Celebrate Chicago’s vibrant classical music scene.
Music in Chicago gives you a front-row seat to some of the best classical music concerts presented throughout the Chicago area. Every day in the noon hour, Lisa Flynn features recent performances from the city’s soloists, orchestras, choirs, bands and chamber ensembles. The Elgin Symphony Orchestra, St. Charles Singers, Rachel Barton Pine, Civic Orchestra, Midwest Mozart Festival, and Chicago Latino Music Festival are among the many artists and organizations that have been heard on this weekday program.
WFMT is always looking for new groups and musicians to feature on Music in Chicago. If you or your ensemble would like to be considered for our program, audition online to let us know more about you and to send us a recording.
June 1, 2026 – June 5, 2026
June 5, 2026, 12:00 pm
This week, Music in Chicago will feature composer Doug Lofstrom, harpsichordist Jory Vinikour, pianist Oscar Jiang, violinist Janet Sung, and the ~Nois ensemble.
Pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite at Dame Myra Hess Series
May 3, 2019
Hailed for “artistry of poetic and observant sensitivity” (Gramophone), internationally acclaimed pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite performed in the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series on April 3, 2019. Her program included works by Rachmaninoff, Ravel, Moszkowski, Guastavino, and a composer from her native country of Lithuania – Mikalojus Čiurlionis.
Pianist Sophiko Simsive Plays Liszt
April 26, 2019
Georgian-born Sophiko Simsive started to play the piano at the age of three and began her studies with her mother. At the age of eleven, she performed Beethoven’s Second Piano Concerto with the student orchestra of Georgia at the Beethoven Festival in Bonn, Germany. Most recently she was selected as the winner of the Music Academy of the West’s second ...
Elgin Symphony Orchestra in Concert
April 26, 2019
Named “Orchestra of the Year” an unprecedented four times by the Illinois Council of Orchestras and winner of a 2010 Elgin Image Award, the Elgin Symphony Orchestra, now in its 67th season, is respected for exceptional performance, innovative education programs, and community outreach initiatives. In 2013, after a two-year international search in which over 250 applicants were reviewed, Andrew Grams ...
DePaul University Faculty Chamber Concert
April 19, 2019
Completed in the summer of 2018, the Holtschneider Performance Center is the first phase of a new music complex for the DePaul University School of Music, serving as the eastern gateway to the Lincoln Park Campus. The new center houses four concert halls of varying sizes along with state-of-the-art rehearsal spaces, a sound recording technology suite, box office, and dynamic ...
Dynamic Duos with Chicago a cappella
April 19, 2019
Chicago’s acclaimed vocal ensemble Chicago a cappella spotlighted songwriting and performing duos on their April 2019 program, “Dynamic Duos: The Greatest Musical Partnerships.” Veteran pop arranger Paul Langford provided music direction and new arrangements of songs by Elton John & Bernie Taupin, the Carpenters, Hall & Oates, Simon & Garfunkel, and more. The ten professional vocalists of Chicago a cappella also ...
Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra in Concert
April 19, 2019
The Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra performs major literature from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. It is conducted and administered by Victor Yampolsky, director of orchestras. Under his baton, the ensemble has evolved into one of the nation’s great collegiate orchestras that has placed many alumni in top orchestras and opera companies. In January 2019, the NUSO presented a program ...
Brasil Guitar Duo at Northeastern Illinois University
March 29, 2019
Brasil Guitar Duo, a 2006 winner of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and hailed by Classical Guitar magazine for its “maturity of musicianship and technical virtuosity,” is equally at home on a classical or a world-music series. Its innovative programming features a seamless blend of traditional and Brazilian works, resulting in a full global touring schedule and a growing ...
The Civic Orchestra of Chicago Centenary Celebration
March 29, 2019
Currently celebrating its 100th season, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago is the nation’s premier orchestral training program for emerging professional musicians. Since 1919, young artists have sought membership in the orchestra to develop their musicianship and to further prepare for their careers. Benefiting from a unique alliance with the world-renowned Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Civic members refine their skills under the ...
Third Coast Baroque Plays Muffat
March 22, 2019
Third Coast Baroque is a versatile ensemble comprised of “Chicago’s most accomplished period instrumentalists and singers” (Chicago Tribune) under the artistic direction of conductor Rubén Dubrovsky. The ensemble seeks to take Baroque music to the people of Chicago and beyond by removing barriers of location and setting, focusing on accessibility, educating audiences about the diverse influences that underlie the Baroque aesthetic, ...
