Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma is so beautiful, it has inspired a dish: pasta alla Norma. When conductor and cook Riccardo Frizza led performances of “Norma” in Chicago, he shared his recipe.

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

Composer Robert Schumann loved Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier so much that he said it should be every musician’s “daily bread.” But perhaps you’ve never thought it could make the perfect bubble-blowing soundtrack, too. The Well-Tempered Clavier is composed of two volumes of keyboard music. Each contains 24 pairs of preludes and fugues, one for each of the major and minor keys. …

WFMT announcer Robbie Ellis has shared his talents as a comedian and composer as the host of WFMT’s Cabaret series. During the most recent WFMT Cabaret, Ellis revealed his favorite (albeit unconventional) place to pick up a date: the book club. His song, “Book Club,” suggests a few strategies for attracting and impressing a companion who is literarily inclined. Watch …

Many musicians have performed the internationally beloved Italian song “‘O Sole Mio.” One songbird, a parrot in fact, performs the Neapolitan tune as a duet with the great Luciano Pavarotti. Composer Eduardo di Capua and lyricist Giovanni Capurro published their composition “‘O Sole Mio” in 1898. Since, it has been recorded by many artists including Andrea Bocelli and Elvis Presley. …