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

Verdi’s Aida is the apotheosis of grant opera, but the true beauty of Verdi lies not only in its grandeur but also in its details.

A successful, in-demand touring and recording artist, Pablo Sáinz-Villegas visited WFMT while in town to make his CSO debut in a program of Spanish and Latin American music conducted by Giancarlo Guerrero.

As Guerrero says, “In many ways, I am the poster child to show that music can…become a part of your life regardless of your background.”

Despite Maestro Muti’s tireless activity in the musical realm, he has not neglected the written word.

Andrew Patner, WFMT’s late critic-at-large and music critic at the Chicago Sun-Times, passed away in 2015, but his characteristic wit and wisdom live on in his book, A Portrait in Four Movements: The Chicago Symphony under Barenboim, Boulez, Haitink, and Muti.

Over the span of just 9 months, Philadelphia Orchestra went from being one of the least representative orchestras of women composers to being the most.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra strike has ended and a new, five-year contract through September 2023 has been ratified, the CSO musicians and management have confirmed.

The office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel released a statement early Friday evening announcing that, after convening at City Hall on Friday with the Mayor, both Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians and management “have reached an agreement in principle to bring the music back to Symphony Center.” In a joint statement released Friday evening, the CSO Musicians and CSO Association thanked …

The Chicago Federation of Musicians and Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association both accepted an offer from outgoing Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel Wednesday night to assist in negotiations that have stalled and led to the longest strike in CSO history. In a statement, Mayor Emanuel wrote that “after speaking with both parties, it appears that we should be able to achieve an …

The musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra publicly called for management to return to the table to resolve the labor dispute now in its seventh week, the longest in the orchestra’s history.

This week saw the breakdown of another negotiation session between the Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association on Tuesday, April 16, prolonging the strike that began just before midnight on March 10. A statement released by management says the musicians shared a “counter proposal to the Association’s last, best and final offer,” which had been delivered …

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra strike will persist, as the musicians’ union rejected management’s latest proposal late Monday night.

Little progress has been made in resolving the work stoppage at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, CSO management said Monday during a conference call. The strike has now endured for a week, since 11:59 p.m. on March 10. Since the strike began, various artists and public figures have appeared on the picket line to voice their support for the CSO musicians. …

On a rainy Thursday morning, Cook County Board President and Chicago mayoral candidate Toni Preckwinkle visited Symphony Center to stand with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians.

Usually caught in a neither-nor position straddling the artistic and administrative halves of the organizations, music directors have historically stayed out of labor disputes in major orchestras.

Picketing began yesterday on the sidewalks outside the entrances to Symphony Center in the Loop, as the musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra marched off their first full day on strike.

CHICAGO (AP) — Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians say they are on strike after contract talks broke down. They say in a news release that picket lines will form starting at 8 a.m. Monday. They say management is still trying to reduce their pension benefits after nearly a year of negotiations. The musicians walked out after completing a Sunday afternoon concert …

Contract negotiations between Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) musicians and management have continued throughout the weekend to avoid a musicians’ strike, which would be the orchestra’s second in less than a decade. Last month, musicians voted to authorize a strike if a suitable three-year contract could not be reached by midnight this Sunday, March 10. According to a Chicago Federation of …

Many musicians dream of performing on the stage of Orchestra Hall with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition makes this dream come true for one young musician every year. On Saturday, February 23, four young musicians competed on that famous stage for the opportunity to perform with the CSO during the 2019-2020 season. …

Renée Baker’s interest in Baldwin began when she first heard recordings of his voice. “The person that I’d only accessed from books became quite real once I was able to actually hear and listen to him speak.” She notes.

Today, the musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra voted to authorize a strike if they cannot reach an agreement on a new contract with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association by March 10. In September 2018, CSO musicians agreed to a half-year extension when the previous three-year contract term ended. This extension period, which ends on March 10, was meant to give more …

It will mark Muti’s tenth-anniversary season as music director as well as the 250th birthday of Beethoven. Muti conducts all of Beethoven’s symphonies over the course of the season, culminating in the triumphant Symphony No. 9 in June 2020.

WFMT is proud to celebrate the Art Institute of Chicago’s 125th anniversary – here’s to 125 more years of great art!

On December 3, 1818, Illinois became the 21st state in the union. You might know about the Prairie State’s most famous resident, Abraham Lincoln, but did you know these 5 facts about Illinois music?