Stories

Grace Bumbry at the White House for the 2009 Kennedy Center Honors

Grace Bumbry, 1st Black singer at Bayreuth, dies at 86

Bumbry was among the winners of the 1958 Met National Council Auditions. She had a recital debut in Paris that same year and made her Paris Opéra debut in 1960.

Keegan MorrisDecember 8, 2018

QUIZ | Can you match these musical prints and paintings to their artist?

The Art Institute of Chicago as it appeared in 1900 (Photo courtesy of the Art Institute of Chicago)

Michael San GabinoDecember 8, 2018

Celebrate 125 Years of the Art Institute of Chicago with WFMT! An Art-Inspired Morning of Music on Dec. 8

Associated PressDecember 7, 2018

Rome opera hires Gatti, who lost job over #MeToo allegations

Marilyn Rea Beyer, new ‘Midnight Special’ host, comes full circle

Keegan MorrisJuly 31, 2020

Beyer talks to WFMT about her introduction to folk music at Chicago's Symphony Center, formative memories of Steve Goodman and Studs Terkel, and what to expect as she takes the reins of 'The Midnight Special.'

Through the Eyes of Women: Protests and Racial Justice in the Studs Terkel Radio Archive

Bella LevaviJuly 31, 2020

Our picture of the past is often incomplete: though long on the frontlines in the fight for racial justice, women's stories have often been left out of history. Here are nine conversations with women to enrich our understanding.

Playlists

See All

Video | Chanticleer Returns to WFMT for an Impromptu of Festive Holiday Music

Keegan MorrisDecember 4, 2018

Chanticleer, a leading men's vocal group returned to WFMT for an Impromptu and Facebook Live video broadcast of joyous holiday songs. Enjoy the full video broadcast here!

The Marching Illini, the marching band for the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (Photo: Fumo7887)

Music in the Prairie State: 5 facts you didn’t know about Illinois music

Hannah SchillerDecember 3, 2018

On December 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union. You might know about the Prairie State's most famous resident, Abraham Lincoln, but did you know these 5 facts about Illinois music?

Days after concert, Gaza’s grand piano seized by merchant

Associated PressNovember 28, 2018

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A local businessman on Wednesday seized the Gaza Strip’s only grand piano, claiming he owned the instrument, just days after it made its public debut in a landmark concert following a complicated international restoration effort. Sunday’s recital provided a lucky audience a rare opportunity to see a live concert in Gaza, whose cultural offerings ...

The New York Philharmonic This Week