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Violinist Randall Goosby sits with his instrument on a black couch against a tan background

Season Finale: Music and Conversation with Randall Goosby

June 7, 2023, 8:00 pm

The American violinist comes to WFMT to share his new album—a collaboration with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra that showcases violin concertos by Max Bruch and Florence Price.

Let Freedom Ring: A Musical Celebration of Juneteenth with Lara Downes

June 17, 2023, 3:00 pm

A special program featuring the music of Black composers from Florence Price to Bob Marley, and performers like Jessye Norman and the Kanneh-Mason.

Trinity Sunday & Juneteenth

June 18, 2023, 6:00 am

Trinity Sunday celebrates the doctrine of the three Persons of God as Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Host Peter DuBois shares music on Trinitarian themes. In addition, music to acknowledge the celebration of Juneteenth will be featured.

Black Liberation African American Flag. Pan-African flag

Juneteenth: Remembrance and Celebration

June 19, 2023, 10:00 pm

A special program commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans

Music of the Baroque: Circles of Friends and ’23-24

May 31, 2023, 8:00 pm

We hear MOB’s May concert Circles of Friends — featuring selections by Haydn, Mozart, and contemporaries Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf and Johann Baptist Wanhal — with an intermission feature: Declan McGovern previews the 23-24 season.

War Letters

May 29, 2023, 8:00 pm

For this Memorial Day, Live From WFMT presents War Letters, an award-winning documentary WFMT created in 2001. The program was inspired by Andrew Carroll’s bestseller, War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars. Pulitzer prize-winning author Studs Terkel joins WFMT’s Lisa Flynn to share the most personal remembrances of war: letters sent home from the front by American soldiers, all of ...

Memorial in Song with John Brancy and Peter Dugan

May 27, 2023, 4:00 pm

A program for Memorial Day to honor those whose lives have been forever changed by war, including songs written by composers and poets who were soldiers themselves.

Masterworks for Organ and String Orchestra

May 24, 2023, 8:00 pm

Maestro Emanuele Andrizzi leads the Chicago College of Performing Arts Chamber Orchestra in music by Mendelssohn, Poulenc, and Vaughan Williams.

Lyric Opera of Chicago Rising Stars in Concert

May 21, 2023, 5:00 pm

A showcase performance by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center 2022/23 Ensemble with members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra conducted by Roberto Kalb.

11 musicians of Third Coast Baroque in a sunlit red brick hallway; some with their instruments including violins, cello, theorbo, and charango.

The Third Coast Baroque Festival

May 17, 2023, 8:00 pm

The period instrument ensemble announces its inaugural festival which will features Aldo López-Gavilán & Ilmar Gavilán, Third Coast Percussion, and a performance of Bach's B Minor Mass.

a lush spring bouquet in a wicker basket, placed in front of a bright turquoise wall

Mother’s Day Requests

May 14, 2023, 12:00 pm

Celebrate Mother’s Day with WFMT. Honor the mother or mother figure in your life with a spoken dedication and musical request.

Shabbat Shirah – A Celebration of Jewish Community in Chicago

May 10, 2023, 8:00 pm

Cantor David Berger, the Hyde Park Jewish Choral Society, and the Rockefeller Chapel Choir share a Shabbat Evening service celebrating the musical heritage of Chicago Judaism.

A color portrait of Carlos Kalmar, who poses in a white suit and blue patterned bowtie in front of the Chicago Skyline and Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion

Carlos Kalmar and the Grant Park Music Festival

May 3, 2023, 8:00 pm

With principal conductor and artistic director Carlos Kalmar, we look forward to the Grant Park Music Festival’s 2023 season and also relive a July 2022 concert featuring Rachel Barton Pine playing Billy Childs as well as music by Ludwig van Beethoven and Victor Agudelo.

Aznavoorian Duo

April 26, 2023, 8:00 pm

Cellist Ani Aznavoorian and pianist Marta Aznavoorian present a program celebrating Armenian composers and honoring the duo’s family heritage.

Amanda Forsythe in High Baroque costume holding a floral crown.

The 2023 Boston Early Music Festival

April 19, 2023, 8:00 pm

Kathleen Fay and Paul O'Dette preview the upcoming operas, concerts, and events of the biennial festival that brings together the finest performers, scholars, and instrument makers who are the vanguard of Baroque performance.

New Light on French Romantic Women Composers

April 12, 2023, 8:00 pm

A survey of the new compendium of recordings of works by 19th century women composers, Compositrices.

Bach Week Festival’s 50th Anniversary

April 5, 2023, 8:00 pm

The Evanston-based festival's music director shares a history and previews the upcoming concerts that launch the organization's golden anniversary.

Sergei Rachmaninoff looks over his shoulder at the camera at the piano at Villa Senar

Rachmaninoff 150: A Celebration

April 1, 2023, 10:00 am

Celebrating the 150th anniversary of Sergei Rachmaninoff’s birth, acclaimed musicians discuss and perform his compositions.

Music of the Baroque: London Calling

March 29, 2023, 8:00 pm

A 2023 Music of the Baroque concert featuring orchestral music by Mozart, Haydn, and Handel written for the great city of London. Conducted by Nicholas Kraemer.

Cheryl Frazes Hill on Margaret Hillis

March 22, 2023, 8:00 pm

Hillis was the first woman to regularly conduct a major symphony orchestra, she was the founder of the Chicago Symphony Chorus and served for thirty-seven years as its first director, winning nine Grammy Awards.

A Women’s History Month Playlist: Sara Davis Buechner

March 15, 2023, 8:00 pm

After coming out as transgender, Buechner was shunned by the classical music industry. Decades later, Buechner finds herself in a more accepting world and is proud to support other LGBTQ+ musicians.

Music and Conversation with Hilary Hahn

March 8, 2023, 8:00 pm

Hilary Hahn’s barrier-breaking attitude towards classical music and commitment to sharing her experiences with a global community have made her a fan favorite.

Aizuri Quartet

March 1, 2023, 8:00 pm

Champions of new music, the Aizuri Quartet performs selections from the Aizuri Songbook, a soulful collection celebrating the most direct human expression in music.

Black Music Spotlight (2/27-2/28)

February 28, 2023, 8:00 am

Every weekday morning in February, WFMT host LaRob K. Rafael will present and introduce a piece by a Black musician or composer.

Mornings with Dennis Moore