Video: The Vienna Boys’ Choir Shares Holiday Classics in the WFMT Studios

The celebrated Vienna Boys’ Choir stopped by the WFMT studios during a tour across the United States to spread some holiday cheer.

Video: Hear a Holiday Medley Performed by the U.S. Coast Guard Band Saxophone Quartet

The United States Coast Guard Band Saxophone Quartet performed in the Levin Performance Studio at WFMT for an edition of Impromptu. Watch a video as they perform their own arrangement of some favorite holiday tunes.

Video: Music of the Baroque Brass Ensemble Performs 17th Century Dances by Praetorius

This year, the Music of the Baroque Brass ensemble visited WFMT’s Levin studio to share some selections from MOB’s 2017 holiday concert, including two 17th century dances by Michael Praetorius.

Stream: Chanticleer Shares Holiday Music From Around the World, Live in the WFMT Studios

Hear what the holidays in 17th century Mexico and Canada might have sounded like with these special live performances by internationally acclaimed vocal ensemble Chanticleer.

Video: 5 Questions with Conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya

When conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya was recently named the new music director of Chicago Opera Theater, she became the only woman to hold that title with a major American opera company. Get to know Yankovskaya in this video interview.

How Do You Practice a Concerto Without an Orchestra? Pianist Kirill Gerstein Explains

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.

Hear Kirill Gerstein Play Tchaikovsky’s Piano Concerto No. 1 the Way Tchaikovsky Intended

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.

Video | Try a Virtual Sound Therapy Session to Block Out the Noise in Your Life

Discover how Tibetan singing bowls, drums, and gongs can add harmony to your life in three virtual, video sound therapy sessions you can enjoy anywhere.

VIDEO | Watch Mozart’s Requiem With a Día de Los Muertos Twist

The Chicago Sinfonietta has made its Día de los Muertos concert a popular annual tradition, celebrating the music of Latin American composers and giving a New World twist to Old World classics like Mozart’s Requiem.

VIDEO | Pipa 101 with Wu Man

“Surprisingly, people will come up to me after [concerts] and say, ‘Oh that sounds like a banjo! That sounds like a harp! That sounds like a guitar!’”

Video: The Most Important Advice That Composer Ludovico Einaudi Received from His Mentor Luciano Berio

Einaudi explained how being a performer influences his compositional process and the most important advice Berio taught him about music… (which doesn’t exactly involve music).

Video: Was J.S. Bach Truly Religious? His Bible May Have Clues

Though J.S. Bach wrote many sacred works, some historians have questioned his faith. Notes Bach made in his own personal copy of the Bible may reveal whether or not the composer was truly religious.

Video | 13-Year-Old Cellist Noah Chen Performs Concert Polonaise by David Popper

13-year-old cellist Noah Chen of Chicago recently performed on WFMT’s Introductions. Watch him perform David Popper’s Concert Polonaise, a brilliant showpiece for cello, with pianist Kay Kim.

Video: Be the First to Watch Baroque Opera ‘Ariane et Bachus’ in 321 Years

“Ariane et Bachus” was first performed by the Académie Royale de Musique in 1696, and Haymarket Opera Company’s production marks the first revival of work in 321 years.

Video: Hearing Rameau Arranged for Guitar Duo Might Make 18th Century Music First in Your Heart

Eden Stell Guitar Duo performed live in the WFMT studios and proved that French baroque music is full of sensualité.

Video: Anne-Sophie Mutter On What Every Musician Should Know That They Can’t Learn in School

When four-time Grammy Award-winning violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter visited the WFMT studios, she shared what she thinks every musician should know that you can’t learn in school.

Video | Hear the Young Mariachi Ensemble from Chicago That’s Topping Charts and Winning Hearts

Chicago-based Mariachi Herencia de México released its debut album, “Nuestra Herenica” (“Our Heritage”), in early 2017 and it ranked No. 2 on the iTunes Latin chart in its first week. Since the ensemble is composed of pre-college musicians, the album may be the first major mariachi recording released in the United States by students.

Video | Watch Two of the World’s Best Tabla Players (Who Also Happen to Be Father and Son)

Watch Anindo Chatterjee and his son Anubrata prove why they are two of the best percussionists in the world.

Video | Meet Jerry, Río, and Gratia: Three of the Most Graceful Dancers on Four Legs

Jerry, Río, and Gratia are three of the most beautiful dancers you’ll ever see. But unlike most dancers, they perform on four legs, not two.

This Gorgeous Piano Nocturne by Chopin Might Be Even Better Arranged for Violin

Chopin wrote his Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 in E-flat major between 1830 and 1832 and the piece was first published in 1833. The Nocturne Op. 9, No. 2 is one of the most popular of Chopin’s 21 nocturnes as evidenced by the number of arrangements made for other instruments. Karol Lipiński made the first arrangement during Chopin’s lifetime for …

Video: Watch This Young Pianist Play Ridiculously Hard Works by Chopin… Blindfolded!

Frédéric Chopin’s Étude Op. 10, No. 4 and Prelude Op. 28, No. 16 are notorious for being among the composer’s most challenging works to play. And when pianist Aldric Gozon learned these two pieces, he didn’t stop at getting the notes right – he played both blindfolded. Chopin wrote Étude Op. 10, No. 4 in 1830 as part of his …

This Breakdance Duet to Chopin’s ‘Fantaisie-Impromptu’ Will Send You Spinning

When Frédéric Chopin composed his Fantaisie-Impromptu, he probably didn’t expect for the work to serve as the music for a breakdance duet. But at Arabesque 2014, an international ballet competition hosted by the Perm Ballet Opera Theatre, one entry in the “modern choreography” category used Fantaisie-Impromptu for just that purpose. Fantaisie-Impromptu was written in 1834, but it wasn’t published until …

Video: After Coming Out as Gay, This Russian Violinist Can’t Return Home. This Is How Music Helped Him Find Acceptance.

For violinist Artem Kolesov, leaving his home country didn’t just offer the opportunity for professional advancement, it was also a chance to escape a life of constant fear and persecution.

Listening to This Bach Fantasia Arranged for Marimbas Is Like Giving Your Brain a Massage

J.S. Bach is one of the most celebrated figures in the history of music. American composer John Knowles Paine declared that Bach’s music “cannot grow antiquated,” and many modern musicians have arranged his compositions for instruments that had not yet been invented during Bach’s lifetime. Wendy Carlos changed music when she arranged Bach’s works for Moog synthesizers and helped popularize …

This Video Proves It’s Only a Matter of Time Before Robots Can Play Rachmaninoff

Anyone who’s ever studied a keyboard instrument knows it takes years of dedicated practice to play with accuracy. But one robot is programmed to bypass all of that, as shown in a video on Facebook.