Stories

Janai Brugger as Glauce and Matthew Polenzani as Giasone in Cherubini's Medea

Chicago-born opera stars Janai Brugger & Matthew Polenzani trade tales, on-camera singing tips

Tenor Matthew Polenzani reflects that “there are definitely pieces where what’s required dramatically in a hall of 4,000 seats is different from what’s required dramatically on a screen.”

Stephen RaskauskasSeptember 5, 2017

Video | Meet Jerry, Río, and Gratia: Three of the Most Graceful Dancers on Four Legs

Stephen RaskauskasAugust 30, 2017

From 17th Century Spectacle to Contemporary Classics, a First Look at Chicago’s Fall Opera Season

Mary MazurekAugust 28, 2017

We tested earbuds ranging from $9.99 to $999.95 to find the best pair for listening to classical music. Here’s what we found.

Drinking, Dueling, and a Dragon? Huzzah!

Keegan MorrisJanuary 16, 2020

It's Baroque opera, minus the sobriety. The serious operas of Handel and Gluck get the parody treatment in this excerpt from the 1737 opera The Dragon of Wantley performed by Haymarket Opera Company!

Video: Hear a Recital of Dynamic Romantic-Era Violin Music

Keegan MorrisJanuary 15, 2020

On January 15, violinist Stephen Kim and pianist Ilya Friedberg shared the Chicago Cultural Center stage for a concert of passionate, dynamic music by two Romantic composers: Ernest Chausson and Johannes Brahms.

Playlists

See All

Video: Watch This Young Pianist Play Ridiculously Hard Works by Chopin… Blindfolded!

Angelica LasalaAugust 23, 2017

Frédéric Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, No. 4 and Prelude Op. 28, No. 16 are notorious for being among the composer’s most challenging works to play. And when pianist Aldric Gozon learned these two pieces, he didn’t stop at getting the notes right – he played both blindfolded. Chopin wrote Étude Op. 10, No. 4 in 1830 as part of his ...

Your Guide to Chopin’s Nocturnes

Angelica LasalaAugust 22, 2017

Learn about some of Chopin's signature compositions: his most important nocturnes.

Playlist: Your Guide to Chopin’s Orchestral Works

Adela SkowronskiAugust 22, 2017

Though Chopin did not compose many works for piano and orchestra — just six! — he kept them in his concert repertoire throughout his career.

Through the Night with Peter van de Graaff