Michelle Cann returns to Pritzker Pavilion as soloist in George Gershwin’s dazzling Rhapsody in Blue.

Ahead of the season premiere of the 2021 Grant Park Music Festival, WFMT met up with chorus director Christopher Bell, who reflects on returning to live music, previews the opening Independence Day Salute, and talks about a summer of great music to come.

The United States has no shortage of patriotic music, and each piece has its own fascinating history. How knowledgeable are you about the sounds of America?

The Grant Park Music Festival today announced its return to live music in a 2021 season, the festival’s first live performances since August 2019.

We all love Sousa, Gershwin, and Copland. But what about the new(er) entrants to the canon of American classical composers? This Independence Day, we’ve compiled a playlist of just some of the vanguard voices redefining what American classical music sounds like.

Just because we can’t gather in person, it doesn’t mean the weekend won’t be fun and music-filled! Here are nine musical events (most of them virtual), that will provide a great soundtrack for your celebrations.

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.

See what’s in store for the Grant Park Music Festival 2020 season.

This Independence Day, WFMT will share rousing and patriotic classical works for the whole day — here are some highlights that you won’t want to miss.At noon, Music in Chicago shares a recent Elgin Symphony Orchestra performance of “Hoe-Down” from Copland’s Rodeo Starting at 1:00 pm, we’ll share another Copland masterwork: Appalachian Spring. You’ll also hear Gottschalk’s The Union, “America” …

Each year, Christopher Bell conducts the Grant Park Music Festival’s Independence Day Salute, and each year, he finds a way to wow us with an extraordinary new star-spangled outfit.

The eighty-fifth annual season opens June 12 and will run through August 17, with most performances taking place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

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.