Pianist, composer Ramsey Lewis to be honored in Chicago

A jazz pianist and composer is being honored with a lifetime achievement award on the occasion of African-American Heritage Month.

‘My dream is for Chicago to be at the forefront of new opera’: Meet Ashley Magnus, COT’s New General Director

“Right now, we’re in a golden era of American opera”

Joffrey Ballet Announces 2019/20 Season

The season features four Chicago premieres and the return of two reimagined staples.

Video | Soprano Tamara Wilson Sings Music Inspired by Female Astronauts

With pianist Justina Lee, Wilson shared a selection from Strauss’s Ariadne auf Naxos and Weightless Dreams, a song cycle composed for Wilson based on the writings and experiences of women astronauts.

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces ’19-20 Season

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.

Cellist Yo-Yo Ma to Present Free Concert in Millennium Park, Shares New Music Video Celebrating Cultural and Artistic Harmony

“Culture — the way we express ourselves and understand each other — can bind us together as one world.”

Grant Park Music Festival Announces 2019 Season

The eighty-fifth annual season opens June 12 and will run through August 17, with most performances taking place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

Old Town School of Folk Music’s executive director steps down

In early November 2018, Graves was hospitalized for blockages in three coronary arteries, according to a statement from the school. His resignation comes amidst the contentious planned sale of the Old Town School’s Lincoln Park location, a facility it has operated for 50 years.

Video: Experience a Traditional Swedish Holiday Celebration Held Every Year in Chicago

Candles flicker as young girls and boys parade up and down a stretch of Clark Street singing “The Lucia Song.” Chicago’s Andersonville neighborhood has long held celebrations the St. Lucia Festival of Lights.

WFMT and Art on theMART Pair Classical Holiday Music With a Festive, 25-Story Art Installation on the Chicago River

Chicagoans and visitors alike can now enjoy the sounds of the season with festive classical music selected by WFMT to accompany the holiday program for one of the city’s largest pieces of public art — Art on theMART.

Celebrate 125 Years of the Art Institute of Chicago with WFMT! An Art-Inspired Morning of Music on Dec. 8

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

Music in the Prairie State: 5 facts you didn’t know about Illinois music

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?

Wilkommen, Bienvenue, and Welcome: Explore the First Chicago Paris Cabaret Connexion

“This idea of the one-man or one-woman show is very American. For the French, it is all about l’équipe, the team.”

You Heard Violinist Ryan Meehan 10 Years Ago on ‘Introductions.’ Now, He’s in an Elite Chamber Ensemble.

“I love being able to share music with your close friends… As I started playing in more competitions and festivals, I would think, ‘Who would be my dream team for a quartet?’”

Video | WFMT Goes Live With Seong-Jin Cho, Rising Star of the Piano

Though perhaps best-known as a master of the music of Chopin, Seong-Jin Cho showcased his dazzling versatility, rivetingly sharing music by Mozart and Mussorgsky.

Corky Siegel: “The Future Is an Unopened Present”

Corky Siegel is one of the world’s great blues harmonica players. He is also a composer, pianist, singer, bandleader, teacher, and author whose curiosity about classical music and American blues has inspired much of his distinguished half-century career.

$3.5 Million Grant Launches Initiative to Diversify the Next Generation of Musicians

CMPI will support promising young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds and low-income households in order to diversify the next generation of musicians.

A Sneak Peek at Guarneri Hall, a New Classical Music Space with a Radical Mission

“The design decisions have been born of our experiences performing and recording,” Stefan Hersh explains.

Cervantes of ‘Hamilton,’ REO to lead Illinois 200th birthday

CHICAGO (AP) — A Gettysburg Address rap by Broadway in Chicago’s Hamilton star Miguel Cervantes, Illinois-bred rockers REO Speedwagon and a cast of Prairie State celebrities will highlight the state’s 200th birthday party Dec. 3. The bicentennial extravaganza ‘s lineup was announced Thursday. The theme of the party at Chicago’s United Center is “Born, Built and Grown in Illinois.” A tribute …

Studs Terkel’s most compelling conversations, unpacked for the 21st century in a new podcast

This monthly podcast pairs some of Studs’ most compelling conversations with interviews with some of the most exciting voices of today.

A live broadcast celebrating young artists, collaboration, and 10 years of WFMT’s Introductions at Chicago’s Youth Arts Showcase

On Saturday, September 22, 2018, WFMT’s Introductions, the weekly program that features the Chicago area’s finest pre-college musicians, celebrated its 10th anniversary with a live radio broadcast from Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park to kick off Chicago’s first Youth Arts Showcase (YAS! Fest). The fest was a highlight event of the 2018 Year of Creative Youth, a citywide celebration of Chicago’s young artists and the mentors who inspire them…

Riccardo Muti Conducts CSO, Civic in Free ‘Concert for Chicago’

Riccardo Muti, addressing the 10 thousand-plus crowd, remarked that “all 3 pieces connect the desire of freedom, libertà, liberty!”

Hear music inspired by some of Chicago’s most extraordinary buildings

Chicago is world-renowned for its architecture. Take a walk around the city, and chances are that you’ll encounter at least a few fantastic buildings. But did you know that Chicago’s architectural legacy has inspired music, too?

How Chicago Cubs Organist Gary Pressy Made It to the Big Leagues

Gary Pressy, an organist and lifelong Cubs fan, has been a signature part of games at Wrigley Field for over 30 years.

Meet Organist Lori Moreland, One of the Chicago White Sox’s Most Valuable Players

When organist Lori Moreland grew up rooting for the White Sox, she never thought that one day she would be one of the team’s most valuable players.