Philippe Quint and Marta Aznavoorian at Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts
March 15, 2019
Grammy Award nominee Philippe Quint has established himself as one of the leading violinists of his generation. Constantly in demand, he regularly appears at venues around the world. “Truly phenomenal” is how BBC Music Magazine recently described him. For his recital on January 16, 2019, at the Chicago Cultural Center, Quint was joined by pianist Marta Aznavoorian. Their program featured music from ...
CSO Young Artists Competition Winner: Flutist Rosie Wang
March 8, 2019
Many musicians dream of performing on the stage of Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition makes this dream come true for one young musician every year. On February 23, four young musicians competed on that famous stage for the opportunity to perform with the CSO during the 2019-2020 season. This year, the competition ...
Civic Orchestra and Rachmaninoff
March 8, 2019
Founded during the 1919-20 season, the Civic Orchestra of Chicago has trained thousands of the nation’s finest emerging professional musicians while presenting free concerts at Symphony Center and in schools and other neighborhood venues throughout Greater Chicago. It is the only training orchestra of its kind affiliated with a major American orchestra. In April 2018, the Civic Orchestra was led ...
Civic Orchestra of Chicago: Strauss’s Suite from Der Rosenkavalier
March 1, 2019
Since 1919, young artists have sought membership in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago to develop their musicianship and to further prepare for professional careers. Founded by Frederick Stock, second music director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Civic Orchestra is the only training orchestra of its kind affiliated with a major American orchestra. The Civic provides its members with opportunities ...
ViolMedium Plays Abel and Bartók
February 22, 2019
Founded by gambists Eric Miller and Phillip Serna, the duo of ViolMedium bridges contemporary and historically-informed performance with experimental and innovative programming for violas da gamba. Their concert in February 2019 at LaGrange’s Emmanuel Episcopal Church was titled, “Façades and Duplicities: Beguiling Curiosities and Excursions for Dueling Gambas.” The program offered an exploration of the rich harmonic, timbral, and dramatic potentials offered ...
Elgin Symphony Orchestra Plays Kodály
February 22, 2019
Conductor Stephen Squires led the Elgin Symphony Orchestra in three works in January 2019. The program featured Haydn’s Symphony No. 94, nicknamed the “Surprise” Symphony. ESO concertmaster Isabella Lippi performed Max Bruch’s Violin Concerto No. 1, considered one of the greatest and most difficult of its kind. Hungarian composer Zoltán Kodály was fascinated with the folk songs of his region. His ...
Trio Céleste Plays Dvořák and Piazzolla
February 15, 2019
Hailed as “a first-class ensemble” (Orange County Register), “unfailingly stylish” (The Strad), “technically dazzling” (Long Beach Gazette), “flawless” (New York Concert Review), and “the epitome of what chamber musicians should be” (Palm Beach Daily News), Trio Céleste has firmly established itself as one of the most dynamic chamber music ensembles on the classical music scene today. In January 2019, Trio Céleste shared ...
Pianist Henry Kramer Plays Debussy
February 15, 2019
Pianist Henry Kramer is establishing himself as one of the foremost pianists of his generation. The winner of the 2015 William Petschek Recital Debut Award from the Juilliard School and the Second Prize winner of the 2016 Queen Elisabeth Competition, Kramer has been praised by critics as “triumphant” and “thrilling” (The New York Times), “technically effortless” (La Presse, Montreal), and the Philadelphia ...
Chicago a cappella: Polish Splendor
February 15, 2019
In February 2019, Chicago a cappella presented a program on the theme “Polish Splendor: Songs and Traditions from the Crossroads of Europe.” The ensemble explored the rich variety of music from Poland, old and new. The singers brought to life traditional folk songs and compelling new works by rising Polish composers—including many in their North American debut.
Cavatina Duo Plays Ravel
February 8, 2019
The Cavatina Duo — Eugenia Moliner, flute (from Spain) and Denis Azabagic, guitar (from Bosnia) — has captivated audiences with their electrifying performances in such major venues and festivals as the Ravinia Festival, Aix-en-Provence Summer Festival (France), and Symphony Center Chicago, among many others. Moliner and Azabagic are both on the faculty of the Chicago College of the Performing Arts at Roosevelt ...
Chicago Latino Music Festival: Guitarist Eduardo Fernández
January 25, 2019
This year’s Chicago Latino Music Festival featured a concert in collaboration with the Instituto Cervantes by guitarists Eduardo Fernández and Iván Reséndez. Considered among the top five classical guitars players in the world, Fernández performed a program of Latin American and Spanish pieces based on folk and popular music as well us some of the most important works from the ...
