Wednesdays at 12:15 pm
From the Chicago Cultural Center, hear weekly live concerts.
Each week WFMT goes live to the Chicago Cultural Center for concerts with emerging artists from around the world, produced by the International Music Foundation. Some shows offer solo recitals while others feature ensembles. The concerts take place beneath the world’s largest Tiffany-domed ceiling, part of a landmark building that originally housed the Chicago Public Library. The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts are named for British pianist Myra Hess who organized some 1,700 free lunchtime concerts for Londoners during World War II, in the years of nightly air raids.
Gaudete and Red Star Brass – [Rebroadcast]
September 23, 2020
This is an encore broadcast from September 13, 2017, with the combined forces of Gaudete and Red Star Brass recorded live from the Pritzker Pavilion at Millennium Park. Gaudete Brass Bill Baxtresser, trumpet Charles Russell Roberts, trumpet Paul Von Hoff, trombone Joanna Schulz, horn Scott Tegge, tuba Since 2004, the Gaudete Brass Quintet has committed itself to presenting serious brass ...
Huiping Cai [Rebroadcast]
September 16, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from July 31, 2019. Twenty-one-year-old Chinese pianist Huiping Cai presents a live recital with works by Ravel, Paderewski, and Chopin for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Twenty-one-year-old Huiping Cai is one of the most exciting young talents coming from China today. Winner of numerous national and international competitions, she captured First Prize at the ...
Juliette Herlin and Kevin Ahfat [Rebroadcast]
September 9, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from April 17, 2019. Cellist Juliette Herlin and pianist Kevin Ahfat present a concert of French repertoire by Henri Duparc, Reynaldo Hahn, Claude Debussy, Camille Saint-Saëns, and Francis Poulenc for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. French cellist Juliette Herlin has performed throughout Europe, the US, and Asia as soloist, chamber musician, and recitalist in ...
Lee Dionne [Rebroadcast]
September 2, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from May 1, 2019. Pianist Lee Dionne presents a program of Beethoven and Brahms on this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Pianist Lee Dionne holds passion, imagination, and play at the core of his art. His performances have been described as “impressive” (NY Times) and “impeccable” (Fanfare Magazine), and his interpretations combine a freedom of ...
Brian Lam [Rebroadcast]
August 26, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from June 19, 2019. Pianist Brian Lam performs works by Chopin, Schubert, and Liszt live from the Chicago Cultural Center in this week’s Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Hailed by pianist Claude Frank as “a superbly talented young pianist,” Brian Lam has performed at numerous concert venues around the globe. He has recently claimed the ...
Graeme Steele Johnson and Yevgeny Yontov [Rebroadcast]
August 19, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from May 8, 2019. Clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson and pianist Yevgeny Yontov present a program of Brahms and Debussy for this live broadcast of the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert. Winner of the Hellam Young Artists’ Competition and the Yamaha Young Performing Artists Competition, Graeme Steele Johnson has established a multifaceted career as a clarinetist, writer and artistic ...
Esther Lee and Sung Chang [Rebroadcast]
August 12, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from May 29, 2019. The husband and wife duo Sung Chang and Esther Lee presents music for piano four hands by Bach, Liszt, and Piazzolla for this live Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Husband and wife duo team, Sung Chang and Esther Lee have been playing together since 2010 while studying at Hochschule fuer Musik Theater und Medien Hannover ...
Gabriel Martins and Joseph Liccardo [Rebroadcast]
August 5, 2020
This is a broadcast from July 10, 2019. Gabriel Martins and Joseph Liccardo present music for cello and piano by both Clara and Robert Schumann as well as a Beethoven sonata live from the Chicago Cultural Center for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. American cellist Gabriel Martins (b. 1998) is a prize-winner of the David Popper International Cello Competition, Orford Music ...
Tom Zalmanov [Rebroadcast]
July 29, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from July 17, 2019. Israeli-born pianist Tom Zalmanov joins us live under the Tiffany glass dome of the Chicago Cultural Center with a program of Mozart, Chopin, and Scriabin for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Israeli-born pianist Tom Zalmanov (b. 1999) is a student at the Buchman-Mehta School of Music in Tel Aviv, class ...
Tara Lynn Ramsey and Daniel Pesca
July 22, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from July 24, 2019. Violinist Tara Ramsey is joined by collaborative pianist Daniel Pesca for this live Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast with works by Mozart, Brahms, and Gershwin. Tara Lynn Ramsey enjoys a varied career as a chamber musician, new music interpreter, orchestral musician, and teacher. She performs as violinist and violist of the ...
