WFMT, CSO Announce Extension of Joint Series ‘From the CSO’s Archives: Maestro’s Choice’

The joint series, which is curated by CSO music director Riccardo Muti, launched in April in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Grant Park Music Festival Cancels 2020 Season

Said festival CEO and President Paul Winberg, “We are devastated about this decision not to move forward with our 2020 season.”

Ravinia Cancels 2020 Season

The summer season was to feature more than 120 events, including concerts featuring the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, which takes its summer residency at the venerable, Chicago-area music festival.

Louis Armstrong org starts COVID-19 fund for jazz musicians

The fund will give one-time grants of $1,000 to jazz musicians that live in the New York City region and work regularly in the five boroughs of New York City.

Fleming, Netrebko, Kaufmann headline Met Opera on-line gala

Renée Fleming, Anna Netrebko, Jonas Kaufmann, Roberto Alagna, and Bryn Terfel are among 38 opera stars in 13 nations scheduled for the Metropolitan Opera’s At-Home gala, which will be streamed live on April 25.

CSO to Premiere Video of Beethoven’s 9th for Facebook Streaming

This Sunday, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra will host a Facebook premiere for a video recording of Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9 from its archives, in part because it is “widely recognized as one of music’s most powerful and inspiring works.”

Still scarred, Notre Dame lives anew in coronavirus crisis

Just days before the first anniversary of the inferno that ravaged the beloved Paris landmark, the French capital’s archbishop led Good Friday celebrations unlike any that have gone before inside the centuries-old jewel of Gothic architecture.

How do Broadway stars cope with silent theaters? They sing

NEW YORK (AP) — The coronavirus silenced Broadway. It could not silence two of its rising stars: Samantha Pauly and Brittney Mack, who play two wives of Henry VIII in the musical “Six.”

John Prine Dies, Rich Warren Pays Tribute

John Prine, who began his career in Chicago, exhibited the ability to wring every possible meaning from a word to expose the joy, sorrow, frailty, and strength of the human condition.

We Want to Hear From YOU!

While we may not be able to gather in our communities, we’re still using music to bring our community together. Please send us your suggestions for pieces we can play for our listeners around the world.

WFMT and CSO Partner for New Broadcast and Streaming Series Amidst COVID-19 Crisis

Today, WFMT and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra announce the launch of an exciting new broadcast and streaming series: From the CSO’s Archives: Maestro’s Choice—For All Music Lovers in These Difficult Times.

Son: Jazz great Ellis Marsalis Jr. dead at 85; fought virus

Marsalis was born in New Orleans, son of the operator of a hotel where he met touring Black musicians who couldn’t stay at the segregated downtown hotels where they performed.

Polish composer, conductor Krzysztof Penderecki dies at 86

One of the world’s most popular contemporary classical music composers, whose works have featured in Hollywood films like The Shining and Shutter Island, has died.

Update: Singer John Prine is in stable condition, his wife says

News that Prine’s health was in jeopardy provoked an outpouring of affection for the legendary singer-songwriter.

With Centennial Concert Canceled, Civic Orchestra to Present Virtual Performance

The 35-minute program features an excerpt from Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5, stitched together from more than 60 separate remote recordings of Civic musicians.

Michigan regents fire opera singer accused of sexual assault

ANN ARBOR, Mich. (AP) — The University of Michigan’s Board of Regents has fired a music professor facing sexual assault charges. The regents acted on the recommendation from University President Mark Schlissel to dismiss David Daniels on Thursday. Schlissel wrote in a letter to regents that Daniels’ “conduct is inconsistent with the character of tenure at the University of Michigan.” …

Plácido Domingo has coronavirus amid Spain outbreak

The opera star said in a post on his personal Facebook account Sunday that “I feel it is my moral duty to announce to you that I have tested positive for COVID19.”

Met Opera cancels season, stops pay of orchestra, chorus

The Metropolitan Opera is canceling the rest of its season and stopping the pay of the orchestra, chorus and other unionized employees at the end of March due to the new coronavirus.

Quarantine Made Musical: Streamable Classical Concerts & Films To Brighten Your Day

It feels like hope and beauty are increasingly hard to find these days. Lucky for you, we’ve done the searching so you don’t have to, compiling inspiring classical, jazz, and dance performances, films, and videos that you can stream for free!

Show goes on: DiDonato, Beczala sing opera from apartment

From DiDonato’s New York City living room, the pair performed excerpts of Massenet’s ‘Werther’ for nearly 90 minutes that were streamed live on DiDonato’s Facebook and Instagram pages.

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Charles Wuorinen dies at 81

Wuorinen won the 1970 Pulitzer Prize in Music for ‘Time’s Encomium,’ a four-channel work for synthesized sound that became the first electronic composition to earn the honor.

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.”

Violinist Isabella Brown Wins 2020 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition

On Saturday, March 7, four young artists competed for a dream opportunity: to perform with the CSO. With her performance of the first movement of Beethoven’s Violin Concerto in D major, violinist Isabella Brown won the competition.

Larry Johnson, Host of WFMT’s ‘Arias and Songs’ Has Died at Age 72

Larry Johnson, the host of WFMT’s Arias and Songs, died over the weekend in his home on Chicago’s North Side. He was 72 years old. He leaves behind a brother, Alan Johnson, and a cousin, Lynn Newhart. Larry had a business career in the textile industry but was always an avid music lover and record collector. He joined WFMT as …

McCoy Tyner, iconic and influential jazz pianist, dies

NEW YORK (AP) — McCoy Tyner, the groundbreaking and influential jazz pianist and the last surviving member of the John Coltrane Quartet, has died at age 81. Tyner’s family confirmed the death in a statement released on social media Friday. No more details were provided. Tyner was born in Philadelphia on Dec. 11, 1938. He eventually met Coltrane and joined …

1 14 15 16 17 18 23