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.
String Quartet Diamant and Cindy Yang, piano
June 11, 2016
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature a string quartet and pianist. String Quartet Diamant recently won the Gold Medal at the 2016 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition in South Bend, Indiana, one of the most prestigious youth music competitions in the country. The quartet was formed at the Midwest Young Artists Conservatory in Fall 2015. Its members include violinists Masha Lakisova ...
Anima – Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus
June 4, 2016
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we present the Anima – Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus. Founded in 1964, Anima – The Glen Ellyn Children’s Chorus is one of the leading children and youth choirs in America. Anima has won several national awards, including the 2013 Chorus America Award for Adventurous Programming, the 2013 Chicago A Cappella Tribute Award, the 2009 Dale Warland ...
LIVE: Kimberly Han, 15, piano, 2015 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Youth Auditions Winner
May 21, 2016
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature 15 year old pianist Kimberly Han. Kimberly is a freshman at Lake Forest High School. She is one of the eight 2016-2018 Lang Lang Young Scholars. She started piano lessons when she was five and a half years old, and has been studying with Brenda Huang for 9 years. She is also takes masterclasses ...
LIVE: Eriko Darcy, piano
May 14, 2016
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature pianist Eriko Darcy. Eriko attends the Catherine Cook School in Chicago. Eriko’s awards include: Winner of the Chicago Area Steinway Young Artist Competition, 1st place at the Roberta Savler Piano Competition, 1st place at the North Shore Music Teachers Association Piano Contest, and 1st place at the Chinese Fine Arts Musical Festival in Honor of Confucius. She ...
Music Institute of Chicago Academy 10th Anniversary Special
May 7, 2016
On Saturday’s broadcast, we present a program from the Introductions archive celebrating 10 years of outstanding music making at the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago. The Academy was founded to serve as a training program for gifted pre-college musicians. Students take lessons with acclaimed faculty as well as music classes. Academy students have attended some of the most prestigious music ...
LIVE: Akros Trio
April 30, 2016
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature the Akros Trio of the Academy at the Music Institute of Chicago. The Akros Piano Trio is comprised of violinist Byron Fulop Laing, cellist Lydia Rhea, and pianist John Schindler. The trio is coached by artist faculty members Rodolfo Vieira and Abraham Stokman. The trio members have individually won local, regional, and national competitions ...
Roger Shen, 17, piano
April 23, 2016
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature 17 year old pianist Roger Shen. Roger is from Northbrook, IL, and he currently attends Phillips Exeter Academy in New Hampshire. Roger’s current primary piano teacher is Dr. Jon Sakata at Exeter. He has participated in programs such as the New England Conservatory’s (NEC) Advanced Piano Seminar, the Southeastern Piano Festival, the International Institute for Young ...
LIVE: Megan Torti, 18, flute
April 2, 2016
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we feature flutist Megan Torti. Megan has been playing flute for 8 years and studies with Dr. Cate Hummel. Megan is principal flute of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra (CYSO) and the CYSO Encore Chamber Orchestra. She is also active in the CYSO chamber program as a member of the Millennium Winds. In 2015, she was honored to ...
Merit School of Music Performathon Preview
February 13, 2016
On Saturday’s live broadcast, we present two chamber ensembles from the Merit School of Music. On February 26 and 27, the school presented its annual Performathon, a free marathon fundraiser for the Alice S. Pfaelzer Tuition-Free Conservatory. Numerous chamber and large ensembles from the West Loop school participate, and WFMT listeners were treated by an appearance from two of the ...
Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Performs at Symphony Center
January 30, 2016
On Saturday’s broadcast, we present the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s (CYSO) performance at Symphony Center from their November 22, 2015 concert. Highlights include works by Bernstein, Arutiunian, and Prokofiev.
Sofiya Kyrylyuk, 16, viola
January 23, 2016
Sofiya Kyrylyuk was born June 7th, 1999 in Bucha, Ukraine. At the age of four, she moved to the United States and began studying violin a year later. She added viola to her priorities when she was twelve. Sofiya’s previous teachers include Stefan Hersh (professor at Roosevelt University), Alexander Belavsky (violinist at Lyric Opera), and Lisa Chodorowski. Her current viola ...