Kimberly Han [Rebroadcast]
July 15, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from August 14, 2019. Young Steinway Artist award winning pianist Kimberly Han performs works by Bach, Haydn, and Chopin live under the Tiffany glass dome of the Chicago Cultural Center for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Kimberly Han, 18-year-old pianist and violinist, is from Lake Forest, Illinois of USA. She was recently awarded the ...
Ginevra Petrucci and Jory Vinikour [Rebroadcast]
July 8, 2020
Flutist Ginevra Petrucci and pianist Jory Vinikour present a program of Hindemith, Hummel, and Vaughan Williams live under the Tiffany glass dome of the Chicago Cultural Center. This is a rebroadcast from September 4, 2019. Described by The Flutist Quarterly as having “a beautiful phrasing, brilliant virtuosity and a legato worthy of a great singer”, Ginevra Petrucci has an active performing schedule ...
Véronique Mathieu and Jasmin Arakawa [Rebroadcast]
July 1, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from December 18, 2019. Canadian born violinist Véronique Mathieu and collaborative pianist Jasmin Arakawa present a program of French music by Lili Boulanger, Claude Debussy, and Francis Poulenc. Described as a violinist with ‘chops to burn, and rock solid musicianship’ (The Whole Note, TORONTO), Canadian violinist Véronique Mathieu enjoys an exciting career as a soloist, chamber musician, and ...
Pavel Gintov [Rebroadcast]
June 24, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from May 31, 2017. Panist Pavel Gintov has been described as “a poet of the keyboard” by Marty Lash of the Illinois Entertainer and as a “musical storyteller” by the Japanese publication Shikoku News. Following his debut at the Kiev Philharmonic Hall at the age of 12, when he performed Mozart Concerto no. 20 with Kiev ...
Merz Trio [Rebroadcast]
June 17, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from October 16, 2019. Brigid Coleridge, violin Julia Yang, cello Lee Dionne, piano Lauded for its “stunning virtuosity and ensemble work,” the Merz Trio has been hailed as “riveting,” with “fresh and surprising interpretations” (Reading Eagle). Formed in 2017, the Trio has made a sweep of top US competitions, taking Gold Medals at the 2019 Fischoff ...
Donald Sinta Saxophone Quartet [Rebroadcast]
June 10, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from September 26, 2018. 2018 Fischoff Competition Gold Medal recipients, the Donald Sinta Quartet, appear once again on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Broadcasts. The bring with them a variety of music including an arrangement of a Ludwig van Beethoven string quartet by Dan Graser as well as works written for saxophone quartet by Chris Hass, David Biedenbender, ...
Vermeer Quartet and Arianna String Quartet [Rebroadcast]
May 27, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from October 18, 2017. The combined forces of the Vermeer and Arianna String Quartets present a single work on today’s program, the Mendelssohn Octet in E-flat Major, Op.20 to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts. Vermeer Quartet Shmuel Ashkenasi, violin; Mathias Tacke, violin; Richard Young, viola; Nicole Johnson, cello Arianna String ...
Kamil Tokarski [Rebroadcast]
May 20, 2020
This is a rebroadcast from November 13, 2019. Polish pianist Kamil Tokarski joins us under the Tiffany dome with music of Scarlatti, Chopin, and Albéniz for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Dr. Kamil Tokarski is a distinguished pianist with rich musical experiences throughout Europe, the United States, and Asia. Kamil Tokarski has appeared in solo recitals in Poland, Switzerland, ...
Trio Celeste [Rebroadcast]
May 13, 2020
Hailed as “a first-class ensemble” (Orange County Register), “unfailingly stylish” (The Strad), “technically dazzling” (Long Beach Gazette), “flawless” (New York Concert Review) and “the epitome of what chamber musicians should be” (Palm Beach Daily News), Trio Céleste has firmly established itself as one of the most dynamic chamber music ensembles on the classical music scene today. Recent highlights include recital ...
Dynasty Battles [Rebroadcast]
May 6, 2020
An encore broadcast from August 15, 2018. Hailing from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Dynasty Battles is a visionary concert pianist with a unique approach to his blend of music. Battles, a favorite performer of the W. Russell Johnson Music Guild, has won a variety of accolades on regional and national levels. He has been featured together with soprano Marietta Simpson, in the ...
Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet
September 30, 2020
We welcome back live performances from the Chicago Cultural Center. Though the Cultural Center remains closed, the WFMT audience will be treated to a live concert from the Claudia Cassidy Theater with the Lake Effect Clarinet Quartet. Nora Shaffer, Eb Clarinet/Bb Clarinet Erin Miesner, Bb Clarinet Cally Laughlin, Bb Clarinet Joe Sanchez, Bass Clarinet
