Barenboim Conducts Schoenberg & Schubert

Daniel Barenboim leads Schoenberg’s Pelleas and Melisande and Schubert’s Symphony No. 9 in C Minor. Haydn’s Symphony No. 95 in C Major opens the program.

Riccardo Muti becomes Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s music director emeritus for life

The announcement was made on the stage of Orchestra Hall on Friday night after a performance of Beethoven’s “Missa Solemnis,” the start of Muti’s final subscription weekend as music director.

Szeps-Znaider & Carpenter

Nikolaj Szeps-Znaider returns to the CSO in Poulenc’s Concerto in G Minor for Organ, Strings, and
Timpani and Saint-Saëns’s Symphony No. 3, featuring Cameron Carpenter.

Great Guest Soloists

This week, we celebrate Byron Janis’s 95th birthday in Strauss’s Burleske in D Minor from a 1957 RCA recording and some of the guest soloists who have appeared with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra over the years.

Thielemann Conducts Bruckner

Christian Thielemann returns to the CSO podium to conduct Bruckner’s Eighth Symphony.

CSO 2023-24 Season Announced: Myriad Guest Conductors as Muti Era Closes

The season will be the first following the departure of Riccardo Muti as music director. But the maestro will be close at hand as he continues his association with the CSO.

Barenboim takes it day-by-day, balancing music with illness

Despite illness, Barenboim is determined to inhabit the conductor’s podium as much as possible.

Citing Health Issues, Daniel Barenboim Will Step Back from Performing, Conducting

“I have lived all my life in and through music, and I will continue to do so as long as my health allows me to.”

After 28 Years, Chicago Symphony Chorus Director Duain Wolfe Gives a ‘Joyous Farewell’

“I’ve been very lucky. Not only did I get the world’s best job, but I also got to work closely with the world’s best conductors: Barenboim, Muti, Boulez, Haitink, you name it!”

Montreal Symphony Orchestra Names Next Music Director

Rafael Payare has been announced as the next music director of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra. He will begin his tenure in the 2022-23 season

Waltzes in a Pandemic: How Vienna Phil Will Continue Its New Year’s Tradition

It wouldn’t be New Year without the Vienna Philharmonic. But as the COVID-19 pandemic rages on, what will come of the annual New Year’s Concert?

Playlist: 88 Piano Pieces for Piano Month

September is National Piano Month, so WFMT is sharing a supersized playlist – with one selection corresponding to each key on the keyboard.

Star-Studded ‘Trout’ Quintet Will Lift Your Spirits

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

Barenboim’s tenure at Berlin’s Staatsoper extended to 2027

Conductor Daniel Barenboim is getting a five-year contract extension as general music director of Berlin’s Staatsoper, which would keep him at the opera house until 2027.

Tough act to follow: Young maestro leads Israel Philharmonic

When Zubin Mehta joined the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra in 1969, it would be 20 years before Lahav Shani was even born. Now, at the age of 30, the wunderkind is poised to succeed his mentor at the helm.

Listen: Late critic Andrew Patner celebrated during panel featuring Riccardo Muti and Alex Ross

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.

Playlist: WFMT Selects Classical Music to Help You Brave the Winter

Winter can be grueling, but music can warm and soothe. Here’s the music that helps WFMT get through the season.

In His Return, Daniel Barenboim Reflects on What Chicago Has Meant to His Career

“In 1970, I was many things, but not an experienced conductor,” admitted Daniel Barenboim, acknowledging that being selected to conduct the CSO at that time was therefore “an event of shattering importance.”

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces 2018/19 Season, Muti Extends Contract Through 2022

Today, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announced programming for the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Symphony Center Presents 2018/19 season.

9 New Concert Halls That Should Be on Every Traveler’s Bucket List

Concert halls today are so architecturally innovative that the buildings themselves draw visitors. The venues on this list are so spectacular, they’ll be sure to have you checking to see just how many more vacation days you have left.

CSO’s MusicNOW Announces 20th Anniversary Season: Vijay Iyer, Salonen, Evening-Length Theatrical Work

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra recently announced the 2017-18 lineup for its acclaimed series MusicNOW, celebrating 20 years of bringing contemporary music to Chicago.

Itzhak Perlman’s 5 Most Memorable Moments at 70 Years Old

Violinist Itzhak Perlman is one of the most famous names in classical music. The Israeli-American, now 70 years old, has collaborated with some of the greatest musicians of our time in his long and illustrious career. Here, he reflects on five of the most memorable moments in his career.