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.
Piano Highlights
January 25, 2020
On Saturday’s broadcast, we celebrate the piano! We’ll revisit solo piano performances from Introductions in 2019, featuring Alice Zhang, Myroslav Mykhailenko, Kimberly Han, Yerin Yang, and Ashley Kim.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Performs at Symphony Center
January 18, 2020
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature selections from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s November 17, 2019 concert at Symphony Center! The CYSO, under the direction of Allen Tinkham, will share Chicago-based composer Augusta Read Thomas’ contemplative Of Paradise and Light as well as Camille Saint-Saëns’ towering Symphony No. 3 in C minor, op. 78, better known as the “Organ Symphony.” Organist David ...
Encore Broadcast | Noelle Naito, 17, violin
January 11, 2020
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature 17-year-old violinist Noelle Naito of Elkridge, Maryland. Noelle studies at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. To listen to this program again, please click here.
Encore Broadcast | Myroslav Mykhailenko, 15, piano
January 4, 2020
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature 15-year-old pianist Myroslav Mykhailenko. To listen to this program again, please click here.
Celebrating 2019 and Ringing in 2020
December 28, 2019
On Saturday’s broadcast, we celebrate an incredible year of music-making! We’ll feature the winner of the 2019 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition, as well as our live broadcast from the second annual Youth Arts Showcase at Millennium Park, featuring a brass ensemble from Merit School of Music and Latin Grammy-nominated Mariachi Herencia de Mexico.
Encore Broadcast | Ashley Kim, 16, piano
December 21, 2019
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature 16-year-old pianist Ashley Kim, a junior at New Trier High School. To listen to this program again, please click here.
LIVE | Noelle Naito, 17, violin
December 14, 2019
On Saturday's live broadcast, we feature 17-year-old violinist Noelle Midori Takebe Naito. Noelle lives in Elkridge, Maryland, and she is a Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She currently studies violin with Almita Vamos and Davis King.
LIVE | Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative
December 7, 2019
Note: these performances were rebroadcast on August 29, 2020, with updates from the below performers. On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature four musicians from Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI). Made possible through a $3.5 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, CMPI strives to build equality in classical music and provides training for diverse, dedicated musicians. The organization, in ...
Myroslav Mykhailenko, 15, piano
November 23, 2019
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature 15-year-old pianist Myroslav Mykhailenko. Myroslav was born in Kyiv, Ukraine and began playing piano when he was six years old. He studied at Kyiv Secondary Specialized Music Boarding School with Nina Naiditsch. Myroslav performed two solo concerts in the White Hall of the House of Scientists in Kyiv and won the 2017 Concours International de ...
LIVE | Ashley Kim, 16, piano
November 16, 2019
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature 16-year-old pianist Ashley Kim, a junior at New Trier High School. Ashley is a scholarship fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She studies piano with Northwestern Bienen School of Music Professor James Giles and Dr. Matt Hagle. She has performed in many renowned venues including ...
No Introductions | WFMT Fall Membership Drive
November 2, 2019
WFMT’s Fall Membership Drive takes place this morning! To support original programming like Introductions, please click here.
No Introductions | WFMT Fall Membership Drive
October 26, 2019
WFMT’s Fall Membership Drive takes place this morning! To support original programming like Introductions, please click here.
Encore Broadcast | Mia Wimbiscus, 15, cello
October 19, 2019
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature 15-year-old cellist Mia Wimbiscus, a sophomore at New Trier High School in Winnetka. Mia is a 4th year Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a training center for gifted pre-college musicians. She began cello studies at age five with her mother. Since the age of nine, she has been a ...
Encore Broadcast | Hannah Lin, 18, violin
October 12, 2019
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature 18-year-old violinist Hannah Lin of Rolling Meadows. She recently graduated from Fremd High School in Palatine and studies violin with Desirée Ruhstrat. In 2015 and 2017, Hannah won first place in the Chinese Fine Arts Society Competition and was the category winner of the Early Music division of the 2015 Walgreens National Concerto Competition, ...
Encore Broadcast | Nova String Quartet
October 5, 2019
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature Nova String Quartet of the Academy at the Music Institute of Chicago. Nova was formed in the fall of 2018 and is comprised of violinists Irina Casasnovas and John Heo, violist Zechary Mo, and cellist Cameron Chiu. All four students are fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a pre-college training program for gifted ...
LIVE | Mia Wimbiscus, 15, cello
September 28, 2019
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature 15-year-old cellist Mia Wimbiscus, a sophomore at New Trier High School in Winnetka. Mia is a 4th year Merit Scholarship Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a training center for gifted pre-college musicians. She began cello studies at age five with her mother. Since the age of nine, she has been a ...
LIVE | Youth Arts Showcase from Millennium Park!
September 21, 2019
Introductions celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2018 at the Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events’ (DCASE) Youth Arts Showcase (YAS! Fest). This year, we return to YAS! Fest for a special live broadcast at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park! Celebrate Chicago’s young artists by attending in person or listening live on WFMT as we welcome a brass ensemble from ...
Masha Lakisova, 17, violin
September 7, 2019
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature 17-year-old violinist Masha Lakisova of Vernon Hills. Masha studies violin at The Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division with Li Lin and Itzhak Perlman. She has had the privilege of performing in esteemed concert venues in the United States and around the world. Masha has appeared as a soloist with more than 20 orchestras worldwide such as ...
Nova String Quartet
August 31, 2019
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature Nova String Quartet of the Academy at the Music Institute of Chicago. Nova was formed in the fall of 2018 and is comprised of violinists Irina Casasnovas and John Heo, violist Zechary Mo, and cellist Cameron Chiu. All four students are fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a pre-college training program for gifted ...
Parquarious Winds of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra
August 24, 2019
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature the Parquarious Winds of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO). The quintet was formed in Fall 2018. In addition to playing on regular CYSO recitals, the group performed at a Chamber Showcase recital at PianoForte and performed with the Orion Ensemble. As representatives of the CYSO Ambassadors Program, the group gave performances at two Chicago ...
Jeremy Liu, piano
September 12, 2026, 11:00 am
Jeremy Liu, 15, is a 10th grader at Neuqua Valley High School in Naperville. He has been under the tutelage of Mrs. Sueanne Metz since the age of six. Jeremy is the 2025 winner of the Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. As a result, he had the honor of performing with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra last fall. He also ...