LIVE: Introductions Alumna Kate Liu, Third Prize Winner 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Piano Competition
January 16, 2016
On Saturday’s broadcast, we are thrilled to feature one of the first performers on Introductions, pianist Kate Liu. Kate Liu began playing the piano at the age of four. Two years later, she was admitted to the Yamaha Music School for gifted musicians in Singapore, and at age eight, Kate moved with her family to the Chicago area. The 21-year-old Liu ...
2015 DePaul Concerto Festival Winners Part 2 of 2, CYSO
January 2, 2016
On the first half of Saturday’s broadcast, we present the second of two programs featuring winners from the 2015 DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers. This annual competition gives young musicians the opportunity to perform movements of a concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mina Zikri. On the second half of the program, we’ll hear another concerto, but ...
2015 DePaul Concerto Festival Winners Part 1 of 2
December 26, 2015
On Saturday’s broadcast, we present the first of two programs featuring winners from the 2015 DePaul Concerto Festival for Young Performers. This annual competition gives young musicians the opportunity to perform movements of a concerto with the Oistrakh Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Mina Zikri.
Rabia Mohammadi, 14, violin
December 5, 2015
On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature 14 year old violinist Rabia Mohammadi. Rabia has been studying violin since the age of three. She has studied with Lei Hou of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Olga Kaler of DePaul University. Presently, she studies with violinist Alexander Belavsky of the Lyric Opera Orchestra of Chicago. She also studies piano with Chicago-based Canadian concert ...
2015 MYA Walgreens Concerto Winners Selections; Marissa Takaki, bassoon
November 28, 2015
On Saturday’s broadcast, we begin by featuring two winners from the Midwest Young Artist’s 2015 Walgreens Concerto Competition: Alice Zhang performing the second movement, Larghetto, from Chopin’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in f minor, Op. 21 and Daniel Kaler performing the first movement, Allegro, from Dvořák’s Cello Concerto in b minor, Op. 104. These selections were performed on Sunday, March ...
Joshua Brown, 2015 2nd Place and Audience Award Winner, Cooper International Violin Competition
October 31, 2015
Fifteen year old Joshua Brown studies violin with Almita and Roland Vamos at the Music Institute of Chicago’s (MIC) Academy, a rigorous precollege training program for young musicians. Joshua is a Rachel Barton Pine scholarship winner (2014/15) and an Academy Laureate (2015/16). This past summer, Joshua was awarded both Second Place and the Audience Award in the 2015 Cooper International ...
Emilio del Rosario International Young Artist Piano Concerto Competition Part 3 of 3
October 24, 2015
On Saturday’s broadcast, we present the third of three programs featuring the 2015 Emilio del Rosario Young Artist Piano Concerto Competition. The competition was held at Symphony Center on June 14, 2015. Francesco Milioto conducted the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago. The First Prize Winner, 19 year old Aaron Kurz, will be heard in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 3 in ...
Bryce Dessner of The National with CYSO and Emilio del Rosario Youth Piano Competition Part 2 of 3
October 17, 2015
On Saturday’s broadcast, we present the second of three programs featuring the 2015 Emilio del Rosario Young Artist Piano Concerto Competition. The competition was at Symphony Center on June 14, 2015. Francesco Milioto conducted the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago. The Second Prize Winner, 19 year old Yijia Wang, will be featured in Rachmaninoff’s Piano Concerto No. 2 in C ...
CYSO; Emilio del Rosario International Young Artist Piano Concerto Competition Part 1 of 3
October 10, 2015
On Saturday’s broadcast, we present the first of three programs featuring the 2015 Emilio del Rosario Young Artist Piano Concerto Competition. The competition was at Symphony Center on June 14, 2015. Francesco Milioto conducted the New Millennium Orchestra of Chicago. The Third Prize Winner, Jiaqi (Dragon) Long, will be featured in Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat Minor. To ...
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.
