Chicago’s own KAIA String Quartet plays an original medley to wish you happy holidays. Wearing masks, the ensemble recorded the performance — especially for WFMT — from the Fulton Street Collective.

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.

Every year, the holiday season brings a new assortment of fabulous and festive Christmas albums.

It’s hard to overstate just how impressive this performance’s lineup is.

For naysayers who think classical music is on the decline, these Chicago-based performing groups offer the perfect response. All founded in the past three years, they’re offering fresh takes on repertoire familiar and unfamiliar, expanding the musical canon and enlivening the musical life of our city.