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.
Kimberly Han
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 revered “Young Steinway Artist” title (ages 16-35 years ...
Hessler Duo
August 7, 2019
Violinist Yun-Ting Lee and collaborative pianist Younjung Cha who form the Hessler Duo perform a live recital from the Chicago Cultural Center for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast featuring works of Brahms, Debussy, and Joachim. The Hessler Duo was formed by pianist Youn-Jung Cha and violinist Yun-Ting Lee. The name of the duo originated from the street the ...
Huiping Cai
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 2019 Chopin International Piano Competition in Hartford, CT. ...
Tara Lynn Ramsey and Daniel Pesca
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 Chicago-based contemporary music ensemble Dal Niente and is a ...
Tom Zalmanov
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 of Prof. Emanuel Krasovsky. He previously studied in ...
Gabriel Martins and Joseph Liccardo
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 Award, Prague Spring International Music Competition, Sphinx ...
YinJia Lin
July 3, 2019
Chinese pianist YinJia Lin makes her appearance on the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Broadcasts with works of Scarlatti, Chopin, and Ginastera live from the Chicago Cultural Center. Chinese pianist YinJia Lin has drawn international attention since her concerto debut at the age of 15 with the Hong Kong Sinfonietta, conducted by Wing-Sie Yip. Recognized by critics, colleagues and the ...
Trio Appassionata
June 26, 2019
Praised by the International Record Review for its “complete dedication and assurance… [and for] music-making as impressive and dangerous as a granite cliff, ” Trio Appassionata is known for its communicative power, engaging performances, and the ability to bring audiences from different cultures together through music. Trio Appassionata’s recent engagements include extensive tours of both China and Brazil. The trio toured China under the ...
Brian Lam, piano
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 First Prize at the Hong Kong International Concerto ...
Tatiana Chulochnikova and Martin Labazevitch
June 5, 2019
Violinist Tatiana Chulochnikova and pianist Martin Labazevitch perform rare works by Polish composers including Karol Lipinski, Karol Szymanowski, and Chopin’s first music teacher Josef Elsner. Praised for her “fine performances” (The Washington Post), “dark plush romantic violin sound’ (New York Concert Review) and ‘thrilling technique and bravura style” (San Francisco Classical Voice) violinist Tatiana Chulochnikova is pursuing an active career as a ...
Esther Lee and Sung Chang
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 in Germany. After only six months as a ...
Kelsey Lauritano, mezzo-soprano & Andrew Sun, piano — Facebook Exclusive
May 22, 2019
Mezzo-soprano Kelsey Lauritano and pianist Andrew Sun share a program featuring works by Schubert, Ravel, Falla, and Ricky Ian Gordon in this Facebook Live-exclusive Dame Myra Hess recital. Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Japanese-American mezzo Kelsey Lauritano has been hailed by Opera News for her “wondrous power”, by the Boston Globe for her “rippling wine-dark voice with a low ...
Bryan Cheng and Silvie Cheng
May 15, 2019
The Cheng² Duo — Bryan Cheng, cello, and Silvie Cheng, piano — present works by Tchaikovsky, Poulenc, and Sarasate under the Tiffany glass dome at the Chicago Cultural Center. Captivating audiences and critics alike, the Cheng² Duo distinguishes itself with its uncompromising musical integrity, undeniable chemistry, and unparalleled communication with its listeners. The brother-and-sister duo is formed by 21-year-old cellist Bryan Cheng, top ...
Graeme Steele Johnson and Yevgeny Yontov
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 producer. As a soloist and chamber musician, he ...
Lee Dionne
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 elocution with a depth of understanding across a ...
Ambroise Aubrun and Steven Vanhauwaert
April 24, 2019
Violinist Ambroise Aubrun and pianist Steven Vanhauwaert present two works on this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast Violin Sonata in E minor, K. 304, by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Violin Sonata No. 1, by Philippe Gaubert. French violinist Ambroise Aubrun, Assistant Professor of Violin at UNLV, was described as a performer with a “marvelous ease, suppleness and beauty of sound” ...
Juliette Herlin and Kevin Ahfat
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 such prestigious venues as the Théâtre des ...
Sophiko Simsive
April 10, 2019
Pianist Sophiko Simsive presents a program of Robert Schumann, Franz Liszt, and Sergei Prokofiev for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert. Please note that this concert will be aired at 8:00 p.m. Georgian-born Sophiko Simsive started to play the piano at the age of three and began her studies from her mother. At the age of eleven years, she ...
Rasa Vitkauskaite
April 3, 2019
Internationally acclaimed pianist Rasa Vitkauskaite joins us in live performance with works of Mikalojus Konstantinos Čiurlionis, Carlos Guastavino, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Maurice Ravel, and Moritz Moszkowski for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. This concert will air on Facebook Live at 12:15 pm, and then on WFMT at 8:00 p.m. Hailed for “artistry of poetic and observant sensitivity” (Gramophone), internationally ...
Richard Lin and Chih-Yi Chen
March 27, 2019
Violinist Richard Lin with collaborative pianist Chih-Yi Chen present a program of Wieniawski, Grieg, and Tchaikovsky live from the Chicago Cultural Center. Taiwanese-American violinist Richard Lin is the newly crowned Gold Medalist of the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis which took place this past September. Highlights of Mr. Lin’s 2018-2019 season include recitals in Chicago, La Jolla and throughout ...
Hyoung-Ryoul Kim and Shin-Young Park
August 21, 2019
Saxophonist Hyoung-Ryoul Kim is joined by pianist Shin-Young Park with a contemporary program of works by for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Hyungryoul Kim, from Seoul, Korea, is currently pursuing a DMA in saxophone Performance and Literature from Prof. Richtmeyer’s studio at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He graduated from the Korea National University of Arts in Seoul, ...
George X. Fu
August 28, 2019
Acclaimed pianist George X. Fu performs five Debussy Études and Piano Sonata No. 30 in E Major, Op. 109 by Beethoven for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Hailed by the Boston Music Intelligencer as a “heroic piano soloist” with “stunning virtuosity”, Chinese-American pianist George X. Fu has performed as a soloist with orchestras such as the National Symphony ...
