Video: Jazz Humorist Slim Gaillard Takes on ‘Clair de lune’

Master of both humor and music, Slim Gaillard always found a way to make his audience smile. Watch his swinging, sidesplitting take on one of Debussy’s most beloved works.

Video: Paula Kosower & Kuang-Hao Huang Play Nadia Boulanger, Debussy, Beethoven Live

From the Chicago Cultural Center, cellist Paula Kosower and collaborative pianist Kuang-Hao Huang present works of Nadia Boulanger, Claude Debussy, and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Video: Ascendant Violinist Joshua Brown Plays Debussy, Wieniawski, and Clara Schumann

With collaborative pianist Milana Pavchinskaya, Brown gave a sensitive, engrossing performance to an empty audience in the Chicago Cultural Center.

Pianist Jorge Federico Osorio: Selections from ‘The French Album’ at Home

Pianist Jorge Federico Osorio sits down with WFMT General Manager George Preston to discuss WFMT, what it is like to be an artist right now, and Jorge’s new recording, The French Album.

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.

Quiz: Which Symphonic Master Are You?

Are you a revolutionary like Beethoven, or are you obsessive like Berlioz? Take this quiz to see which symphonic master you most resemble.

Playlist: Electrifying Classical Music Fireworks

With many of the major annual fireworks displays on hold this year because of COVID-19, WFMT is bringing you the fire with a curated playlist of pyrotechnic music.

Calculating Chopin: WFMT’s New Digital Series Demystifies Math and Music

“Contrary to popular myth,” Dr. Eugenia Cheng explains, “math is not just about numbers, but about patterns, structures, and logic, and patterns and structures also pervade classical music.”

Video: Piano Works of Beethoven, Liszt, and Debussy by Christopher Goodpasture

From beneath the glistening Tiffany Dome of the Chicago Cultural Center, pianist Christopher Goodpasture shared works of Beethoven, Liszt, and Debussy to a full audience.

Video: Pianist Hélène Tysman Plays Debussy, Bach, Chopin, Ravel

On an overcast, early fall day, pianist Hélène Tysman shared a sensitive, illuminating performance of piano works by Bach, Debussy, Chopin, and Ravel for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Watch the full program here!

Video: Watch Pianist George X. Fu Perform Works by Debussy and Beethoven

Audience members, listeners, and viewers alike were treated to a sensitive, dynamic Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert when pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu took the stage at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Playlist: Piano Études for Your Back to School Studies

Since there is a type of musical composition named for studying — études, for you non French-speakers — we have the perfect musical accompaniment while you hit the books.

Playlist: Classical Music From Composers’ School Days

Just because the school year is right around the corner doesn’t mean that you have to stop playing (or writing) music. As proof, here are 16 pieces from composers written when they were still students!

Video: Cellist Hee-Young Lim performs music by Debussy and Massenet

Cellist Hee-Young Lim and pianist Kuang-Hao Huang performed in a WFMT Facebook Live from the Brennan Family Recital Hall at the DePaul University School of Music.

Pianist Jacques Loussier Dies at Age 84

The French pianist was known for his jazz interpretations of classical music, most famously, the works of Bach in his Play Bach record series.

6 of the Most Famous Classical Music Feuds Between Composers

The history of music is full of friendships and feuds. These composers certainly had complicated relationships. What are your favorite composer clashes?

Playlist: 18 Underrated Concertos We Should Hear More Often

What makes a piece popular? How does a piece survive its first few performances? What makes something a warhorse, played over and over again, easily marketed from decade to decade? Who decides what’s good, anyway? Here are 18 underrated concertos – ones that don’t get played all that much, but maybe should be more widely known.

Video: Pianist Marianna Prjevalskaya Plays Debussy, Rachmaninoff, Brahms

Russian-born Spanish pianist Marianna Prjevalskaya performs live in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center during a Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert.

Playlist: 10 Classical Works to Put a Little Spring in Your Step

Composers have been inspired by all aspects of nature, and the changing of the seasons is no exception. As the weather warms up and the birds begin to chirp, here are some classical works to put a little spring in your step.

This Is What Your Favorite Composers Would Look Like if They Actually Cracked a Smile…

Though the music of your favorite composers might make you smile, chances are, the composers themselves aren’t smiling in their portraits. Until now…

Grant Park Music Festival Announces 2017 Season

All Grant Park Music Festival concerts are free. WFMT will have several live broadcasts from the festival, including opening night and the Beethoven Ninth concerts. See a full listing of performances.

Playlist: Classical Music to Enjoy During the Supermoon

Tonight’s full moon will be the biggest in 68 years since it will be at its closest point in relation to Earth’s orbit – 221,524 miles away. Why is it closer to Earth now? NASA’s website explains: “The moon’s orbit around Earth is slightly elliptical so sometimes it is closer and sometimes it’s farther away. When the moon is full as …

Why Pianist Hélène Grimaud Flooded the Park Avenue Armory with 122,000 Gallons of Water

“We could have made a program with only pieces by Ravel, Debussy, and Liszt,” Grimaud said. “But I wanted to represent as many composers as possible, which meant only one piece per composer…”

Star Soprano Kate Royal on the Joys and Difficulties of Singing Rare French Works

Soprano Kate Royal has made her name singing in some of the oldest and most beloved operas in the repertoire by Monteverdi and Mozart, but the London native is also drawn to and sought-after to perform in more modern operas.

Playlist: 10 Pieces That Changed the World

Pieces of music that turned the art form into something it hadn’t seen.