Stories

Video: WFMT’s Bach to School Virtual Assembly with the Ryan Opera Center

On May 10, 2022, WFMT General Manager George Preston welcomed Ryan Opera Center performers Lunga Eric Hallam, tenor, and Chris Reynolds, pianist; along with ROC director Dan Novak, for an hour of conversation and music.

Stephen RaskauskasFebruary 22, 2016

Bartlett Sher on Shakespeare in the Opera House

Michael San GabinoFebruary 17, 2016

Grammy-Winning Violinist Gil Shaham’s Advice for Young Musicians

Stephen RaskauskasFebruary 16, 2016

‘I’m a white composer, living in white privilege, setting the poetry of Langston Hughes’

Tour the Glyndebourne gardens, where music meets nature

Michael San GabinoJuly 24, 2019

Glyndebourne, located in the England countryside, declares that it produces “no ordinary opera,” and one could certainly use a similar mantra for its stately, stunning gardens. Musicians and patrons alike gain inspiration from the visual splendor of Glyndebourne. And according to Glyndebourne’s head gardener Kevin Martin, the inspiration is mutual. “I get inspiration from the music but also from the ...

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

Daniel GoldbergJuly 24, 2019

Beyond the major hallowed houses, Chicago is filled with venues that can bring a different, intimate, interactive, or even more affordable experience.

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Everything You Always Wanted to Know about the Lute but Were Afraid to Ask – with Paul O’Dette

Stephen RaskauskasJanuary 22, 2016

Paul O’Dette is one of the most sought-after lute players in the world. In addition to being an active soloist, O’Dette is the co-artistic director of the Boston Early Music Festival, teaches at the Eastman School of Music, and records extensively, with credits on over 120 albums. His recording of Charpentier’s La Descente d’Orphée aux Enfer won the 2015 Grammy for Best Opera Recording. ...

Barbara Gaines, Chicago Shakespeare Theater’s Artistic Director, Shares Her Favorite Theater Music

WFMTJanuary 21, 2016

We spoke with the Chicago theater institution's founder and artistic director about the music that inspires her.

Why Vijay Iyer, DownBeat’s Jazz Artist of the Year, Doesn’t Like the Word ‘Jazz’

Stephen RaskauskasJanuary 20, 2016

DownBeat magazine gave Vijay Iyer the honors of Jazz Artist & Jazz Group of the Year in its 63rd Annual Critics Poll. But to Iyer, jazz is a bit of a four-letter word.

Midday with Lisa Flynn