Playlist: Classical Music for Long Walks

In an array of stimulating and soothing music, give your walk a melodic backdrop or clear your mind for some deep thinking.

Playlist: Classical Coffeeshop

A rich blend of music for calm, conversation, and of course, caffeine.

Bach’s Top 10 Works

Bach wrote a lot of music! Here’s where to start…

St. Matthew Passion

Composed in 1727, it’s one of two surviving J.S. Bach accounts of the last days of Jesus. Bill begins by examining the history of the Lutheran church in Germany and the early musical representations of Christ’s last days, including Bach’s earlier St. John Passion. Before the week is over, we will also sample Haydn’s Seven Last Words of Christ and …

Bach and Handel Highlights in Music of the Baroque’s ’22-23 Season

The lineup represents the “most ambitious season in recent history,” according to executive director Declan McGovern.

Music of the Baroque Is Back With Messiah, Mozart, Haydn for 2021-22

Music of the Baroque today announced its plans for a 2021-22 season, the venerable Chicago area ensemble’s 51st.

Bach Birthday Bash!

All day long, tune in to hear WFMT’s celebration of Johann Sebastian Bach, who was born on this date in 1685.

Video: Young Chicago Artists Perform Music by Bach, Rachmaninoff, Saint-Saëns

Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative aims to diversify American orchestras by preparing promising young artists from underrepresented communities for careers in music.

Quiz: How Well Do You Know the Well-Tempered Clavier?

Does Bach rock your socks? Do you think you know the music of the contrapuntal master, J.S. Bach, himself? See how well you know Bach’s “The Well-Tempered Clavier,” one of the foundational works of classical music and of keyboard literature.

Quiz: Which Symphonic Master Are You?

Are you a revolutionary like Beethoven, or are you obsessive like Berlioz? Take this quiz to see which symphonic master you most resemble.

A Musical Memorial and Tribute: Yo-Yo Ma Plays Bach’s Solo Cello Suites Live

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma will perform J.S. Bach’s six cello suites live as a memorial for those we have lost in the pandemic and a tribute to the resilience of our communities.

A Banjoist Takes on Bach’s Cello Suite No. 1

What does a Bach/bluegrass crossover sound like? It sounds like pure relaxation.

Calculating Chopin: WFMT’s New Digital Series Demystifies Math and Music

“Contrary to popular myth,” Dr. Eugenia Cheng explains, “math is not just about numbers, but about patterns, structures, and logic, and patterns and structures also pervade classical music.”

The Well-Tempered Election Analyst: How Arnon Mishkin prepares (with a little help from Bach)

Arnon Mishkin has been called a data ninja, analyzing exit polls and explaining shifting voting blocs. How then does he prepare for the grueling hours ahead on the day and night of a Presidential Election? He plays the cello.

Music of the Baroque Announces 2020-21 season

On February 21, Music of the Baroque announced its 2020-2021 season, the ensemble’s 50th.

Peter van de Graaff’s Postcards from Central Germany

With Earthbound Expeditions and Peter and Kathleen van de Graaff, WFMT listeners embarked on a classical music-oriented tour of Central Germany with Bach, Mendelssohn, and Clara Schumann at its center.

Video: Pianist Hilda Huang Plays Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven at the Chicago Cultural Center

Fresh off a performance as the collaborative pianist to clarinetist Sam Boutris during last week’s Dame Myra Hess Concert, Hilda Huang performed a scintillating program of works by Bach, Mozart, and Beethoven

Video | Cellist Kian Soltani Explains Why Classical Musicians Should Stay Curious

“I would not consider myself a composer at all,” says Kian Soltani, shortly after playing a piece of music that he composed called Persian Fire Dance. “I’m really a cellist first and foremost, but I try to be creative also.”

Video: Pianist Hélène Tysman Plays Debussy, Bach, Chopin, Ravel

On an overcast, early fall day, pianist Hélène Tysman shared a sensitive, illuminating performance of piano works by Bach, Debussy, Chopin, and Ravel for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Watch the full program here!

Playlist: Classical Music From Composers’ School Days

Just because the school year is right around the corner doesn’t mean that you have to stop playing (or writing) music. As proof, here are 16 pieces from composers written when they were still students!

Watch violinist Anne Akiko Meyers perform Bach and Gounod’s Ave Maria [Video]

Bach and Gounod’s Ave Maria has always held a special place in violinist Anne Akiko Meyers’ repertoire: she grew up playing the beloved work. “It’s just one of the most beautiful pieces,” Meyers shared during her appearance on WFMT’s Impromptu.

Video: Pianist Kimberly Han, 18, Plays Bach, Haydn, Chopin

Beneath the Tiffany Dome of the Chicago Cultural Center, 18-year-old pianist Kimberly Han performed works by Bach, Haydn, and Chopin.

Playlist: Fretless and Linear — How Classical Violin Shaped Andrew Bird’s Sound

Using his violin and virtuosic whistle, Andrew Bird genre-jumps from indie rock to jazz, and from folk to classical. Born in Lake Forest, Bird began learning classical violin from the Suzuki Method at the age of four and recalls, “My mom would have WFMT on all the time… My dad listened to Merle Haggard.”

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma Performs Bach’s Cello Suites in Free Concert for Chicago

Yo-Yo Ma shared that Bach’s cellos suites have served as “a sanctuary for [him in] good times and less good times.”

Video | Matthew Lipman Performs Viola Music Live from Levin Performance Studio

It’s not every day that we get treated to a performance of viola repertoire, and in this Facebook Live from the Faye and Daniel Levin Performance Studio, violist Matthew Lipman performed three works composed for the instrument by Bach, Rebecca Clarke, and Robert Schumann. Matthew, who hails from Chicago’s south suburbs, admits that “the viola has the reputation amongst the …