Playlist: Music for All Souls Day

All Souls Day (November 2) is a day of prayer and remembrance for departed loved ones observed in many branches of Christianity.

Playlist: Classical Fire and Flames

The Great Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871. Here’s some music that takes inspiration from flames.

Musical Tails: 6 Composers Who Wrote Music for Pets

Meet the incredible pets who inspired some of our favorite music!

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.

Video: Young Artist Elliot Wuu Plays Essential Early Beethoven and Schumann Works

Pianist Elliot Wuu, who is in his early 20s, visited Chicago to perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven and Robert Schumann that were both written when the composers were in their 20s.

Playlist: Classical Music for Travel

WFMT brings you a “musical getaway,” whether you’re enjoying the comfort of your cushiest armchair or exploring somewhere new!

Video: Violinist Maya Buchanan Plays Beethoven & Music Inspired by ‘Carmen’

Ascendant violinist Maya Buchanan joined WFMT and pianist Milana Pavchinskaya to share the “Spring” Violin Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven and the Carmen Fantasie Brillante by Jenő Hubay.

Video: Beethoven, Debussy, Liszt Piano Highlights from Daniel Lebhardt

In a dazzling and dynamic performance, pianist Daniel Lebhardt enchanted audiences with Beethoven’s seminal “Appassionata” Piano Sonata No. 23.

Video: Beethoven and Brahms Masterworks With Gabriel Martins & Victor Asunción

In two expressive, charismatic works of cello repertoire, ascendant artist Gabriel Martins Brahms’ Cello Sonata No. 2.

After 28 Years, Chicago Symphony Chorus Director Duain Wolfe Gives a ‘Joyous Farewell’

“I’ve been very lucky. Not only did I get the world’s best job, but I also got to work closely with the world’s best conductors: Barenboim, Muti, Boulez, Haitink, you name it!”

Grant Park Music Festival Announces Full 2022 Season

The season begins on June 15 with artistic director and principal conductor Carlos Kalmar leading music of Mozart, Wagner, and Price.

CSO Announces Winter/Spring 2022 Concerts

Music director Riccardo Muti will conduct music by Beethoven, Price, Glass, and Montgomery while welcoming guest artists like Anne-Sophie Mutter, Leif Ove Andsnes, and Mitsuko Uchida.

Carnegie Adjusts Program for Return, Adds Beethoven Cycle

Carnegie Hall has changed the program for its return from the coronavirus shutdown and added a Beethoven cycle to the season with the Philadelphia Orchestra and music director Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

Video: Beethoven, Debussy, Kodály, Strohl Performed at Chicago Cultural Center

In an impassioned hour of music, cellist Ben Solomonow and pianist Christopher Goodpasture played a wide-ranging selection of music from Ludwig van Beethoven to Rita Strohl.

Masumi Per Rostad on Beethoven, YouTube, and the Viola

Masumi Per Rostad is an artist completely steeped in classical music. He chats with WFMT ahead of his performance at the Grant Park Music Festival this weekend.

Music, Fable, and Batman: Why Beethoven’s Story Makes for a Perfect Comic Book

WFMT sits down with the two writers of The Final Symphony: A Beethoven Anthology, a comic book collection inspired by Ludwig van Beethoven.

After 18+ Months, Muti Will Return To Chicago To Kick Off 2021-22 CSO Season

Riccardo Muti will return to Chicago this September to launch the 2021-22 CSO season, his first stint conducting the CSO in Symphony Center since February 2020.

Preview: A Look at the Live Music Of North Shore Chamber Music Fest

Enjoy the beauty of live music-making (even if you aren’t there in person) with a star-studded chamber music sampler of works new and old.

Lyric Announces 2021-22 Season With ‘Magic Flute,’ ‘Macbeth,’ Mazzola

A Verdi and bel canto expert, Lyric’s new music director Enrique Mazzola will open the season with Verdi’s Macbeth and Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, while also conducting contemporary opera Proving Up by Missy Mazzoli later in the season.

What Words Cannot Express: Ian Bostridge on the Power of Music

In a free three-part lecture, esteemed tenor Ian Bostridge examines the capacity of music to capture the otherwise indescribable phenomena of life: identity, existence, and death.

2021 Grammys: Classical Music Nominees and Winners

It’s been a strange, difficult year for the music world, which is all the more reason to celebrate musical excellence.

Video: Paula Kosower & Kuang-Hao Huang Play Nadia Boulanger, Debussy, Beethoven Live

From the Chicago Cultural Center, cellist Paula Kosower and collaborative pianist Kuang-Hao Huang present works of Nadia Boulanger, Claude Debussy, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Video: Avalon String Quartet Honors Beethoven 250 with a Dynamic Performance

On the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth, the Avalon String Quartet gave a deft and passionate performance of one of Beethoven’s finest chamber works.

Beethoven’s Top 10 Works

WFMT looks back on the eminent composer’s most important works. Here is our ranking of Beethoven’s top 10 most important compositions.

Celebrate Beethoven 250 with a Beautiful Biographical Film

As the world celebrates the 250th birth anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven, stream the film that traces the young Ludwig, known to family and friends as “Louis,” in his journey from a musical prodigy to an eminent composer.