Playlist: 10 Finnish Composers You Should Know (Who Aren’t Sibelius)

Osmo Vänskä, the Finnish music director of the Minnesota Orchestra, shared 10 Finnish composers that everyone should know who aren’t Sibelius.

Your Guide to Chopin’s Nocturnes

Learn about some of Chopin’s signature compositions: his most important nocturnes.

Playlist: Your Guide to Chopin’s Orchestral Works

Though Chopin did not compose many works for piano and orchestra — just six! — he kept them in his concert repertoire throughout his career.

9 Classic Short Stories Every Classical Music Lover Should Add to Their Summer Reading List

If you’re looking for quick summer reads to add to your list, give these music-themed short stories a try, with everything from Anton (Chekhov) to Zora (Neale Hurston). The best part: they’re all available for free online!

Playlist: 12 Polish Composers You Should Know (Who Aren’t Chopin)

Everyone loves the music of Frédéric Chopin, Poland’s most well-known composer. But, how many other Polish composers do you know?

Listen to the One Cuban Singer That Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club Wants Everyone to Hear

Omara Portuondo is proud to be compared to Édith Piaf, but she also wants the world to know more about Cuban artists.

Playlist: 10 Shakespeare-Inspired Operas You Should Know

If “Music oft hath such a charm / To make bad good, and good provoke to harm,” perhaps these 10 Shakespeare-inspired operas will charm you.

Playlist: 10 Lesser-Known Violin Concertos You Should Hear Right Now

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

Playlist: 38 Classical Hidden Gems You Should Listen to Right Now

Time for a musical deep dive!

Stanisław Moniuszko: The Most Famous Polish Composer You Don’t Know (But Should)

Stanisław Moniuszko may not be a household name today, the composer is literally the face of Polish opera… a statue of him rests outside of the Warsaw Opera House.

Playlist: 10 Contemporary Composers You Should Know (…Who Also Happen to Be Women)

During March, Women’s History Month, we draw special attention to the music of women composers past and present on WFMT. Here are 10 living composers who are changing music today, along with 10 albums featuring their music you might want to add to your library.

Playlist: 11 More Rossini Operas You Should Know (Beyond ‘Barber’)

Gioachino Rossini made so much money from the 39 original operas he created between 1810 and 1829 that he retired in his late 30s.

15 Queer Composers You Should Know

Can you imagine a world without the music of Handel, Tchaikovsky, or Britten? These great composers of the past are just a few of many important musical figures who did not identify as heterosexual.

Playlist: 5 Mexican Composers You Should Know

Learn more about Mexico’s most celebrated composers of the past and present. Here are 5 Mexican composers you should know because of their incredible contributions to the world of music.