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.
Soprano Angel Blue
July 20, 2020
Ascendent soprano Angel Blue gives a recital of works by Mozart, Richard Strauss, and Rachmaninoff, and more with the accompaniment of pianist Catherine Miller.
Tenor Matthew Polenzani
July 13, 2020
Joined by pianist Kevin Murphy, mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, and singers from the Ravinia Stearns Music Institute, this leading operatic tenor — who hails from the Chicago area — gives a performance of works by Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, and Janáček.
Juilliard String Quartet
July 6, 2020
The renowned, longstanding ensemble performed at Ravinia in June 2019, sharing works by Beethoven and Dvořák, as well as a quartet-commissioned piece by Lembit Beecher.
Gautier Capuçon and Jean-Yves Thibaudet [Rebroadcast]
April 13, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from a performance with cellist Gautier Capuçon and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet recorded live from Ravinia’s Martin Theatre. Gautier Capuçon is a true 21st century ambassador for the cello. Performing internationally with many of the world’s foremost conductors and instrumentalists, he is also founder and leader of the Classe d’Excellence de Violoncelle at the Fondation Louis Vuitton ...
Considering Matthew Shepard
January 6, 2020
Composer-conductor Craig Hella Johnson leads this performance of his 2016 oratorio commemorating LGBTQ hate crime victim Matthew Shepard featuring Grammy-winning vocal ensemble Conspirare.
Alon Goldstein — the Art of Imagination: The Generational Influence of Domenico Scarlatti
September 30, 2019
Earlier this month, pianist Alon Goldstein took the Ravinia Festival stage at Bennett Gordon Hall for a program highlighting the inventiveness and influence of Domenico Scarlatti, drawing a line from the prolific Baroque composer to Beethoven, Schumann, Ginastera, and Bernstein.
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra
September 23, 2019
Cellist Alisa Weilerstein joins conductor Long Yu and the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, the oldest symphony orchestra in Asia, for a performance of Dvořák’s cello concerto at the pavilion of Ravinia Festival. Also featured in this program are works by Rachmaninoff and Chinese-born composer Qigang Chen. READ MORE: Hear 5 of Alisa Weilerstein’s Favorite New Works for Cello
Harpsichordist Jory Vinikour performs Bach’s Goldberg Variations
September 16, 2019
Acclaimed harpsichordist Jory Vinikour takes the stage of Bennett Gordon Hall to perform Bach’s famed Goldberg Variations.
Renée Fleming and Emerson String Quartet perform Previn’s Penelope
September 9, 2019
Soprano Renée Fleming, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, and the Emerson String Quartet perform André Previn’s final work, Penelope. A Ravinia co-commission, the piece features text by Tom Stoppard and narration by Jennifer Ehle.
Soprano Angel Blue
September 2, 2019
Soprano Angel Blue and pianist Catherine Miller take the stage of Ravinia Festival’s Martin Theatre to perform a selection of songs by Mozart, Strauss, Rachmaninoff, Jake Heggie, and more, plus two spirituals.
Matthew Polenzani
August 26, 2019
Evanston-born star tenor Matthew Polenzani returns to Ravinia Festival for this program of Schubert, Beethoven, Brahms, and Janáček that also features mezzo-soprano Jennifer Johnson Cano, pianist Kevin Murphy, and singers from Ravinia's Steans Music Institute (RSMI) — the festival's summer young artists conservatory.
Danish String Quartet
August 19, 2019
The Danish String Quartet took the Martin Theatre stage with Finnish pianist Juho Pohjonen for this 2017 program of works by Haydn, Beethoven, and Shostakovich.
Gary Hoffman and Jon Kimura Parker
August 12, 2019
Cellist Gary Hoffman returns to Ravinia for this recital of works by Debussy, Brahms, Fauré, and Rachmaninoff with accompaniment by pianist Jon Kimura Parker.
Gautier Capuçon and Jean-Yves Thibaudet
August 5, 2019
Cellist Gautier Capuçon and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet took the stage at Ravinia’s Martin Theatre on July 22 to perform this program of works by Robert Schumann, Brahms, Sibelius, and Shostakovich.
Leonard Bernstein’s Songfest
July 29, 2019
Leonard Bernstein’s Songfest, a cycle of American poems for six singers, is performed by the Caroga Arts Ensemble conducted by Alexander Platt, with vocalists from the Steans Music Institute and three poet-readers from the Poetry Foundation.
Miriam Fried and friends perform Beethoven and Brahms
July 22, 2019
Violinist Miriam Fried headlines this June 27, 2019 Ravinia Festival live recording of chamber music by Brahms and Beethoven. Miriam Fried, violin Pamela Frank, violin Kim Kashkashian, viola Paul Biss, viola Marcy Rosen, cello Gilbert Kalish, piano
Stile Antico — “Queen of Muses”
July 15, 2019
Stile Antico, one of the world’s leading vocal ensembles, presents an imaginative program of sacred and secular choral music from Tudor England, recorded live at Ravinia Festival on June 18.
Juilliard String Quartet
July 8, 2019
Recorded live from Martin Theatre on June 19, the Juilliard String Quartet performs works by Beethoven, Dvořák, and Lembit Beecher.
Lincoln Trio
July 1, 2019
WFMT’s broadcast season from Ravinia opens with the music of Haydn, Beethoven, and Patrick Zimmerli in this recital by the Lincoln Trio, which was recorded live from Bennett Gordon Hall on June 15.
Sir James and Lady Jeanne Galway
October 29, 2018
Sir James Galway and Lady Jeanne Galway perform classical flute repertoire and are joined by pianist Christopher O’Riley.
