The string quartet gets its name from the Afrikaans word for “contrast,” since the musicians enjoy playing seemingly contrasting repertoire even within the same program

As a composer, conductor, and educator, Leonard Bernstein’s contributions left a tremendous impact on American classical and popular music. Ravinia celebrates his centenary.

The Pregnant Buffalo Lounge, a subterranean space at the Chopin Theatre was home to the second WFMT Cabaret.

Hear a rarely-heard live performance by Mahalia Jackson’s broadcast from the Morrison Hotel in 1975 courtesy of the Studs Terkel Radio Archive.

Chicago Tribune film critic Michael Phillips returns to WFMT to present Music for Oscar Week 2017 following the success of our month-long film score series in 2016 and Veterans Day special. Each day throughout Oscar week, Phillips shares music from movie musicals that have received or been nominated for Academy Awards. Starting with The Broadway Melody, the first motion picture …

In 2016, WFMT launched its Classical Cabaret, a brand new, live radio variety show. The first ever Classical Cabaret was hosted at the Uptown Underground, a burlesque longue in Chicago’s Uptown neighborhood. Composer, musician, and WFMT announcer Robbie Ellis hosted a fun evening from the piano. He shared some of his own original compositions, including a very hilarious, very Chicago …

What would we do without music, especially during those tumultuous teen years! Here are 10 classical albums that helped us at WFMT survive adolescence, in no particular order.

“Even though I lived in a Southern community where segregation and discrimination were part of our everyday lives, I always dreamed of a day when these conditions would not exist.”

Go back in time to the early days of WFMT — the ’50s and ’60s — with a charming look back at some festive Program Guides!

“Restoration is an act of defiance against decay,” composer William Neil said. His new work, “Out of Darkness into Light,” celebrates the restoration of Chicago’s historic St. Stanislaus Kostka Church.

Here are 10 albums from 2016 that stood out because of the incredible performances, the repertoire, the historical significance, or all of the above.

Between 1952 and 1997, Studs’ radio show on WFMT featured many of the 20th century’s most vibrant artists and thinkers.

Tuesday, December 13, 2016 is WFMT’s 65th birthday! Morning host Carl Grapentine recalls “how WFMT did it” landed him his dream job.

All month long, you can enjoy WFMT’s special holiday broadcasts from all around the world.

As WFMT’s Music Director, Andi Lamoreaux got to share some of her favorite music with audiences around the world. Here are some of her favorite pieces and performers, along with suggested recordings.

Wieder’s book is the first attempt to synthesize many facets of Studs Terkel’s life, including stories and details about Studs’ 45 years at WFMT.

For the last two weeks of September my wife Deb and I were treated to a cruise on the Rhine River thanks to YMT Vacations, one of WFMT’s loyal sponsors. Along with us were almost two-dozen WFMT listeners. The tour involved land transportation and sightseeing from Munich to Bonn, where we then boarded the A Rosa Viva for eight relaxing …

Emmy Award-winning filmmaker’s Marian Marzynski newest documentary is Do You Speak Chopin?. Marzynski’s love letter to Chopin is centered around the “Chopin Olympics” of the International Chopin Piano Competition in Warsaw, Poland.

The Chicago Area Archivists (CAA) is hosting its second annual Chicago Open Archives event this weekend. From October 6-8, 2016, over thirty local archives, research centers, and other institutions will open their doors to let the public explore their holdings, and to engage with local archivists, researchers, librarians, and curators. WFMT is proud to be included among the many institutions …

Time for a musical deep dive!

Many musicians have started their careers in Chicago, and some of them have also studied at the Academy of the Music Institute of Chicago. Founded in 2006, the Academy was established to serve as a training center for gifted pre-college classical musicians. The program is designed for piano and strings. “The Academy was modeled after another program, the oldest of its …

“But for some reason, people are surprised to learn that American Indians compose ‘classical’ music.”

See which operas Justice Ginsburg chose as her her five favorites during her visit to WFMT.

Mark Jahnke, VP and Chief Technology shares the sad news of Jim White’s death. Sadly, we received news last night that Jim White, Chief Engineer for WFMT, has passed away.  Although Jim just joined the company in February of this year, he had quickly become a valued member of the WFMT team.  The second Jim walked in the door at …

A conversation with Esa-Pekka Salonen, the Finnish composer-conductor widely considered to be one of the most important in his field.