Playlist: Rufus Wainwright’s 3 Favorite Opera Composers

Opera has always been important to composer Rufus Wainwright, though many know him as the man behind the piano crooning confessional songs.

How ‘Wozzeck’ Changed Opera Forever

Alban Berg’s opera Wozzeck revolutionized the art form when it premiered in 1925. When Berg saw Georg Büchner’s play Woyzeck, he knew that he wanted to compose an opera based upon it. But an opera based upon this revolutionary expressionist play “demanded a new kind of operatic language as well,” according to The Metropolitan Opera Guide to Recorded Opera. Sir Andrew Davis, music director and principal …

Masaaki Suzuki’s 8 Tips to Better Your Bach

“There are all kinds of ways to play Bach, and that depends on your personality and how you want to deal with Bach’s music.”

The Women of ‘Figaro’ on Mozart’s Women

Behind every great man is a great woman, so the saying goes. In Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro, the women often run the show. How better to learn about these fascinating female characters than from the women behind Lyric Opera of Chicago’s new production of Mozart’s masterwork? I spoke with Barbara Gaines, the stage director, as well as the opera’s leading ladies …

Video: Two Italians Talk About Rossini

Baritones Alessandro Corbelli and Vito Priante are two of the most sought-after Rossini singers today. They break down the heralded opera composer’s repertoire.

Video | Justice Ginsburg on the Death Penalty and Opera

What does opera have to do with the death penalty? Ruth Bader Ginsburg, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States, came to WFMT, Chicago’s fine arts and classical radio station, to explain.

Video | 5 Operas the Notorious RBG Wants You to Know

See which operas Justice Ginsburg chose as her her five favorites during her visit to WFMT.

Star Soprano Karita Mattila’s Secrets to a Long, Successful Career

Finnish soprano and two-time Grammy Award winner Karita Mattila is celebrating her 33rd season as a professional performer. What are the secrets to her enduring success?

From YouTube to Lyric: Composer Jimmy López on His Operatic Debut

“I’ve been working towards this my whole career,” Lopez said excitedly as he observed summer technical rehearsals for Bel Canto.

WFMT Host Peter van de Graaff Stars in Haymarket’s Don Quichotte

“Telemann has written… some truly funny arias about Don Q.’s dreams of chivalry and Sancho’s donkey and mishaps”

Ana María Martínez: “Czech Was the Hardest”

Lyric Opera formalized its commitment to extending their resources to Chicago’s neighborhoods, naming Ana María Martínez and Eric Owens community ambassadors.

Playlist: 10 Pieces That Changed the World

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

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