Music and Conversation with Osvaldo Golijov

A conversation with the Grammy award-winning Argentine composer.

10 Chicago Musical Events for Halloween 2022

Some of the most intriguing, spine-curdling, and spirited musical events all around the Chicago area.

John Brennan, 18-year WTTW-WFMT Trustee, Has Died, Age 60

Brennan was an active and engaged leader, serving on nearly every committee of the WTTW-WFMT board.

Seasons, Tan Dun, and Ghostbusters in Chicago Phil’s 2022/23 Season

The new season will kick off with a live concert performance and screening of Ghostbusters.

COT’s 22-23 Season: ‘Turing’ World Premiere, Britten, Heggie for 50th Anniversary

In this celebratory season, audiences will hear two twentieth-century operas and three world premieres across COT’s full slate of mainstage and special programming.

Bach and Handel Highlights in Music of the Baroque’s ’22-23 Season

The lineup represents the “most ambitious season in recent history,” according to executive director Declan McGovern.

Jamie Barton: Opera Must “embrace the move towards feminine power”

WFMT talks with the outspoken mezzo-soprano about what it means to take on the role of Carmen, why she’s excited to open the COT season, and how modern-day audiences and artists can best confront the more outdated aspects of Carmen and other beloved operas.

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.

Chicago Opera Theater Announces Live, In-Person 2021-22 Season

From Carmen to Claus, learn what is in store for the next season of Chicago Opera Theater.

Music of the Baroque Is Back With Messiah, Mozart, Haydn for 2021-22

Music of the Baroque today announced its plans for a 2021-22 season, the venerable Chicago area ensemble’s 51st.

In Their Own Words: Quotes From Artists and Friends of WFMT Who Died in 2020

2020 was a year of great loss for all; the music world was no exception. As we reflect on the year gone by, WFMT salutes the contributions of artists and friends who died this past year.

Three Chicago Premieres in Chicago Opera Theater’s 2020-21 Season

General director Ashley Magnus maintains that even in troubled times, the company is “moving forward with the belief that opera truly is a living, resilient art form.”

Harris Theater President and CEO Patricia Barretto Has Died at Age 45

Patricia Barretto, president and CEO of Chicago’s Harris Theater for Music and Dance, has died following a 4-year battle with breast cancer. She was 45. She passed away Tuesday, March 3, 2020, with her husband, Sheldon, their son, David, her parents, William and Fatima Mcrae, and close friends at her side. Barretto was born in Mumbai and completed a BA in …

Harris Theater Announces 2020-2021 Season

This morning, the Joan W. and Irving B. Harris Theater for Music and Dance announced its 2020-2021 season. The season which runs from August 19, 2020, to May 6, 2021, features 36 performances including vocal recitals, symphonic concerts, and ballet performances. The season’s lineup of vocal concerts includes performances by acclaimed mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato, who will perform music from her …

From 1-9: Your Guide to Beethoven’s Symphonies

Beginning January 28, WFMT will broadcast Beethoven’s nine symphonies on weekdays as the 2:00 pm “Afternoon Masterwork.” The performances feature the Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique. Its founder and conductor, Sir John Elliot Gardiner, shares his guide to these symphonic masterpieces.

Music Acts as a Translator, Cultural Bridge in Wang Lu’s ‘Code Switch’

“Maybe we’re getting used to being misunderstood… Hopefully, [through] music, we can be more open,” reflects Wang Lu. Her work, Code Switch, will have its world premiere to open the first MusicNOW concert of the CSO season.

Digital Pina Bausch Archive Announced

Pina Bausch studied with Antony Tudor, José Limón, Alfredo Corvino, and Paul Taylor, before joining the Metropolitan Opera Ballet Company and the New American Ballet.

‘I Like to Take on Projects That Terrify Me’: Jake Heggie on Adapting ‘Moby-Dick’ into an Opera

Moby-Dick is a Great American Novel, no doubt. But that fact doesn’t make Herman Melville’s 600+ page opus any less intimidating.

Teenagers in Chicago Can Now Attend Live Music, Dance, Theater for Just $5. Here’s How.

From the Chicago Symphony Orchestra to Lyric Opera of Chicago and much more, the Teen Arts Pass is making it easier for young people to have access to Chicago’s many great cultural institutions.

Grant Park Music Festival Announces 2018 Season

The summer festival’s 2018 season of concerts runs for 10 weeks from June 13 to August 18.

Harris Theater for Music and Dance Brings ‘Epic Masterworks’ to Chicago in 2017-18 Season

The newly announced season features the Monteverdi Choir, American Ballet Theatre, and the Mark Morris Dance Group performing “epic masterworks.”

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Announces 2017-2018 Season

Riccardo Muti will conduct ten weeks of subscription programs at Symphony Center and lead the orchestra on two U.S. tours, to the West Coast in October and to the East Coast in February 2018.

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.

Tenor Javier Camarena on His History-Making Met Encore

Tenor Javier Camarena made history on March 12, 2016, when he performed an encore during a performance of Donizetti’s Don Pasquale at the Metropolitan Opera, making him one of three singers to offer encores so in the company’s recent history. He spoke about performing the encore, the music itself, and other exciting moments in his career in anticipation of his upcoming performance in …

Grammy-Winning Violinist Gil Shaham’s Advice for Young Musicians

Grammy Award-winning violinist Gil Shaham made his professional debut at age 10, an age when most are hardly even thinking about professional work of any kind.