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 ...
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.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols
December 24, 2019, 9:00 am
The annual service broadcast live from King’s College Chapel of Cambridge University.
Itzhak Perlman’s Hanukkah Radio Party
December 23, 2019, 10:00 pm
The illustrious violinist samples a great variety of music for the Jewish Festival of Lights. Program will be repeated Sunday, December 29, at 7:00 pm.
Music of the Baroque’s Brass and Choral Holiday Concert
December 23, 2019, 8:00 pm
William Jon Gray conducts choristers and brass players in seasonal music from the Renaissance and Baroque. Candice Agree hosts.
With Heart and Voice | A Christmas Celebration
December 22, 2019, 6:00 am
As we approach Christmas Eve, we’ll begin the festivities with music to celebrate the arrival of the Christ Child on this edition of With Heart and Voice. Tune in as Peter DuBois shares sacred choral and organ treasures of the season.
Christmas Around the World
December 20, 2019, 6:30 pm
Candice Agree scours performances from the European Broadcasting Union and from commercial recordings to find seasonal music from far and wide. More information
Handel’s Messiah, Part I
December 19, 2019, 2:00 pm
The Christmas section of Handel’s great oratorio is performed by the Baroque-specialist musicians of Tafelmusik.
Whole Notes: Music of Healing and Peace
December 13, 2019, 8:00 pm
On December 13, WFMT premieres Whole Notes: Music of Healing and Peace, a special program hosted by Kerry Frumkin that looks at the gun violence epidemic in America through the lens of classical music. This response to violence in our world – notably, gun violence – will include performances by cellist Yo-Yo Ma, a look at the Notes for Peace ...
Berlioz’s Requiem performed at Nôtre-Dame de Paris
November 4, 2019, 8:00 pm
The "Grande Messe des Morts" was performed and recorded in 2014 at Nôtre-Dame de Paris, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel.
Marc-André Hamelin in recital at Northwestern University
October 28, 2019, 8:00 pm
In May, the acclaimed pianist gave a recital at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music as part of its Skyline Piano Artist Series
Chicago’s Music of the Baroque performs Bach’s Mass in B Minor
October 21, 2019, 8:00 pm
Under the baton of Jane Glover, leading 18th-century music ensemble Music of the Baroque performs one of Bach’s crowning artistic achievements. Cast Yulia Van Doren, soprano Krisztina Szabó, soprano Jonas Hacker, tenor Tyler Duncan, baritone Music of the Baroque Chorus & Orchestra; Jane Glover, conductor
Musical Memories of the High Holidays with Itzhak Perlman
October 7, 2019, 10:00 pm
Renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman shares meaningful recordings in honor of the Jewish High Holidays: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Sound the Shofar: An Ancient Instrument in Modern Times
October 6, 2019, 6:00 pm
Discover the sounds of the shofar, in this program that explores an instrument made from a ram’s horn, that is heard around the world during the Jewish High Holidays. It has also been heard outside those confines for ages, as a call to battle, or a way for shepherds to summon their flocks, and as inspiration for many classical composers. ...
Holiday Fireworks with Robbie Ellis
July 4, 2019, 9:00 pm
In honor of Independence Day, join host Robbie Ellis for a stirring evening of electrifying classical music, including works by Sousa and Bernstein.
Recovering A Musical Heritage
May 1, 2019, 8:00 pm
Join host James Conlon on an exploration of music from a lost generation of composers silenced, imprisoned, or killed under the Third Reich. He will illuminate the stories and legacies of composers including Alexander von Zemlinsky, Franz Schreker, Victor Ullmann, and Erwin Schulhoff, in a special program to celebrate this rich, revived musical heritage. WFMT is airing this special in ...
A Musical Feast for Passover with Itzhak Perlman
April 22, 2019, 10:00 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 ...
Rising Stars in Concert from the Ryan Opera Center
April 14, 2019, 7:00 pm
Join us for Rising Stars in Concert, a showcase performance starring Ensemble members of the Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center with members of the Lyric Opera Orchestra conducted by Christopher Allen. Rising Stars in Concert is the culminating event in the residency of the 2018/19 Ensemble. Description courtesy of Lyric Opera of Chicago.
Recovering A Musical Heritage
January 27, 2019, 7:00 pm
The host, conductor James Conlon, will discuss and sample music by composers suppressed, imprisoned, or killed during the Nazi Holocaust. We’re airing the program in honor of the UN’s International Holocaust Remembrance Day, and we’ll replay it tomorrow evening, Monday, January 28 at 10:00 pm.
From Vienna with Love: The New Year’s Concert
January 1, 2019, 10:00 am
Conductor Christian Thielemann takes the podium at the Vienna Musikverein for the Vienna Philharmonic’s annual New Year’s concert, a program of music from the Strauss family. For more information, visit the Vienna Philharmonic’s website.
Bach’s Christmas Oratorio with Music of the Baroque
December 14, 2018, 12:00 pm
From the heaven-storming timpani of the opening chorus, the Bach's Christmas Oratorio unfolds with moving arias and inspiring chorales — performed with the power and passion by Chicago's Music of the Baroque.
Sound the Shofar: An Ancient Instrument in Modern Times
September 17, 2018, 10:00 pm
Discover the sounds of the shofar, in this program that explores an instrument made from a ram’s horn, that is heard around the world during the Jewish High Holidays. It has also been heard outside those confines for ages, as a call to battle, or a way for shepherds to summon their flocks, and as inspiration for many classical composers. ...