Stories

Verismo Meets Lyrical Flow: Chicago Composer Creates Opera from Classic Nas Track

It was a rap song by Nas that directly influenced Chicago composer Steve Wallace’s newest chamber opera, Undying Love.

Stephen RaskauskasFebruary 2, 2017

Frederick Douglass Owned a Copy of a Stradivarius, His Grandson Played for Two Presidents

Stephen RaskauskasFebruary 2, 2017

Video: Renée Fleming’s Best Advice for Young Singers To Succeed in Opera Today

Michael San GabinoFebruary 1, 2017

Meet Susie Lape, the New Executive Director of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras

Sally Field, ‘Sesame Street’ to receive Kennedy Center award

Associated PressJuly 18, 2019

San Francisco Symphony music director Michael Tilson Thomas is among the awardees. Asked why he felt he was chosen for the award, Tilson Thomas laughed and said, "I guess I've just been around a long time!"...

Over the Moon for “Moon River”

Larry JohnsonJuly 16, 2019

"I was thirteen years old and on a definite budget: I took some of my paltry allowance and spent the princely sum of $1 on a record."

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At the 59th Annual Grammy Awards this February, Chicago Boasts Over 80 Nominees in 35 Categories

Mary MazurekJanuary 27, 2017

David Skidmore of Third Coast Percussion exclaimed, "It feels great to be nominated. We love this city, and we love the musical life of this city..."

Watch WFMT’s First Classical Cabaret

Stephen RaskauskasJanuary 26, 2017

In 2016, WFMT launched its Classical Cabaret, a brand new, live radio variety show. The first ever Classical Cabaret was hosted at the Uptown Underground, a burlesque longue in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Composer, musician, and WFMT announcer Robbie Ellis hosted a fun evening from the piano. He shared some of his own original compositions, including a very hilarious, very Chicago ...

NY Philharmonic president quits for University of Michigan

Associated PressJanuary 24, 2017

Matthew VanBesien will become the third executive to depart this year with the orchestra in the midst of fundraising to renovate its Lincoln Center home.

Midday with Lisa Flynn