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.

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.

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.

“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!’”

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).

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.

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.

“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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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 …

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 …

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 …

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.

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 …

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.

Even the biggest Björk fan might not know that she admires Estonian composer Arvo Pärt. However, listening to Pärt’s music, which many describe as “holy minimalism,” and then Björk’s, it’s easy to understand why.

In this musical adventure with KAIA String Quartet, learn about one of Argentina’s most well-known styles of music and dance: tango. Tango originated in the towns and cities surrounding Río de la Plata, a wide river that forms part of the border between Argentina and Uruguay. The  rhythms of tango come from both African and European musical traditions, including Afro-Uruguayan candombe and French …

When Carl Grapentine, host of WFMT’s Morning Program, first visited Berlin in 1965 as a student he immediately felt at home.

Dog image: SixtyWeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons This cute Labrador may be the biggest Mendelssohn fan you’ve seen. A dog joined the Vienna Chamber Orchestra during a recent performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 at the 31st International İzmir Festival in İzmir, Turkey. This outdoor annual festival brings live concerts to the historic stage of the Grand Theater of Ephesus, …

Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma is so beautiful, it has inspired a dish: pasta alla Norma. When conductor and cook Riccardo Frizza led performances of “Norma” in Chicago, he shared his recipe.