“Chicago has been a fiddle town for a long time now,” reflects Sam Kunkel, a luthier in residence at A440.

While “violin” exists only as a noun, the word “fiddle” also carries multiple meanings beyond just the instrument.

Simone Lamsma joins the LA Phil and guest conductor Otto Tausk to play Bruch’s landmark first violin concerto. We also hear a world premiere LA Phil commission by Helen Grim and a Brahms staple.

The Escher String Quartet joins pianist Zoltán Fejérvári in César Franck’s emotional, demanding Piano Quintet in F Minor. The string quartet also joins John Storgårds, Leigh Mesh, & Kathleen McIntosh in an exciting rendition of Bach’s Double Violin Concerto in D Minor.

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.

“I love being able to share music with your close friends… As I started playing in more competitions and festivals, I would think, ‘Who would be my dream team for a quartet?’”

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.

“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 …