Stories

Chicago Phil ‘Rejoices’ in Return for 2021-22 Season

The ensemble’s return to live performance features four programs which all will be conducted by artistic director and principal conductor Scott Speck.

Stephen Raskauskas | June 8, 2017

10 Operas About Poisonous and Medicinal Plants

Hannah Edgar | June 8, 2017

6 Unforgettable Composer Friendships

Stephen Raskauskas | June 7, 2017

KAIA Kids Around the World – The Music of Brazil

Off the Beaten Path: 9 Underrated Venues for Classical Music in Chicago

Daniel Goldberg | July 24, 2019

The Windy City is home to some of the greatest venues in the world to see classical music. From Symphony Center and Lyric Opera House to Millennium Park and Auditorium Theater, Chicago boasts large houses that are just as beautiful and grand as they are sonically pleasing. Beyond these major houses, Chicago is filled with smaller venues that can bring ...

On the Moon Landing’s 50th Anniversary, Hear a Song Cycle Inspired by American Women Astronauts

Keegan Morris | July 19, 2019

In February, soprano Tamara Wilson joined WFMT to perform a celestial song cycle composed for her by Chicago composer James Kallembach. The works draw from the experience of women astronauts, including Sally Ride, Sunita Williams, and Peggy Whitson. We're bringing this video back in honor of the 50th anniversary of the moon landing.

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Playlist: 3 Latino “Mozarts” Classical Music Lovers Should Know

Daniel Goldberg | June 1, 2017

There are three Latino composers who have often been compared to Mozart. Two of them were called “Mozart” by their contemporaries: Chevalier de Saint Georges, born in the French-Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in the 18th century and the 19th-century composer Spanish-Basque Juan Crisóstomo Arriaga. The third is the 20th-century Brazilian composer Camargo Guarnieri whose first name was actually Mozart! Learn ...

This Is What Your Favorite Composers Would Look Like if They Actually Cracked a Smile…

Stephen Raskauskas | May 31, 2017

Though the music of your favorite composers might make you smile, chances are, the composers themselves aren't smiling in their portraits. Until now...

How the Complex Rhythms of Colonialism Created One of Uruguay’s Most Celebrated Musical Traditions

Galilee Abdullah | May 30, 2017

Though Uruguay is one of the least populous countries in South America, every year it hosts the world’s longest Carnaval. Carnaval in Uruguay would not be complete without candombe, an Afro-Uruguayan performance tradition that is centuries old but still celebrated today. Candombe is rooted in the culture of enslaved peoples who were brought to Uruguay from Africa during the early ...

Late Afternoon Music with Candice Agree