Sundays at 1:30 pm
Performances from the North Shore's cherished music festival
From the grounds of one of the great summer music festivals in the US, WFMT brings you some of the summer's standout chamber music performances from the Ravinia Festival.
Selections from the Steans Institute
August 23, 2026, 1:30 pm
We feature performances by participants in the Steans Institute, the Ravina Festival’s artist development program. The Institute offers fellowships in a variety of artistic areas. We focus on this summer’s Piano and Strings program for three lively performances, all recorded live in concert in Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall.
Danish String Quartet
August 30, 2026, 1:30 pm
The acclaimed ensemble presents Beethoven’s jovial final quartet, a divertimento by Mozart, and Shostakovich’s profoundly inquisitive Third Quartet. Recorded August 5, 2026 in the Martin Theatre.
“A Far Cry” Chamber Orchestra
August 12, 2024
A program of works that explore themes of home, travel, and migration, performed at Ravinia on July, 2024. Enjoy the chamber orchestra “A Far Cry” in a performance alongside Canadian pianist Dinuk Wijeratne and Syrian clarinetist Kinan Azmeh.
The Knights and Aaron Diehl
August 5, 2024
New-York based, Grammy-nominated ensemble The Knights joins forces with pianist-composer Aaron Diehl to present a program of diverse works: from the “Finale-Allegro” of Louise Farrenc’s Symphony No. 3, to excerpts of their GRAMMY-nominated album Zodiac Suite. This concert was recorded on June 29, 2024.
Jonathan Biss
July 29, 2024
In addition to being a teacher, writer, and the co-artistic director of the Marlboro Music Festival, Jonathan Biss is also a touring concert pianist. He stopped by Ravinia earlier this summer to perform works by Franz Schubert and Tyshawn Sorey. This performance was recorded at Ravinia on June 20th, 2024.
Steans Piano Trio
July 22, 2024
Revisiting a performance by the Steans Piano Trio at Ravinia’s Bennett Gordon Hall. Concert recorded on November 17th, 2023.
Terrence Wilson Recital
July 15, 2024
The acclaimed pianist tackles works by Rachmaninoff and Prokofiev. This concert was recorded at Ravinia on April 6th, 2024.
Live from Ravinia Festival: Chicago Symphony Orchestra Summer Season Opener
July 12, 2024, 7:30 pm
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra kicks off its 88th summer season at Ravinia with Chief Conductor Marin Alsop in a festive evening of all-American music.
Lincoln Trio 20th Anniversary Concert
July 8, 2024
The renowned string group celebrates their 20th anniversary with a concert of works ranging from Astor Piazzolla to Stacy Garrop. This concert was recorded on November 10th, 2023 at Bennett Gordon Hall.
Black Oak Ensemble: Silenced Voices
October 2, 2023
A string trio boasting three of Chicago’s most enterprising and dynamic chamber musicians casts light on composers affected by the Holocaust.
Lara Downes with Nicole Cabell
September 25, 2023
Works by Florence Price and other women composers, including unpublished songs by Margaret Bonds.
Danish String Quartet
September 18, 2023
The dynamic ensemble performs works by Haydn, Bach, and Shostakovich as well as their crowd-pleasing arrangements of folk music.
A Tribute to Miriam Fried
September 11, 2023
Ravinia Steans Music Institute alumni Ariel Quartet, violinist Ayano Ninomiya, cellist Karen Ouzounian, and pianist Henry Kramer pay tribute to the retiring director of the RSMI program for piano & strings.
Apollo’s Fire: The Road to Dublin
September 4, 2023
In this new program, haunting ballads and legends give way to driving reels.
Ultimate Brahms and Haydn
August 28, 2023
The faculty of Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute — including violinist and program director Miriam Fried, pianist Alessio Bax, and violist Kim Kashkashian — perform works by Haydn, Brahms, and Busoni.
The Three Faces of Beethoven
August 21, 2023
The Calidore String Quartet explores different phases of Beethoven’s string quartet output.
Jorge Federico Osorio
August 14, 2023
Chicago-based pianist Jorge Federico Osorio explores Brahms variations and late Beethoven sonatas
Tenor Karim Sulayman & Guitarist Sean Shibe
August 7, 2023
The duo performs their program “Broken Branches” with music ranging from Dowland, Monteverdi, Britten, Rodrigo, Takemitsu, Harvey, and Chakerto traditional songs from the Middle East, scrutinizing the close cultural and musical ties between East and West. Recorded on June 21 in Bennett Gordon Hall.
Arnaud Sussmann & Michael Stephen Brown
July 31, 2023
Two alumni of the Ravinia Steans Music Institute — Arnaud Sussmann, violin, and Michael Stephen Brown, piano — join forces for a wide-ranging program of music from the 18th century to today.
Gateways Brass Collective
July 24, 2023
The Gateways Brass Collective, an all–African American quintet, was founded in 2018 to inspire artists from all backgrounds.
RSMI Piano/Strings On Tour
July 17, 2023
Artists from the Ravinia Steans Music Institute — Ravinia’s training ensemble — join the program’s director, violinist Miriam Fried, to play a medley of quartets.
Geoffrey Duce: Fantasies and Rhapsodies Through the Ages
July 10, 2023
Season Premiere: Illinois State University piano professor Geoffrey Duce explores the musical genealogy of works by Wilhelm Friedmann Bach, Car Phillip Emanuel Bach, John McCabe, Franz Schubert, and Ernst von Dohnányi.
