The Sounds of Chicago in a Festival of Art Song and Vocal Chamber Music

“We’re celebrating the spirit of the city and taking a moment for some musical civic pride!”

U2, George Clooney, Amy Grant among Kennedy Center honorees

Eight-time Grammy-winning singer Gladys Knight and acclaimed Cuban-born American composer Tania León are also among the honorees.

Playlist: 13 Canadian Composers You Should Know

Americans, get to know the music of our neighbors to the north with this curated playlist.

Mason Bates Takes Us Inside the Orchestra, Literally, In New Concerto, Film

“One of the great things about the orchestra is that it is always evolving…”

Errollyn Wallen On Embracing Serendipity, Bringing New Viewpoints to Music

“It feels like I’ve been carrying this world with me for a long time.”

Groundbreaking composer Harrison Birtwistle dies at 87

Birtwistle created daringly experimental music that sometimes tried the patience of listeners.

Composer Penderecki’s state funeral held after 2-year delay

The renowned composer died in Krakow in March 2020 at the age of 86, but COVID-19 restrictions postponed a formal funeral service.

Jennifer Higdon Tackles New Instruments, Breaks Boundaries

“I thought that this was a piece that needed good tunes. And also, because it’s a concerto, you have to have some fast music in there. There are parts where I’m like, ‘Okay, let’s let it rip.'”

Opera film ‘Soldier Songs’ about war trauma heads to Grammys

An hour-long piece for baritone and orchestral septet, the work depicts with unrelenting intensity the horrors of war and the PTSD faced by many returning veterans.

Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra Announces 2022-23 Season, Its 45th

The anniversary season will feature seven mainstage performances — including a holiday Messiah concert — all of which will be conducted by music director Stilian Kirov.

Composer Ricky Ian Gordon Premieres 2 Operas in 5-Day Span

The Garden of the Finzi-Continis and Intimate Apparel both opened in the last week of January.

Lyric’s ’22-23 Season: Verdi, ‘Fiddler,’ Fleming, & ‘Carmen’

Plus a world premiere, Chicago-set take on ‘The Barber of Seville’ and the return of ‘West Side Story’

San Francisco Opera will debut Adams’ ‘Antony and Cleopatra’

John Adams’ version of Antony and Cleopatra will have its world premiere on the opening weekend of the San Francisco Opera’s 100th season.

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.

Lyric’s Next Show, Mazzoli’s ‘Proving Up,’ Postponed

The opera had been scheduled for performances in late January, and according to Lyric, rehearsals were set to begin this week.

Met Opera to present Blanchard’s ‘Champion’ in April 2023

The staging follows the success of the composer Terence Blanchard’s Fire Shut Up in My Bones on the opening night of this season.

Watch | J’Nai Bridges, Shawn Okpebholo Join WFMT for Bach to School Virtual Assembly

For this WFMT Bach to School Virtual Assembly, WFMT’s George Preston welcomed mezzo-soprano J’Nai Bridges and composer Shawn Okpebholo to discuss J’Nai’s stunning Habanera from Carmen and Shawn’s composition “Oh Glory.”

Verismo Meets Lyrical Flow: Chicago Composer Creates Opera from Classic Nas Track

It was a rap song by Nas that directly influenced Chicago composer Steve Wallace’s newest chamber opera, Undying Love.

Video: From the Composer’s Studio: A Conversation with Missy Mazzoli & Jessie Montgomery

From the Composer’s Studio invites you to hear Missy Mazzoli and Jessie Montgomery, two of today’s most celebrated composers, provide a glimpse into their work. Enjoy this insightful, lively discussion co-produced by the CSOA and WFMT.

Met Opera to Stage Anthony Davis’ ‘X’ on Malcolm X in 2023

The Met says X will open on Nov. 3, 2023, in a staging by Robert O’Hara that will be conducted by Kazem Abdullah. Will Liverman will star in the title role.

Artist Icebreaker: Conductor Yue Bao

Ahead of Yue Bao’s Chicago Symphony Orchestra debut at the Ravinia Festival this Sunday, August 8, she reveals to us some conducting secrets, her favorite cities for music, and more!

Prokofiev, Hahn, Lang Lang Headline CSO’s 2021-22 Return To Stage

The CSO announces an array of concerts from September to January.

When Worlds Collided: Classical Music Inspired by the Beautiful Game

With this year’s Euro Cup Finals nearly upon us, chants and songs are breathing life into the stadiums. Yet as it turns out, the relationship between music and football extends way beyond chants and national anthems.

Chicago Phil ‘Rejoices’ in Return for 2021-22 Season

The ensemble’s return to live performance features four programs which all will be conducted by artistic director and principal conductor Scott Speck.

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.”