Sirena Huang, violin and Chih-Yi Chen, piano

Violinist Sirena Huang and pianist Chih-Yi Chen perform works by Amy Beach, Francis Poulenc, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Chen Gang.

Musical Events for Black History Month

Honor Black artistry with an entire month of exciting musical events — operas, chamber concerts, jazz orchestras, broadcasts, and more!

Encore Broadcast | Zachary Allen, 18, oboe

WFMT welcomes Zachary Allen for a live-to-air recital today – this Skokie oboist has been a mainstay of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras and Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative.

Chicago Holiday Arts Calendar: Enchanting Concerts, Events, Spectacles, and more!

As we look forward to the festivities, we have compiled some of Chicago’s most enticing holiday offerings!

Last Night of the Proms

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason and soprano Lise Davidsen join conductor Marin Alsop and the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Chorus for the celebratory conclusion of the 2023 Proms.

Chineke! performs Beethoven and Haydn

Anthony Parnther leads the orchestra in Beethoven’s Symphony No. 4, Haydn’s Trumpet Concerto, and works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, and Valerie Coleman.

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.

Yashima Conducts Schubert 5

Erina Yashima also leads works by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, Franz Schubert, and Jessie Montgomery.

Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony

Tadaaki Otaka conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and violinist Elena Urioste in works by Rachmaninoff, Coleridge-Taylor, and Beethoven.

Elgar Cello Concerto

Zlatomir Fung perform a jewel of the cello repertoire.

Juneteenth: Remembrance and Celebration

A special program commemorating the emancipation of enslaved Black Americans

LIVE | Zachary Allen, 18, oboe

WFMT welcomes Zachary Allen for a live-to-air recital today – this Skokie oboist has been a mainstay of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras and Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative.

Hrůša Conducts Dvořák 6

Hrůša also conducts music by Barber and Coleridge-Taylor.

Caitlin Edwards, violin and Daniel Schlosberg, piano

Violinist Caitlin Edwards and pianist Daniel Schlosberg play music by Ethel Smyth, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Ahmed Alabaca, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago.

Grant Park Music Festival 2023 Season Released

What music will fill your summer? Grant Park shares its 2023 offerings.

Playlist: Classical Music for Travel

WFMT brings you a “musical getaway,” whether you’re enjoying the comfort of your cushiest armchair or exploring somewhere new!

Video: Expressive, Dynamic Music for Cello & Piano Played by Jean Hatmaker & Michael Finlay

Cellist Jean Hatmaker is a founding member of the Kontras Quartet and the principal cellist of the Elmhurst Symphony Orchestra. She teamed up with pianist Michael Finlay to play music by Brahms and Coleridge-Taylor.

In Return to Stage, CSO To Welcome Audiences for Concerts in May, June

The CSO will return in May and June for a slate of performances, the orchestra’s first since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020.

How D-Composed Aims to Re-Compose the Experience of Classical Concerts

“We want to dismantle the notion that classical music is reserved for a certain group of people,” said D-Composed Chicago founder Kori Coleman.

How Women of the Chicago Black Renaissance Changed Classical Music Around the World

Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Irene Britton Smith, Nora Holt, and countless other women of color contributed to the Chicago Black Renaissance and changed classical music around the world.