Ravinia Festival CSO Opening Night: Tchaikovsky with Marin Alsop and Stewart Goodyear
July 15, 2022, 8:00 pm
A front row seat to the opening of the CSO’s annual Ravinia Festival summer residency with a live broadcast of music by Rimsky-Korsakov, Tchaikovsky, and Perry.
Childs & Tchaikovsky with GPMF’s Project Inclusion Quartet
July 17, 2022, 2:00 pm
Enjoy an intimate concert featuring members of the Grant Park Orchestra with the Project Inclusion Quartet performing an eclectic program, including an audience favorite by Tchaikovsky and a brand-new work by Billy Childs.
Gaudete! Early Music for the Christmas Season
December 20, 2021, 10:00 pm
A WFMT Network special, hosted by Sara Schneider.
The Maxwell Street Klezmer Band
December 4, 2021, 8:00 pm
Host Rich Warren welcomes Chicago’s original Klezmer revival band to celebrate Hanukkah live from Hinsdale.
Chicago a cappella Hanukkah
December 1, 2021, 8:00 pm
The virtuoso vocal ensemble’s celebration of the musical traditions of Hanukkah, hosted by Jonathan Miller.
Itzhak Perlman’s Hanukkah Radio Party
November 29, 2021, 10:00 pm
The illustrious violinist samples a great variety of music for the Jewish Festival of Lights.
Rita Jacobs Willens’ ‘Rozhinkes mit Mandlin’
November 28, 2021, 6:00 pm
Rita Jacobs Willens’s reminiscence of Jewish immigrant life in early 20th-century America. A long-time listener favorite, the work was created in 1979.
Marc Neikrug’s ‘Healing Ceremony’
November 25, 2021, 8:00 pm
Experience Healing Ceremony, a world premiere recording of American composer Marc Neikrug’s new work for orchestra and voices.
Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra Live from Bradley Symphony Center
October 2, 2021, 7:30 pm
In the very first live performance in the new Bradley Symphony Center, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra and music director Ken-David Masur welcome pianist Aaron Diehl to perform Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue. Also included in this live radio broadcast is music by Duke Ellington, Stravinsky, as well as contemporary composers James B. Wilson and Eric Nathan.
Musical Memories of the High Holidays with Itzhak Perlman
September 12, 2021, 7:00 pm
Renowned violinist Itzhak Perlman shares meaningful recordings in honor of the Jewish High Holidays: Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur.
Remembering September 11
September 11, 2021, 9:00 am
The 9/11 attacks occurred twenty years ago this month, and WFMT will mark that somber anniversary with a variety of special content. Folkstage, The Midnight Special, and With Heart and Voice will look back with music; Exploring Music’s theme is Dona Nobis Pacem (Grant Us Peace); and at 4:00 pm Saturday, hear Kevin Puts’ Symphony No. 2, Island of Innocence.
Music of the Baroque: A Celebration of 50 Years
September 7, 2021, 8:00 pm
Special: Join host Maggie Clennon Reberg as she celebrates the 50th anniversary of Chicago’s treasured early music ensemble Music of the Baroque.
Sound the Shofar: An Ancient Instrument in Modern Times
September 5, 2021, 6:00 pm
Explores the instrument made from a ram's horn that is heard around the world during the Jewish High Holidays.
North Shore Chamber Music Festival 2021
August 31, 2021, 8:00 pm
Dave Schwan hosts a performance from the North Shore Chamber Music Festival, recorded in June, featuring the Piano Quintet by Franck and works by Moszkowski, Sarasate, and Fauré.
Ear Taxi Festival 2021 Preview
August 24, 2021, 8:00 pm
Presented by New Music Chicago, the Ear Taxi Festival will take place from mid-September to early October. This preview performance was recorded last week in Nichols Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago.
Happy 80th Birthday, Maestro Muti!
July 28, 2021, 6:00 am
Riccardo Muti turns 80 on July 28, 2021. In honor of the Maestro, WFMT is spending the entire day celebrating his legacy in Chicago music. We’ll share an array of recordings conducted by Muti, the CSO’s music director since 2010, and even a birthday greeting or two from some esteemed colleagues.
Rachmaninoff with the New Philharmonic
July 13, 2021, 8:00 pm
Pianist Wael Farouk, a faculty member at Roosevelt University, has performed internationally: in Europe, Colombia, Japan, and his native Egypt. An alumnus of the Manhattan School of Music and of Roosevelt, he visited the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn in April, where he joined the New Philharmonic and conductor Kirk Muspratt for the virtuosic first three piano concertos by ...
Matthew Lipman Plays Bach and Telemann
July 11, 2021, 3:00 pm
From May 2021: violist Matthew Lipman and the Festival Orchestra perform Georg Philipp Telemann’s Viola Concerto in G Major and Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 6 at Nichols Concert Hall at the Music Institute of Chicago. Kerry Frumkin hosts.
Live From Ravinia: CSO’s Opening Night With Marin Alsop
July 9, 2021, 7:45 pm
WFMT joins forces with Ravinia and the CSO to bring listeners a live broadcast of the orchestra’s first 2021 appearance at the festival. Chief conductor and curator Marin Alsop and pianist Jorge Federico Osorio join the orchestra in music by Joan Tower, Mozart, and Beethoven. Kerry Frumkin hosts from the Ravinia Pavillion, and George Preston hosts an introduction with commentary ...
Music of the Baroque: A Celebration of 50 Years
June 28, 2021, 8:00 pm
Special: Join host Maggie Clennon Reberg as she celebrates the 50th anniversary of Chicago’s treasured early music ensemble Music of the Baroque.
Father’s Day on WFMT
June 20, 2021, 6:00 am
Celebrate Father’s Day with us! Share your dedications and requests in the form below (include keyword Father’s Day), and hosts Maggie Clennon Reberg and Oliver Camacho may select them for the air!
Let Freedom Ring: A Music Celebration of Juneteenth with Lara Downes
June 19, 2021, 3:00 pm
On a day when America commemorates the emancipation of enslaved people in our country, we welcome you to Let Freedom Ring: A Musical Celebration of Juneteenth with Lara Downes. Lara has been shining a bright light on the music and contributions of Black composers through her performances, podcasts and recordings. In this one-hour special, Lara takes listeners on a unique ...