We all came to love classical music in different ways. Here are some of the musical first loves of our WFMT listeners, in their own words.

The Artistic Directors of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, David Finckel and Wu Han, take center stage to perform Debussy’s gorgeous, plaintive Sonata for Cello and Piano. Then later, Ernest Chuasson’s Concerto in D Major for Violin, Piano, and String Quartet.

Pull up a comfy chair and take a listen with the whole family.

The shark does not appear until the 81-minute mark of the 124-minute film. But its presence is felt through Williams’ theme, which some music scholars have theorized evoke the shark’s heartbeat.

Frank Lloyd Wright recognized the connection between music and architecture, going so far as to claim, “They are practically one.”

Among the composer’s lesser known works are pieces inspired by ticking clocks, talking animals, and Madagascar folk songs!

Any chamber music demands a deceptive level of coordination and mastery. But what about when two artists are playing the same instrument, side-by-side?

Music director Jaap van Zweden leads the New York Philharmonic and guest soloist pianist Conrad Tao.

“We, as members of society and also as artists, feel both the need to do something and the helplessness in not being able to influence something.”

The Brazilian pianist in unreleased music by Beethoven, Bach, Liszt, Strauss, Debussy, Gluck, and Villa-Lobos.

A retrospective on Leonard Bernstein’s revolutionary concert series, which introduced countless listeners to classical music. And Jamie Bernstein, daughter of the influential conductor-composer, reflect on her father’s legacy.

Béla Bartók is a renowned composer, but let’s cast some light on his career as a pianist, in music he wrote as well as works by Beethoven and Debussy.

Cellist Lindsey Sharpe and pianist John Bitoy perform works by Sergei Rachmaninoff, Margaret Bonds, Claude Debussy, and Astor Piazzolla.

WFMT is bringing you the fire with a curated playlist of pyrotechnic music.

Diverse instrumentation for singular sounds. Music by Debussy, Saint-Saëns, and Milhaud.

Music director Jaap van Zweden conducts Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Debussy’s La Mer, and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 7 in A major.

Music to set the stage for a remarkable celestial spectacle.

Music by Igor Stravinsky, Claude Debussy, and George Tsontakis.

This concert brings a rousing set of works from Bernstein, Debussy, and Gabriela Lena Frank all focused on the theme of dance.

Sampling the greatest recordings (reissued on the Eloquence label) from a fruitful collaboration.

Chen Qigang’s Reflet d’un temps disparu is stunningly performed by French cellist Gautier Capuçon; the rest of the program features music by French composers.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association has announced its 2024–2025 season, a full year of concerts in its mainstage subscription series, as well as chamber, solo, family, and other programming.

Turning point works by Johannes Brahms, Claude Debussy, and Brett Dean — whose piece Twelve Angry Men features a dozen cellos.

The broadcast features works by Wagner, Mahler, Stravinsky, Berg, Debussy and Carter plus some of Mr. Boulez’s own music.

Much like a gourmet dish, classical music is the result of many individual elements coming together. The composer, like a chef, must know the distinct flavor profiles of each instrument and how they complement each other.