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.
Sarah Wejman, 17, viola
March 19, 2022
A viola recital today on Introductions: Sarah Wejman is a high school senior and student of Desirée Ruhstrat. She presents music of JS Bach, H. Leslie Adams, Max Reger and Ernest Bloch, with pianist Liang-yu Wang. Thanks to Delmark Records for hosting this recording session. Sarah Wejman is a senior at New Trier High School, and has played viola since ...
LIVE | Katya Moeller, 17, violin
March 12, 2022
Today on Introductions, a live recital from Katya Moeller, a fellow of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy and a student of Almita Vamos. With her mother Ksenia Noskiova at the piano, Katya performs music by Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, Eugène Ysaÿe and George Gershwin; plus a set of Lera Auerbach preludes including two world premieres. Thanks to ...
Women’s History Month Highlights
March 5, 2022
For the start of Women’s History Month, Introductions looks at highlights from the past twelve months: young musicians’ performances of works by female composers. In the second half of the episode, we feature recent releases by Introductions alumni: solo violinist Megan Healy and Ryan Meehan of the Calidore String Quartet. This episode is not available as a podcast for copyright ...
Rosie Wang, 17, flute
February 26, 2022
Today on Introductions, we feature 17-year-old Rosie Wang, winner of the 2019 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. As part of her prize package, Rosie was due to perform a live recital on WFMT in June 2020. In this program, we feature chamber recordings made last year, plus her prize-winning performance from 2019, first broadcast on Music in Chicago. Rosie ...
Encore Broadcast | CYSO Concerto Competition Winners
February 19, 2022
We hear once again from Bianca Ciubancan and Louis Auxenfans, who won Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras’ top concerto competition in 2020 and 2021 respectively. This episode first aired on January 15, 2022. More details and podcast at the original episode page.
Encore Broadcast | Interview with Almita & Roland Vamos
February 12, 2022
A repeat of Introductions‘ 70th-anniversary special: Robbie Ellis interviews renowned violin and viola instructors Almita and Roland Vamos, who have taught many teenage performers who have appeared on the show. This episode first aired on December 11, 2021. The playlist, audio, and transcript are on the original episode page.
Black History Month Highlights
February 5, 2022
This week on Introductions, we look back to performances of music by Black composers from the past twelve months. Teenage performers (and a few adults) play music by composers born in the 19th, 20th and 21st centuries: Hailstork, Dett, Kay, Holland, Montgomery, and Miller.
Encore Broadcast | Nicholas Boettcher, 18, double bass
January 29, 2022
This weekend on Introductions, we rebroadcast a recital from Nicholas Boettcher, a Principal Double Bass of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras. This episode first aired on October 16, 2021. More details and podcast at the original episode page.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Fall 2021 Concert – Symphony
January 22, 2022
The CYSO Symphony Orchestra returned to Symphony Center for the first time in two years. Last week we heard from their Concerto Competition winners, and this week we hear the centerpiece work of the Fall 2021 concert: Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4. The interview guests are Principal Oboe Zachary Allen and Principal Bassoon Taki Salameh. Playlist Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4, ...
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Fall 2021 Concert – Concertos
January 15, 2022
The flagship groups of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras returned to Symphony Center for the first time in two years, and they had a lot of catching up to do. On the program were features for two years’ worth of Concerto Competition winners: violinist Bianca Ciubancan and clarinettist Louis Auxenfans won in 2020 and 2021 respectively. (Louis Auxenfans appeared on Introductions ...
Encore Broadcast | Young Quartets on WFMT’s 70th Anniversary
January 8, 2022
WFMT’s 70th anniversary, December 13, 2021, featured live performances from a wide variety of Chicago performers. Among them were two teenage string quartets: the Omaggio String Quartet from the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, and the Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative String Quartet. On this week’s episode, we replay those recordings. Video: Performances from the Music Institute of Chicago, including the ...
No Introductions | New Year’s Day from Vienna
January 1, 2022
There’s no episode of Introductions today: instead, enjoy the Vienna Philharmonic in their traditional New Year’s Day concert.
An Introductions Christmas
December 25, 2021
It’s a gift from the youth of Chicago: throughout 2021, featured Introductions soloists recorded extra pieces of music in their sessions. We’ve saved these short vignettes until the last Saturday of the year, so enjoy this music for the season on a special Christmas Day episode of Introductions. Video: Isabel Chen playing Silent Night, with still images of her own ...
Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative Class of 2022
December 18, 2021
This week on Introductions, we feature four seniors who are all fellows of Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative. Founded in 2019 and linked with sister organizations in other US cities, its mission is to support high school orchestral musicians from underrepresented backgrounds, with the eventual goal of diversifying America’s professional orchestras. Thank you to Merit School of Music for allowing WFMT ...
70th Anniversary Special: Interview with Almita & Roland Vamos
December 11, 2021
In advance of WFMT’s 70th Anniversary on December 13, 2021, WFMT celebrates two of the adults behind the Chicago area’s finest young performers: violin and viola teachers Almita and Roland Vamos. Their past students include Rachel Barton Pine, Jennifer Koh, Benjamin Beilman, and Ryan Meehan of the Calidore Quartet; and their present students appear on Introductions rather frequently, as well ...
Encore Broadcast | Harry Zhang, 17, piano
December 4, 2021
This morning on Introductions, we’re replaying 17-year-old Harry Zhang’s solo piano recital, which originally went out live from Delmark Records. This episode first aired on September 18, 2021. More details and the podcast are available on that original episode page.
Encore Broadcast | CYSO Composition Seminar
November 27, 2021
This week on Introductions, we hear once more from eight young composers who went through the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras‘ 2021 Composition Seminar, writing pieces for string quartet. This episode first aired on September 11, 2021. More details and the podcast are available on that original episode page.
Encore Broadcast | Marco Villela, 18, trumpet/voice/piano/composer
November 20, 2021
This weekend we replay the multi-genre, multi-instrumental, multilingual recital of Marco Villela, a longtime member of Mariachi Herencia de México who joins radio host and pianist Robbie Ellis. At the time he was a recent graduate of Lane Tech College Prep; he is now a freshman at the DePaul University School of Music. This episode first aired on August 14, ...
Encore Broadcast | Isabel Chen, 18, violin
November 13, 2021
Today we hear once more from 18-year-old Isabel Chen of Northbrook, a former violin student of Almita Vamos now studying at the Eastman School of Music. She performs some solo Bach, a Beethoven sonata movement, a short Kreisler piece, a recent work by Montgomery, and the first movement of the Sibelius Violin Concerto. This episode first aired on July 31, ...
Encore Broadcast | Eva Sharman, 17, piano
November 6, 2021
This Saturday, Introductions rebroadcasts pianist Eva Sharman of Lake Bluff, Illinois. A student of Tatyana Stepanova at Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, she presents music by Bach, Rachmaninoff, Mendelssohn, Chaminade, and Prokofiev. This episode first aired on June 5, 2021. More details and the podcast are available on that original episode page.
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.
