Terell Johnson on Extending the ‘Great Path’ of the Chicago Phil

Johnson, the incoming director of the Chicago Phil, reflects that he “can’t stress enough how important it is to champion those voices that haven’t been heard.”

Video: Expressive, Dynamic Music for Cello & Piano Played by Jean Hatmaker & Michael Finlay

Cellist Jean Hatmaker is a founding member of the Kontras Quartet and the principal cellist of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. She teamed up with pianist Michael Finlay to play music by Brahms and Coleridge-Taylor.

6 Chicago Concerts and Celebrations for Juneteenth 2021

Many have their Juneteenth parades and celebrations all ready to go, but if you’re on the hunt for some plans, consider attending one of these six unique events.

Watch WFMT’s Latest Classical Conversations With Jessie Montgomery

“Whenever people buy a ticket to a concert, they’re committing to a shared experience…” composer, violinist, and educator Jessie Montgomery reflects.

Religious leaders, artists honor George Floyd in concert

Religious leaders, musical guests, spoken word artists, and politicians gathered for a concert in Houston, the hometown of George Floyd, to commemorate the anniversary of his death.

Wells’ World: Corey Wilkes Melds Chicago Music Past, Present In Documentary Score

“I had to think about the Roaring Twenties and music like Louis Armstrong, King Oliver, and so on, that Ida B. Wells [would have been] hearing.”

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.

CSO Announces Next Mead Composer-in-Residence

Riccardo Muti has appointed Jessie Montgomery as the Mead Composer-in-Residence. Montgomery will succeed the CSO’s current composer-in-residence, Missy Mazzoli, in July of this year.

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.

Playlist: 12 Black Film & TV Composers You Should Know

From Duke Ellington to Tamar-kali, these 12 composers have shaped what movies and TV sound like.

New museum traces history of Black music across genres

A new music museum in Nashville is telling an important and often overlooked story about the roots of American popular music.

Playlist: Celebrating the Blackness and Black Artistry of Gospel Music

Black people have used music and singing to tell the story of hope amid pain, promise amid peril, and immovable faith amid adversity. This playlist celebrates the uniqueness of Black thought and spirituality through the years.

National Museum of African American Music to open next month

News outlets report the National Museum of African American Music will host a socially distanced ribbon cutting on Jan. 18 when it formally opens.

Playlist: Telling the Painful and Hopeful Story of the Black Community (Staff Spotlight)

In the first of our WFMT Staff Spotlight series, we share a playlist from Tim Russell, the Vice President of Community Engagement at WFMT and WTTW.

Light and Hope in Music: Illinois Philharmonic Opens Season Virtually

IPO concertmaster Azusa Tashiro feels that music is vital as “something to rely on, something that warms [your] heart.”

Lyric Cancels 2020-21 season

Among the canceled 2021 productions are Donizetti’s The Elixir of Love, Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro; and Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress, as well as a concert tribute to music director Sir Andrew Davis, who concludes his 20-year tenure at the end of this season.

Met Opera skips this season, 1st Black composer opens ’21-22

The Metropolitan Opera will skip an entire season for the first time in its nearly 140-year history and intends to return from the pandemic layoff next September.

In the Age of the Visual Album, What Can Opera Learn from Beyoncé?

The virtual sphere won’t replace the live stage, but it can add a second, more accessible one, with great room for creative growth and the viral potential of easily shareable, iconic images.

Playlist: Black and Latino Voices On Stage

To coincide with exciting new additions to the WTTW slate, WFMT has compiled a playlist celebrating the pinnacles of Black and Latino artistry in vocal music.

Lyric Returns With Free Star-Studded Virtual Gala

Lyric Opera of Chicago’s season opens this weekend in truly unprecedented fashion: with a virtual gala.

North Carolina home of Nina Simone gets permanent protection

The childhood home of iconic musician and civil rights activist Nina Simone will be indefinitely preserved in North Carolina.

COT Pivots to Digital, Expands Season

Chicago Opera Theater has revised its 2020-21 season with digital livestreams and additional performances.

Watch Third Coast Percussion Perform Mesmeric Music by Devonté Hynes

The Grammy-winning ensemble performed music by Devonté Hynes from their new album, Fields.

Thursday: Third Coast Percussion Plays Music of Devonté Hynes in WFMT Livestream

Join us on WFMT’s Facebook Page Thursday at 7:30 pm for a free livestream with Third Coast Percussion, Devonté Hynes, and a video featuring choreography by Rena Butler.

Through the Eyes of Women: Protests and Racial Justice in the Studs Terkel Radio Archive

Our picture of the past is often incomplete: though long on the frontlines in the fight for racial justice, women’s stories have often been left out of history. Here are nine conversations with women to enrich our understanding.