Stories

Music could help ease pain from surgery or illness. Scientists are listening.

The healing power of song may sound intuitive given music’s deep roots in human culture. But the science of whether and how music dulls acute and chronic pain — technically called music-induced analgesia — is just catching up.

Gaudete Brass posing with their instruments

Keegan MorrisJanuary 14, 2025

Bach in the City: New Chicago Festival Debuts in March

Paul Huang stands against a sunlit wall, wearing a blue sportcoat, holding a violin

Keegan MorrisJanuary 14, 2025

New Releases Jan. 14: 20th Century Deep Dive, Connection, and Clara Schumann

Fay and Daniel Levin pose with Elmo at a WTTW-WFMT event

WFMTJanuary 13, 2025

Real Estate Developer, 47-Year WTTW-WFMT Trustee Daniel Levin, Dies at Age 94

Luxurious gold and red velvet opera house interior

Treasured Titles: Exploring the Most Performed Operas of the Last 25 Years

Keegan MorrisMay 12, 2025

At the quarter-century mark, we dig into the data. What are the most frequently performed operas in the US and worldwide?

Robert Prevost, first American pope in history of the Catholic Church, will take the name Leo XIV

Associated PressMay 8, 2025

Cardinal Robert Prevost, who has taken the name Leo XIV, was born in Chicago in 1955.

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votive candles lit against a black background

In Their Own Words: Remembering Those Who Died in 2024

Candice AgreeJanuary 2, 2025

WFMT remembers those who died in 2024: those we know from our community and those we never met, but who spoke to us through their work.

Classical Countdown: New Year’s Eve Music to Strike the Perfect Note at Midnight

Keegan Morris

Curated celebratory classical music, and the exact second to press play so the music crescendos with the changing of the New Year.

7 Works for 7 Principles: Classical Music for Kwanzaa

LaRob Rafael

Music from the 1800s to today to honor each of the seven principles of Kwanzaa.

Sunday Afternoons with Robbie Ellis