Stories

WFMT’s Classical Conversations: ‘Becoming Frederick Douglass’ & ‘Harriet Tubman Visions of Freedom’

Grammy-winning conductor, pianist, and composer Charles Floyd and award-winning baritone Robert Sims reflect on the importance that Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass placed on spirituals as a beacon for freedom.

Lisa FlynnJune 30, 2017

Chiara String Quartet Plays Complete Bartók Quartets Completely By Heart

Stephen Raskauskas

Playlist: The Best Classical Music to Serve at Your Next Cookout

Galilee AbdullahJune 29, 2017

Video: This Dog Wanted to Hear Mendelssohn Better, So It Took a Seat Next to the First Violinist

The 10 Best Classical Christmas Albums of 2019

Lisa FlynnDecember 13, 2019

Every year, the holiday season brings a new assortment of fabulous and festive Christmas albums. Here are some of the inspiring recordings we’ve received for 2019. Let them accompany your celebrations this Christmas and for years to come.

Britten the Composer, Pacifist, Remembered by the Star of His Antiwar Opera

George PrestonDecember 13, 2019

A lifelong pacifist, Britten used his music to advocate for peace. Baritone Benjamin Luxon, who created the title role of the composer’s pacifist opera Owen Wingrave, reflects on Britten’s legacy of music and pacifism.

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6 Songs to Send You “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”

Andi LamoreauxJune 23, 2017

Judy Garland introduced “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in The Wizard of Oz, and she sang it for the rest of her life. Operatic soprano Renata Scotto used it as her signature encore at solo recitals. And more recently, and very memorably, Ariana Grande sang it to end One Love Manchester, her benefit for the victims of terrorism in the British ...

VIDEO: Learn How to Make Pasta alla Norma With ‘Norma’ Conductor Riccardo Frizza

Stephen RaskauskasJune 22, 2017

Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma is so beautiful, it has inspired a dish: pasta alla Norma. When conductor and cook Riccardo Frizza led performances of "Norma" in Chicago, he shared his recipe.

Why the Beats of Bomba and Plena are as Essential to Puerto Rican Culture as Beans and Rice

Angelica LasalaJune 16, 2017

Arroz con gandules – a version of beans and rice using pigeon peas – is a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine. Because the dish is so affordable to prepare, it nourishes people from all walks of life and economic backgrounds. Bomba and plena, two forms of Puerto Rican folk music, have similarly nourished the commonwealth by uplifting working-class narratives and ...

Midday with Lisa Flynn