Ascendant violinist Maya Buchanan joined WFMT and pianist Milana Pavchinskaya to share the “Spring” Violin Sonata by Ludwig van Beethoven and the Carmen Fantasie Brillante by Jenő Hubay.

How about some musical bonbons for a cold winter day? With several inches of snow outside, violinist Geneva Lewis and pianist Sahun Sam Hong teamed up for a bright performance of French music confections.

Violinist Igor Pikayzen and pianist Tatyana Pikayzen perform two expressive, engaging fantasies.

“I have great admiration for the orchestra and Maestro Muti,” shares Hilary Hahn, “and it is an honor to join their organization and be present in the city of Chicago over the next two seasons.”

This year’s Kennedy Center Honors may be a slimmed-down affair as the nation emerges from the coronavirus pandemic — but honoree Dick Van Dyke still says it’s “the capper on my career.”

With collaborative pianist Milana Pavchinskaya, Brown gave a sensitive, engrossing performance to an empty audience in the Chicago Cultural Center.

As WFMT celebrates the centenary of Isaac Stern — who was born on July 21, 1920 — Michael Stern reflects on his father’s life in music.

Looking for a productive, diverting way to spend your downtime? Why not hone your musical skills and learn from some of the greatest musicians in the world?

On January 15, violinist Stephen Kim and pianist Ilya Friedberg shared the Chicago Cultural Center stage for a concert of passionate, dynamic music by two Romantic composers: Ernest Chausson and Johannes Brahms.

Classical music, jazz, Celtic folksongs, and funk — these genres make up just a few of the words in Wynton Marsalis’ musical language. Violinist Nicola Benedetti calls Marsalis’ new violin concerto a “path of discovery.”

While building a successful career as a musician, (and amassing a mighty social media following), rising violinist Ray Chen has had to stay sharp. And while visiting Chicago for a series of performances with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Chen showed WFMT audiences that being stage-ready is as easy as 1,2,3!

Imagine the scrolling main title of Star Wars or wizards taking flight in Harry Potter without triumphant brass and sweeping strings. These cinematic moments would lose their emotional resonance without the iconic music of John Williams.

In between back-to-back lessons for around 30 students at his alma mater, Keshet Eilon International Music Center in Israel, Vadim Gluzman has been preparing for his upcoming Grant Park Music Festival performances of Bernstein’s Serenade on August 2nd and 3rd. These concerts mark Gluzman’s return to Chicago after weeks of travel, and before yet another period of touring around …

One of film’s first superstars, Charlie Chaplin was an innovator in virtually every aspect of filmmaking. With his iconic character the Tramp, he created an ‘everyman’ who remains loved by audiences around the world to this day. Chaplin also wrote and directed most of his movies, and, even though he wasn’t always credited, he composed nearly all of the music as well.

Now in its 10th season, WFMT’s Introductions, the Saturday morning program that highlights the finest pre-college musicians in the Chicago area, has given young artists a platform to have their talents and voices heard. Many students who appear on the program decide to study music at an early age, but Introductions alum Ryan Meehan discovered the violin by accident. “I …

Bach has been a part of Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn’s life, both in practice and performance, nearly every day since she was nine years old, and her most recent album explores her ongoing fascination with the composer.

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.

Violinist Jennifer Koh visited WFMT for a Facebook live broadcast and shared two contrasting works — the “Sarabande” from Bach’s Violin Partita No.2 in D minor and “Kinski Paganini,” by Missy Mazzoli. She also spoke about the importance of ensuring that there is diversity in future generations of classical artists. “One of the things that’s important to me,” Koh shared, “is to bring voice to people who didn’t have that voice before.”

Niccolò Paganini’s 24 Caprices for Solo Violin, Op. 1 has defined virtuosity on the solo violin for nearly 200 years. Violinist Jennifer Koh is changing that.

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.

For many musicians, the chance to perform with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is a dream gig. The Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition makes this dream come true for one young musician every year. On Saturday, March 11, four finalists competed in Symphony Hall for the chance to perform with the CSO during a youth concert in the …

For every cherished Beethoven or Tchaikovsky violin concerto, there’s a concerto by Szymanowski or a Berwald that deserves some more love!

Violinist Jennifer Koh on what makes this piece such an enduring favorite, her own journey with the piece, and why the concerto was once considered “unplayable.”

Grammy Award-winning violinist Gil Shaham made his professional debut at age 10, an age when most are hardly even thinking about professional work of any kind.

Joshua Bell is one of the most acclaimed musicians of our time… which is to say, he can really tear it up on the violin.