A Program for Mother’s Day
May 11, 2025, 6:00 am
Host Peter DuBois shares sacred music focusing on human love, as well as honoring Mary, Mother of Jesus.
Rising Stars in Concert
May 18, 2025, 5:00 pm
A showcase performance by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center 2024/25 Ensemble with the Lyric Opera Orchestra conducted by Enrique Mazzola. The program includes selections from Offenbach’s Orpheus in the Underworld.
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.
Special: Ryan Opera Center Rising Stars in Concert
June 9, 2024, 5:00 pm
A showcase performance by The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center 2023/24 Ensemble with the Lyric Opera Orchestra conducted by Stefano Sarzani.
Music and Conversation with Elim Chan
May 1, 2024, 1:00 pm
Ahead of her CSO debut, Chan visits WFMT to share musical highlights and a live chat.
Music of the Baroque: Bach’s St Matthew Passion
March 24, 2024, 5:00 pm
Dame Jane Glover leads Music of the Baroque in the monumental work scored for double chorus, double orchestra, children’s choir and six soloists.
Celebrating African American Artists: Scott Joplin’s Treemonisha
February 24, 2024, 2:00 pm
Treemonisha is the story of a young freedwoman who faces persecution and danger because of her education.
Celebrating African American Artists: I, Too, Sing America — Music in the Life of Langston Hughes
February 11, 2024, 11:00 am
Host Terrance McKnight dives into the songs, cantatas, musicals, and librettos that flowed from Hughes’s pen.
Celebrating African American Artists: The Film Music of Terence Blanchard
February 4, 2024, 11:00 am
An interview with composer, trumpeter, and pianist Terence Blanchard.
Black History Month & Candlemas
February 4, 2024, 6:00 am
Host Peter DuBois will share sacred choral and organ music of African American composers in honor of Black History Month, as well as celebrate Candlemas, marking the Presentation of Jesus at the Temple, and the conclusion of the Christmas-Epiphany season.
Music and Conversation with Hélène Grimaud
January 24, 2024, 8:00 pm
An interview with the prodigious French pianist in advance of her recital at Symphony Center.
A Beautiful Symphony of Brotherhood
January 15, 2024, 6:00 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.
Minnesota Orchestra New Year’s Celebration
January 1, 2024, 10:00 pm
Welcoming 2024 with Bernstein’s effervescent Overture to Candide and the luxuriant storytelling of Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade in a program conducted by Chicago Sinfonietta music director Mei-Ann Chen.
The 2024 Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert (Rebroadcast)
January 1, 2024, 8:00 pm
The famed Vienna Philharmonic offers “a greeting of hope, friendship, and peace” in its annual New Year’s Day concert.
The 2024 Vienna Philharmonic New Year’s Concert
January 1, 2024, 10:00 am
The famed Vienna Philharmonic offers “a greeting of hope, friendship, and peace” in its annual New Year’s Day concert.
New Year’s Eve with WFMT
December 31, 2023, 10:00 pm
Ring in the new year with the WFMT voices you know and love.
Kwanzaa Stories with LaRob K. Rafael
December 26, 2023, 6:00 pm
On each of the seven days of Kwanzaa, LaRob K. Rafael shares a reflection and a piece of music that exemplifies one of Kwanzaa’s seven principles.
Music of the Baroque: Holiday Choral and Brass Concert
December 25, 2023, 8:00 pm
Enjoy this festive celebration brimming with beautiful music for the season.
Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker
December 25, 2023, 5:00 pm
We take you to Paris for a live performance of this perennial favorite.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Encore Presentation
December 24, 2023, 10:00 pm
Enjoy an encore presentation of this Christmas Eve tradition, broadcast live from the Chapel of King’s College in Cambridge, England, earlier today. Download the Festival of Nine Lessons 2023 Order of Service.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols Live
December 24, 2023, 9:00 am
A beloved Christmas Eve tradition, A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols sets a tone for Christmas Eve both contemplative and celebratory.
Carols as Home with the Imani Winds
December 21, 2023, 8:00 pm
Enjoy music and conversation with the pathbreaking ensemble Imani Winds.