Today is World Piano Day! That’s because it is the 88th day of the year, a neat tie-in with the number of keys on a standard keyboard (on non-Leap Years, the holiday customarily takes place on March 29.) In celebration of the versatile, ubiquitous instrument, we’re sharing some of the finest piano performances and articles on the internet!

Looking for a productive, diverting way to spend your downtime? Why not hone your musical skills and learn from some of the greatest musicians in the world?

On a foggy mid-March day, pianist Evan Wong took the Preston Bradley Hall stage at the Chicago Cultural Center to share a program of Chopin favorites.

Explore Chopin’s études – some of the most beloved works in the piano repertoire – by listening to some of our favorites and learning more about them.

Pianist Taek Gi Lee, who hails from Seoul and studies at the Curtis Institute of Music, shared a sensitive performance of works by Beethoven and Liszt.

Pianist-architect Mayta Liu Lerttamrab has taken a unique path in his musical endeavors. Studying and beginning his career as an architect, Lerttamrab decided to pursue music in his mid-20s.

From beneath the glistening Tiffany Dome of the Chicago Cultural Center, pianist Christopher Goodpasture shared works of Beethoven, Liszt, and Debussy to a full audience.

In a recent Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert, pianist Inga Kashakashvili shared this snowy, evocative excerpt from The Christmas Tree by Vladimir Rebikov.

On November 13, 2019, Polish pianist Dr. Kamil Tokarski took the Preston Bradley Hall stage to perform a program of works by Scarlatti, Chopin, and Albéniz.

The New York Times describes him as having “made a career of playing the seemingly unplayable.” The New Yorker is more emphatic, saying he’s “among the wonders of the musical world.” But Kerry Frumkin’s colleague, producer Louise Frank has a more grounded account of Marc-André Hamelin, describing him as a “most approachable genius.”

Award-winning pianist Lucas Krupinski is no stranger to the music of Chopin. So it was no surprise when the young Polish pianist gave a sensitive, dynamic performance of a sensitive, dynamic performance of the esteemed Romantic composer’s Ballade No. 4.

On an overcast, early fall day, pianist Hélène Tysman shared a sensitive, illuminating performance of piano works by Bach, Debussy, Chopin, and Ravel for this Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert broadcast. Watch the full program here!

In an Impromptu broadcast featuring music by Ginastera, Bernstein, Beethoven, and yes, Domenico Scarlatti, pianist Alon Goldstein spoke with host Kerry Frumkin on the prolific mastery of the Baroque composer, who composed more than 550 sonatas during his lifetime.

Audience members, listeners, and viewers alike were treated to a sensitive, dynamic Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert when pianist George Xiaoyuan Fu took the stage at the Chicago Cultural Center.

Beneath the Tiffany Dome of the Chicago Cultural Center, 18-year-old pianist Kimberly Han performed works by Bach, Haydn, and Chopin.

You voted on your 10 favorite piano concertos and we aired them on WFMT along with 10 piano concertos that might be less familiar to you. Which of the concertos below are discoveries to you? Which of your favorites would you add to the list?

Age really is just a number!

Grammy-nominated pianist Lang Lang is one of the most recognizable classical artists of the century, having performed at the 2008 Beijing Olympics and 2014 World Cup in Rio de Janeiro – not to mention his cross-genre collaborations with Metallica, Pharrell Williams, and Herbie Hancock. As Lang Lang continues to push the boundaries of the piano and perform at some of …

Frédéric Chopin’s collection of 21 nocturnes might be the best-known example of the musical form, but did you know the inventor of the nocturne was an Irish composer named John Field?

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — Blanche Burton-Lyles, a concert pianist who was mentored by pioneering opera singer Marian Anderson, has died. She was 85. Burton-Lyles died of heart failure Monday at a rehabilitation center, according to Slater Funeral Home in Philadelphia. Burton-Lyles was born and raised in Philadelphia. She learned how to play classical piano at the age of 3. Burton-Lyles was …

Though perhaps best-known as a master of the music of Chopin, Seong-Jin Cho showcased his dazzling versatility, rivetingly sharing music by Mozart and Mussorgsky.

What makes a piece popular? How does a piece survive its first few performances? What makes something a warhorse, played over and over again, easily marketed from decade to decade? Who decides what’s good, anyway? Here are 18 underrated concertos – ones that don’t get played all that much, but maybe should be more widely known.

Russian-born Spanish pianist Marianna Prjevalskaya performs live in Preston Bradley Hall at the Chicago Cultural Center during a Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert.

Kirill Gerstein described the experience of performing as a soloist with a major orchestra like the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as nothing short of “magical.” But how do you practice a concerto without an orchestra? Gerstein shares his tips.

Pianist Kirill Gerstein performed Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 in B-flat minor the way the composer originally intended – a version not been heard in the United States since Tchaikovsky’s U.S. tour in 1891.