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.
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Performs at Symphony Center
February 3, 2018
On Saturday’s broadcast, we present highlights from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s fall concert at Symphony Center in downtown Chicago. This diverse program of music includes Joan Tower’s Second Fanfare for the Uncommon Woman and Lili Boulanger’s D’un matin de printemps. We also feature Syrian-American composer’s piece Dabke, based on the popular dance of Lebanon and other countries in the Middle East, as ...
LIVE: Xiaoping Wang, 16, piano
January 27, 2018
Texas-born pianist Xiaoping Wang began his piano studies at age five with Dr. Oscar Macchioni at the University of Texas. He made his Carnegie Recital Hall debut at age seven performing Beethoven, and by age eight made his concerto debut with an orchestra performing a concerto by J.S. Bach. After moving to Chicago, he continued his studies with Meng-Chieh Liu, ...
REBROADCAST: Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra 2017 Central Europe Tour
January 20, 2018
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature recordings from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s 2017 Central Europe Tour. To listen to this program again, please click here.
REBROADCAST: Isabella Brown, 15, violin
January 13, 2018
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature 15-year-old violinist Isabella Brown. To listen to Isabella’s program again, please click here.
Musical Siblings: Lucy Cao, 14, harp and John Cao, 17, voice
January 6, 2018
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature a pair of musical siblings: 14-year-old harpist Lucy Cao and 17-year-old pianist John Cao, both of Arlington Heights. Lucy Cao studies harp with Marguerite Lynn Williams at Roosevelt University. She placed second in the Texas Music Teachers Association (TMTA) competition and first in the Greater Chicago Chapter of the American Harp Society competition. Lucy is ...
Celebrate the New Year with a musical smorgasbord featuring the Vienna Boys’ Choir
December 30, 2017
Our last edition of Introductions for 2017 is a musical smorgasbord which you can stream below. In addition to featuring young Chicago-based ensembles, we’ll hear from some recent visitors to WFMT. In November 2017, the world-renowned Vienna Boys’ Choir performed some traditional carols in our Levin Performance Studio. We’ll also revisit a recording from 2015 of the von Trapp singers in a ...
Highlights from New Trier High School’s 100th Annual Winter Music Festival
December 23, 2017
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature highlights from the 100th Annual Winter Music Festival at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois. The concert features holiday music performed by students in New Trier’s band, orchestra, and choir programs.
Midwest Young Artists Conservatory 25th Anniversary Celebration
December 16, 2017
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature recordings celebrating the 25th anniversary of Midwest Young Artists Conservatory (MYAC). Based in Highwood, Illinois, MYAC offers numerous programs for pre-college musicians in the Chicago area. MYAC musicians have received national awards, and many have gone on to have successful careers as professional musicians.
LIVE: Isabella Brown, 15, violin
December 9, 2017
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature 15-year-old violinist Isabella Brown of Gurnee, Illinois. Isabella is in her third year at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. She studies violin with Almita and Roland Vamos as the Rachel Barton Pine Scholar and plays on a Dom Nicolo Marchioni detto ‘Amati’ of Bologna circa 1740, generously on loan to ...
REBROADCAST: Emily Cho, 13, piano
December 2, 2017
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature 13-year-old pianist Emily Cho. Please click here to listen to Emily’s program again.
REBROADCAST: Noah Chen, 13, cello
November 25, 2017
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature 13-year-old cellist Noah Chen from Chicago. Noah is a student of Hans Jorgen Jensen of Northwestern University. Noah was a winner at the 2017 DePaul Concerto Festival, and he was also the winner of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras (CYSO) 2016 Concerto Competition. As a result, he was featured as soloist with the CYSO ...
REBROADCAST: Kartoshka Quartet
November 18, 2017
The Kartoshka Quartet On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature Kartoshka Quartet of Midwest Young Artists Conservatory (MYAC) in Highwood, Illinois. The members of the quartet include 16-year-old violinist Rachel Hsu, 17-year-old violinist Eleanor Goes, 18-year-old violist Sofiya Kyrylyuk, and 18-year-old cellist Julia Ilhardt. They are coached by Desirée Ruhstrat. Kartoshka Quartet was formed at MYAC in 2016 and has performed ...
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra 2017 Central Europe Tour
November 11, 2017
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature highlight recordings from the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s (CYSO) tour to Central Europe. In June 2017, the CYSO embarked on a tour across Serbia, Hungary, Slovakia, and the Czech Republic. On June 28, 2017, the orchestra performed in Dvorak Hall, Prague’s concert hall. The orchestra even performed Dvorak’s Carnival Overture, which was premiered in that ...
No Introductions: WFMT Fall Membership Drive
November 4, 2017
To support original programming like Introductions on WFMT and to give performance opportunities to young musicians in the Chicago area, please consider making a gift to WFMT by clicking here.
No Introductions: WFMT Fall Membership Drive
October 28, 2017
To support original programming like Introductions on WFMT and to give performance opportunities to young musicians in the Chicago area, please consider making a gift to WFMT by clicking here.
Manou Magdalena Chakravorty, 14, cello and EYSO Earl Clemens Wind Quintet
October 21, 2017
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature 14-year-old cellist Manou Magdalena Chakravorty and the Earl Clemens Wind Quintet of the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra. Manou Magdalena Chakravorty is a freshman at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. She started cello at the age of four with Karen Schulz-Harmon and now studies with Richard Hirschl and Oleksa Mycyk. Recently, Manou was a semi-finalist ...
REBROADCAST: Robert Sanders, 18, violin and David Caplan, 17, cello
October 14, 2017
On Saturday’s encore broadcast, we feature two recent graduates of Niles North High School in Skokie: 18 year old violinist Robert Sanders and 17 year old cellist David Caplan. Robert and David have known each other since middle school, and they have performed together for numerous years. Recently, Robert and David won the Gold Medal with their quartet, Quartet Bellezza ...
No Introductions: Lyric Opera of Chicago Operathon
October 7, 2017
WFMT will host Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Operathon to support the opera – thus, no Introductions. But join us next Saturday, October 14 for another edition of Introductions!
LIVE: Noah Chen, 13, cello
September 30, 2017
2017 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition Winners
September 23, 2017
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature the winners of the 2017 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition. For decades, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra has held a competition in order to give the opportunity of a lifetime to a young musician: the ability to perform with the CSO. The competition rotates instrumentation every three years with strings, woodwinds/brass/percussion, and piano. This 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.
