James Ehnes Plays Prokofiev

Violinist James Ehnes takes center stage in a performance of Prokofiev’s Second Violin Concerto. Music by Jessie Montgomery, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky rounds out the performance.

Mäkelä Conducts The Firebird

Klaus Mäkelä makes his CSO debut in Stravinsky’s The Firebird.

Vanguard Voices

Chamberworks by Paul Hindemith, Charles Wuorinen, Sergei Prokofiev, and Brett Dean.

Muti, Chen & Mozart Gran Partita

Plus Mozart’s Violin Concerto No. 4 in D Major.

Playlist: WFMT Listeners’ First Favorites

We all came to love classical music in different ways. Here are some of the musical first loves of our WFMT listeners, in their own words.

Isata Kanneh-Mason plays Prokofiev

Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5 is paired with Prokofiev’s Piano Concerto No. 3, with soloist Isata Kanneh-Mason.

Playlist: 8 Popular Songs that Sample Classical Music

Musicians from rap to alternative to K-Pop and beyond look to classical music for inspiration! Here are just a few creative examples.

Little Traveling Music, Please

Wanderers, farewells, and sightseeing; people are always on the go. This week, Bill calls up, “A Little Traveling Music, Please” from the pens of Handel, Smetana, Duke Ellington, and more. Reflections from such travels infuse themselves into their works, as we will discover throughout the week. We will hear selections from Beethoven’s Les Adieux, Schubert’s Die Schöne Mullerin, and Haydn’s …

Hadelich Plays Prokofiev

Star violinist Augustin Hadelich makes a return to the festival to play Prokofiev’s 2nd Violin Concerto.

Shani & Rana

Lahav Shani makes the CSO debut in Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances. Included in the program is Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 1 and Rachmaninoff’s Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini featuring Beatrice Rana.

Roderick Cox Conducts Ravel, Dawson, Prokofiev

Roderick Cox welcomes guest artist violinist Karen Gomyo to perform Prokofiev’s Violin Concerto No. 1.

Playlist: Loud Classical Music

Whether you are looking to rev up for the race or drown out the din, this playlist of cacophonous classical music is for you.

Muti Conducts Mozart & Prokofiev

We celebrate Riccardo Muti’s 13th and culminating season as the CSO’s tenth music director.

Sofia Radovic, 17, violin & viola

Radovic, a student at Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, plays both violin and viola in this recital.

Hanna Oyasu, 18, flute

Music of Ibert, Chaminade, Telemann, Enescu, and Prokofiev; before collaborating with 18-year-old singer Sophia Katsma on two Japanese songs.

Sirena Huang, violin and Chih-Yi Chen, piano

Violinist Sirena Huang and Pianist Chih-Yi Chen plays music by Eddie South, Sergei Prokofiev, and Henri Vieuxtemps.

Crystal Zheyu Jiang, piano

Pianist Crystal Zheyu Jiang plays music by Chopin and Prokofiev live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago.

Playlist: Classical Fire and Flames

The Great Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871. Here’s some music that takes inspiration from flames.

Playlist: Classical Music for Long Walks

In an array of stimulating and soothing music, give your walk a melodic backdrop or clear your mind for some deep thinking.

Prokofiev, Hahn, Lang Lang Headline CSO’s 2021-22 Return To Stage

The CSO announces an array of concerts from September to January.

‘A rose for love and a book forever’: Literature for Music Lovers on World Book Day

WFMT host Candice Agree has selected some of her favorite works of literature that have inspired musical compositions for you to enjoy on World Book Day.

Playlist: 88 Piano Pieces for Piano Month

September is National Piano Month, so WFMT is sharing a supersized playlist – with one selection corresponding to each key on the keyboard.

Strike Up the Wind Band: Celebrating 50 Years of the Northwestern University Symphonic Wind Ensemble

Though Northwestern’s band program dates back to 1911, the Symphonic Wind Ensemble began in 1969.

Grant Park Music Festival Announces 2019 Season

The eighty-fifth annual season opens June 12 and will run through August 17, with most performances taking place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

6 of the Most Famous Classical Music Feuds Between Composers

The history of music is full of friendships and feuds. These composers certainly had complicated relationships. What are your favorite composer clashes?