Summer is upon us! Whatever your plans, we have the perfect musical accompaniment: summery classical music selected by WFMT hosts and staff!

The father, Sergio, is a guitarist, composer, arranger, educator, and the daughter, Clarice, is a bold and highly innovative vocalist, composer, orchestrator, videographer, and mentor.

We can’t guarantee that you’ll love (or even like) each and every rendition, but we promise that you will be amazed by the beauty and the broad appeal of Schubert’s “Ave Maria.”

James Conlon’s OREL Foundation documents scores of composers whose lives were taken—directly or indirectly—or otherwise irrevocably altered by the Nazis. Here are four who persisted, creating art in the face of peril.

You made it; the frigid, blustery days of winter have finally passed, and spring is here! Here is some music that captures the season’s irrepressible spirit.

If given the task to assemble a collection of music that reflects humanity, what would you choose? This assignment was given to a group of astronomers, science writers, designers, and engineers. Their solution? The Voyager Golden Record: a collection of images, sounds, greetings, and a diverse array of music. Astrophysicist and Cornell University professor Carl Sagan led the Voyager Golden …

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?

We can’t blame you if you wish you could just skip Valentine’s Day. As an antidote for the overpowering saccharine sentimentality of every February 14, we made this playlist of angry, downcast, and downright anti-romantic music.

A holiday celebrating love and romance? Sign us up! Valentine’s Day only comes around once a year, so now’s your chance to get swept away by this playlist of breathtakingly romantic classical music.

Winter can be grueling, but music can warm and soothe. Here’s the music that helps WFMT get through the season.

There may be one city in the world that can be considered the capital of New Year’s celebrations and music, and that is Vienna, Austria. We asked several classical artists to share why they love living in this venerable European city.

A Viennese Christmas would not be complete without the glorious sounds of the Vienna Boys’ Choir. We asked the choir members to select their favorite Christmas carols that they have performed.

Many composers and pieces were received enthusiastically upon their premiere, only to have been forgotten or overlooked years later. Esteemed conductor Leonard Slatkin shares 10 forgotten works that deserve greater recognition.

Andris Nelsons, Mariss Jansons, Kristine Opolais: when we think of classical music in Latvia, most are either conductors or musicians. But Latvia also has an abundance of composers whose works you will want to hear.

hough it seems like we can only count on our hands the number of times we see the saxophone in the concert hall, the instrument does have a robust and diverse classical repertoire.

When it comes to Czech composers, most are familiar only with Antonín Dvořák. Here are ten more Czech composers that we think you should know!

Corky Siegel is one of the world’s great blues harmonica players. He is also a composer, pianist, singer, bandleader, teacher, and author whose curiosity about classical music and American blues has inspired much of his distinguished half-century career.

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.

While we all love the classics like the “Autumn” concerto from Vivaldi’s “Four Seasons,” here are some works that are a little less… common to cozy up with this fall.

Here are just a few of our many favorite French composers, from medieval to modern, that might be new to you.

Though African Americans have faced oppression throughout American history and the arts, Black composers’ contributions to music have been nothing short of history-changing.

Samuel Adams and Elizabeth Ogonek shared 20 modern and contemporary works that have most inspired them in celebration of 20 years of CSO’s MusicNOW series.

If you’re looking to add a classical touch to your nuptials, but would like to avoid the ubiquitous “Canon,” we’ve compiled a list of some of our favorite pieces to match the mood of each moment in the ceremony.

This article was originally published on February 23, 2016.

Few birds have inspired more composers than the cuckoo. Lisa Flynn selects some of her favorite works inspired by the cuckoo, from intimate chamber works to grand symphonies.