney Lee, 18, viola
April 30, 2022
A live performance — from Rogers Park's Rhapsody Theater — of music by Clarke, Bach, Brahms, and Prokofiev.
2022 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition
April 23, 2022
In our continuing coverage of recent concerto competitions, Introductions plays all four finalists from the 2022 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. This year, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Negaunee Music Institute opened the competition up to piano soloists, and all four finalists performed their chosen concerto movement with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and conductor Andrew Grams on Saturday March ...
2022 International Young Artist Concerto Competition
April 16, 2022
This week, Introductions returns with the finalists from the 2022 International Young Artist Concerto Competition, with performances from Sunday January 30. Formerly known as the New Music School Concerto Competition, WFMT covered this event in 2020 and in 2021. First-Place Winner: Esme Arias-Kim. Runner-Up Tie: Kimiko Darcy and Zarin Mehta. Third Place: Luis Villa. Esme gave a solo recital on ...
No Introductions | WFMT Spring Membership Drive
April 9, 2022
WFMT’s Spring Membership Drive takes place this morning. You can support original programming like Introductions and to keep our finest young local performers on the radio. Donate securely online at wfmt.com/donate.
No Introductions | WFMT Spring Membership Drive
April 2, 2022
WFMT’s Spring Membership Drive takes place this morning. You can support original programming like Introductions and to keep our finest young local performers on the radio. Donate securely online at wfmt.com/donate.
Living Composer Highlights
March 26, 2022
Introductions is a short program this week, since the opera starts at 11:30am Central, half an hour earlier than usual. We’ll take the chance to rebroadcast pieces by living composers from the United States, France and Argentina; as performed by youngsters in the past year.
Encore broadcast | Clara Zhang, 16, piano
July 11, 2026, 11:00 am
We hear once again from pianist Clara Zhang, playing Bach and Chopin. This episode first aired on February 17, 2024. More details and the podcast are available at the original episode page.
