The Great Chicago Fire began on October 8, 1871. Here’s some music that takes inspiration from flames.

Though there is a long way still to go, today’s stages are richer because these pioneering conductors are on them.

Originally from New Zealand, Gemma New is the music director of the Hamilton Philharmonic Orchestra in Ontario and the principal guest conductor of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.

Women play at the top of their fields in jazz, classical, blues, and reggae. Here are just a few of the dynamic women brass players who are showing off their chops and sharing their talents with us.

What is a versatile and active musician to do during quarantine? Susan Nelson has been learning and sharing songs by female composers and songwriters across various genres.

A collaborative performance with Chicago Opera Theater, the Refugee Orchestra Project, and conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya seeks to express the importance of refugee populations in American music and around the world.

“For centuries, millennia, we humans have looked at the stars and wondered about our place in the universe and what’s beyond. That’s what I wanted to dig into,” reflects musician-composer-producer Caroline Shaw on her latest work, The Listeners.

Baez is this year’s recipient of the Woody Guthrie Prize, an award that recognizes artists who speak out for the less fortunate.

In observance of Juneteenth, WFMT is sharing music by Black composers and performers throughout the day.

A full day of classical music from the perspectives of Black composers, instrumentalists, singers, and conductors.

In troubled times, music is a source of hope and healing. In a virtual interview and concert with WFMT’s George Preston, pianist Lara Downes performs selections from her new album, Some of These Days.

General director Ashley Magnus maintains that even in troubled times, the company is “moving forward with the belief that opera truly is a living, resilient art form.”

This past February, Stephen Alltop led the Northwestern University Symphony, the Alice Millar Chapel Choir, the Evanston Children’s Choir, and soloists in Terra Nostra – Our Earth – by the acclaimed Chicago-based composer Stacy Garrop. This large-scale celebration of our planet, and the relationship between humankind and the natural world, uses poetry by Byron, Shelley, Wordsworth, Tennyson, Walt Whitman, and …

WFMT observes the 50th anniversary of the first Earth Day with a fitting broadcast: Chicago composer Stacy Garrop’s oratorio Terra Nostra, which celebrates our planet and explores the relationship between humankind and the natural world.

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?

We’re glad to see that in recent decades, more and more works by women writers have been given their due in the opera house. Here’s a look back at some of them, and a short list of works by women that we’re waiting to see operatically staged.

From medieval times to modernity, women have made important contributions to all aspects of music, including as composers.

The opera is a fictionalized account inspired by the theft of seven artworks from a museum in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

“I think that art needs to serve the public… not just to be comforting and familiar, but to push the envelope,” declares Marin Alsop.

The two-year appointment was created especially for Alsop, who curated Ravinia’s multi-season celebration of the Leonard Bernstein centennial.

“Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir made history by becoming the first woman in 19 years to win best original score at the Golden Globes. Guðnadóttir was the sole female nominee.

“I will put all my passion at the service of the Monte Carlo Opera. Taking over the direction of the Monte Carlo Opera is a new stage, but also the realization of a dream,” the Italian singer averred.

This is no laughing matter: “Joker” composer Hildur Guðnadóttir could be the first woman in 19 years to win the Golden Globe for best original score.

Between February 2020 and June 2021, Lina González-Granados will have the opportunity to study and work with Maestro Muti, conduct the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, and participate in cultural activities and outreach throughout the greater Chicago area.

Anniversaries make up many of the highlights of the CSO’s annual summer residency.