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Barnatan Plays Mozart
April 7, 2021, 8:00 pm
Piano virtuoso Inon Barnatan joins music director Jane Glover and the Music of the Baroque Orchestra to perform Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 14. Mozart’s 29th Symphony and two works by Handel round out the performance, which was recorded live on March 29.
Apollo’s Fire – O Jerusalem!: Crossroads of Three Faiths
April 2, 2021, 8:00 pm
Grammy-winning Apollo’s Fire — led by founder and artistic director Jeannette Sorrell — presents a colorful, uplifting, and timely program for our time: a loving exploration of the three peoples whose music and faith brought such vibrancy to the Middle East and the Mediterranean. The sounds of oud, theorbo, medieval harp, vielle, qanun, strings, wooden flutes, and exotic percussion join ...
A Musical Feast for Passover With Itzhak Perlman
March 31, 2021, 9:00 pm
The springtime Jewish holiday of Passover is about liberation from slavery in ancient Egypt. In this one-hour special, superstar violinist Itzhak Perlman shares Passover music from many traditions, plus songs and memories from his childhood in Israel. The program draws its shape from the Passover seder and, like that ancient family ritual, the music gets progressively giddier as the show ...
Music and Conversation with Renée Fleming
March 29, 2021, 10:00 pm
Rebroadcasting a conversation Kerry Frumkin recorded with the distinguished soprano. Interspersed with highlights from Ms. Fleming’s numerous recordings. Co-produced by Louise Frank.
‘The Wreckers’ by Dame Ethel Smyth
March 25, 2021, 8:00 pm
Ethel Smyth (1858-1944) won a fair amount of renown in her native Britain, and elsewhere, in a time when women composers were generally looked down upon. She composed symphonies and a number of shorter works. Her 1906 opera, The Wreckers, was premiered in Leipzig – where she had studied at one time – but is based upon legends (and some history) ...
Artemisia Vocal Trio
March 22, 2021, 8:00 pm
A special performance by vocal trio Artemisia — entitled Sounds Like Us — recorded live on February 22, 2021. 8:00 pm.
Bach Birthday Bash!
March 21, 2021, 6:00 am
All day long, tune in to hear WFMT's celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born on this date in 1685.
A More Perfect Union: A Musical Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg
March 17, 2021, 8:00 pm
In 2015, WFMT was deeply honored to welcome the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who shared her deep love for opera. During our rebroadcast of this special event, being presented in her memory, we’ll also hear some highlights from Chicago’s own classical-recording label, Cedille, and from the opera Scalia/Ginsburg.
Music and Conversation With Marilyn Horne
March 15, 2021, 10:00 pm
From 2004: Host Kerry Frumkin talks with the distinguished mezzo-soprano and explores her recordings. Co-produced by Louise Frank.
A Conversation with Leontyne Price
March 12, 2021, 8:00 pm
A conversation with the distinguished soprano Leontyne Price recorded on the occasion of her 60th birthday.
‘Sole e Amore’
March 8, 2021, 8:00 pm
As a special edition of Live from WFMT, we’ll air this performance from Lyric Opera of Chicago curated by music director-designate Enrique Mazzola, featuring singers from the Ryan Opera Center in songs by prominent Italian opera composers.
Cello and Piano Music by Black Composers
February 24, 2021, 8:00 pm
Scott Joplin’s ‘Treemonisha’
February 17, 2021, 8:00 pm
Scott Joplin's ragtime opera Treemonisha is the story of a young freedwoman who faces persecution and danger because of her education. The opera was completed in 1911 but did not receive its first complete performance until 1972, 55 years after the composer's death.
Music of the Black Church
February 10, 2021, 8:00 pm
From Spirituals to modern-day gospel, Black people have connected to God and each other through music even through painful and trying circumstances.
A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood
January 18, 2021, 10:00 pm
Host Terrance McKnight interweaves musical examples with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s speeches and sermons to illustrate the powerful place that music held in his work.
Music and Conversation with Enrique Mazzola
January 13, 2021, 8:00 pm
Maestro Enrique Mazzola will succeed Sir Andrew Davis as music director at Lyric Opera of Chicago for the 2021-2022 season. WFMT’s George Preston sits down with Mazzola to talk about his life and career, some favorite music, and his thoughts about his new post.
New Year’s in Vienna, a Strauss Family Concert conducted by Riccardo Muti
January 1, 2021, 10:00 am
Maestro Muti takes the podium for 2021’s installment of this annual New Year’s Day tradition.
The Best Is Yet To Come: New Year’s Eve With WFMT
December 31, 2020, 8:00 pm
2020 has been a year like no other, so let’s wave it goodbye in a broadcast unlike any we’ve ever hosted. From 8:00 pm to 2:00 am, join us for an on-air look back at the year in a program featuring classical, jazz, and folk selections chosen by WFMT hosts, staff, and friends!
A More Perfect Union: A Musical Tribute to Ruth Bader Ginsburg
December 30, 2020, 8:00 pm
In 2015, WFMT was deeply honored to welcome the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who shared her deep love for opera. During our rebroadcast of this special event, being presented in her memory, we’ll also hear some highlights from Chicago’s own classical-recording label, Cedille, and from the opera Scalia/Ginsburg.
Eastern Orthodox Christmas Music with Andrew Patner
December 28, 2020, 10:00 pm
A rebroadcast from WFMT’s late critic-at-large, in which he explores this lesser-known holiday repertory.