Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

Thursdays at 9:00 pm

Maestro Ken-David Masur, Music Director and Polly and Bill Van Dyke Music Director Chair for the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (Photo: Adam DeTour)

Hear the country’s longest-running national classical radio series.

Since its founding in 1959, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra (MSO) has continued to be one of the country’s most artistically vibrant and innovative orchestras. Millions nationwide have experienced the MSO since 1971 through its radio series – the country’s longest-running national classical radio series. Led by Ken-David Masur, who was appointed music director in 2018, the MSO’s virtuosic musicians excite listeners with over 140 live concerts across Wisconsin each season. A selection of concerts is featured in the broadcast series along with exclusive, behind-the-scenes conversations with musicians.

The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra programs are part of the WFMT Orchestra Series.

Upcoming Episodes
Latest Episodes

There are no upcoming broadcasts at the moment.

Aizuri Quartet & Beethoven 9

December 29, 2022

Season Finale: Ken-David Masur conducts a varied program that begins with John Adams‘ Absolute Jest for String Quartet and Orchestra and culminates in Ludwig van Beethoven‘s Ninth Symphony.

Awadagin Pratt

December 22, 2022

Pianist Awadagin Pratt joins Ken-David Masur and the MSO to perform Jessie Montgomery‘s Rounds. Masur also conducts works by Richard Strauss, Felix Mendelssohn, and Robert Schumann.

Alessio Bax

December 15, 2022

Guest conductor Ruth Reinhardt leads music by Lotta Wennäkoski and Antonín Dvořák before welcoming pianist Alessio Bax to play Johannes Brahms‘ Second Piano Concerto.

John Brancy & Kelley O’Connor

December 8, 2022

Baritone John Brancy and mezzo-soprano Kelley O’Connor perform Maurice Duruflé’s Requiem under the baton of Ken-David Masur. The MSO music director also conducts music by Tōru Takemitsu, Joseph Canteloube, Jacques Ibert, Misato Mochizuki, and Maurice Duruflé.

Thomas Wilkins

December 1, 2022

Conductor Thomas Wilkins leads music by unsung 20th-century composers Roy Harris , Erwin Schulhoff, Howard Hanson. Plus, Ken-David Masur leads a work by William Bolcom and Yaniv Dinur conducts a piece by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson.

Jorge Federico Osorio

November 24, 2022

Friend of WFMT Jorge Federico Osorio, piano, joins the MSO and music director Ken-David Masur to play Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart‘s Piano Concerto No. 23 in a program that also features Anton Bruckner’s Seventh Symphony.

Edo de Waart Returns

November 17, 2022

MSO music director laureate Edo de Waart leads music by Delius, Elgar, and Beethoven.

Aaron Diehl Plays Price and Gershwin

November 10, 2022

Pianist Aaron Diehl takes the stage to play Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement and George Gershwin’s Second Rhapsody. Music by Charles Ives and Samuel Barber rounds out this all-American program. Ken-David Masur conducts.

Augustin Hadelich

November 3, 2022

Famed violinist Augustin Hadelich joins the MSO and conductor Ken-David Masur to play Benjamin Britten‘s First Violin Concerto.

Karen Gomyo

October 27, 2022

Violinist Karen Gomyo joins guest conductor William Eddins to perform Shostakovich’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

Olga Kern

October 20, 2022

Pianist Olga Kern joins the MSO and guest conductor Andreas Delfs to play Edvard Grieg‘s famed Piano Concerto. Then, the orchestra plays moody and mythical works by Richard Wagner, Engelbert Humperdinck, and Sarah Kirkland Snider.

Chee-Yun

October 13, 2022

Violinist Chee-Yun joins Ken-David Masur and the MSO to perform Édouard Lalo’s Symphonie espagnole. Works by Emmanuel Chabrier, Maurice Ravel, Gabriela Lena Frank, and Manuel de Falla round out the program.

Aaron Diehl Plays Gershwin and Ellington

October 6, 2022

Season Premiere: Pianist Aaron Diehl joins Ken-David Masur and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra to perform music of George Gershwin and Duke Ellington. We also hear music by Eric Nathan, James B. Wilson, and Igor Stravinsky.