29-Year-Old Kedrick Armstrong Named Oakland Symphony Music Director

Armstrong is the first music director since the unexpected death of Michael Morgan in 2021.

Steelpan Player Jaden Teague-Núñez Wins 2024 CSO Young Artists Competition

Teague-Núñez is the first steelpan soloist to enter — much less win — the competition.

Marin Alsop-led Taki Alsop Conducting Fellowship Names Winners

The recipient joins a respected roster of fellowship winners, including Karina Canellakis, Mei-Ann Chen, Jeri Lynne Johnson, and Valentina Peleggi.

Chicago Holiday Arts Calendar: Enchanting Concerts, Events, Spectacles, and more!

As we look forward to the festivities, we have compiled some of Chicago’s most enticing holiday offerings!

In 35th Season, Chicago Sinfonietta Looks At What’s ‘Next’

A dynamic balance of intensity and optimism holds true throughout the season, which features such program titles as Next, Boundless, and Unapologetic.

Ravinia Festival’s 2022 Lineup Brings Signature Music Mix, Bevy of Guests

In addition to the annual CSO residency, Ravinia will play host to a spate of guest ensembles, including Music of the Baroque, The Knights, the Lincoln Trio, Chanticleer, the Chicago Philharmonic, and the Chicago Sinfonietta.

10 Woman Conductors You Should Know

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

Catch Up With WFMT’s Latest Bach to School Event with Chicago Sinfonietta Wind Quintet

Chicago Sinfonietta’s CEO Blake-Anthony Johnson and principal oboist Ricardo Castañeda discussed how participating in classical music has shaped their lives and look back on past performance highlights.

See Photo Highlights from WFMT’s 70th Anniversary Day of Celebration

We’re still soaring from our big day last week, when we welcomed some of Chicago’s leading artists to take part in a daylong celebration of WFMT and the music we’ve been presenting for the last 70 years!

Stream Highlight Performances from WFMT’s 70th Anniversary Day of Celebration

How better to mark 70 years of WFMT than with a party!?

WFMT at 70: A Q&A with WFMT’s General Manager and Music Director

As we look back on WFMT’s 70th birthday, we sit down with George Preston and Oliver Camacho to discuss the commemorative celebration and their plans to kickstart the next 70 years of WFMT.

6 Chicago Concerts and Celebrations for Juneteenth 2021

Many have their Juneteenth parades and celebrations all ready to go, but if you’re on the hunt for some plans, consider attending one of these six unique events.

Chicago Sinfonietta ‘Revels’ in 2021-22 Returns to Live Concerts

The Chicago Sinfonietta has over 30 years of experience making classical music relevant, accessible, and reflective of Chicago’s diverse communities. This season, the orchestra is tackling diversity through the lens of joy.

Ravinia Returns for 2021 Season

Ravinia Festival is back for 2021 for its 85th concert season, offering up a signature blend of classical, jazz, folk, and rock music performances.

This Chicago Program is Helping Young Musicians of Color Break Barriers. Here’s How to Audition.

In arts and music, there’s an important — but sometimes overlooked — facet of diversity that needs to be addressed: not just of the people in the audience, but also of the people onstage.

Juneteenth 2020 on WFMT

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

Combining Cappuccinos and Chamber Music With the Chicago Sinfonietta

“Tchaikovsky’s ‘Serenade for Strings’ while enjoying a nice pour-over, or anything by Mozart would be perfect,” says Sadie Woods, project manager of the Chicago Sinfonietta‘s Residents Orchestrate Project (ROP). Whether you enjoy Liszt and a latte, Grieg and a green tea, or Bartók and a black coffee, the Sinfonietta’s ROP Melodic Lounge live music series infuses symphonic sounds with aromatic coffeehouse …

2020 Grammys: Nominated Artists Featured on WFMT

WFMT has been lucky enough to share conversations and interviews with many of the 2020 Grammy-nominated artists. Here are all the features with the conductors, composers, and musicians who have been recognized by the Recording Academy.

MLK, Mahler, Making Community with the Chicago Sinfonietta

The Chicago Sinfonietta’s longstanding mission of bringing communities and people together through the symphonic experience takes center stage with the Sinfonietta’s annual tribute concert to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Decade in Review: The 2010s and Classical Music

The 2010s were a tumultuous decade, replete with astounding artistic highlights, superlative new voices, and watershed moments of reckoning. WFMT hosts and staff reflect on what the past decade brought for classical music, and what the new decade may have in store.

Video: ‘Get Out’ Composer Michael Abels Brings His Horror Score Into the Concert Hall

“Writing music, I believe, is a spiritual practice,” says composer Michael Abels. “Any three notes you can find are either terrible or brilliant depending on the context.” Abels makes his Sinfonietta conducting debut leading the orchestra in a live-to-picture performance of his own score for Jordan Peele’s Oscar-winning film Get Out.

COT Announces 2019-20 Season, Complete Slate of Chicago Premieres

General director Ashley Magnus exclaims that “to ensure that opera stays relevant as a living art form, we must bring contemporary voices, as well as works of international prominence never before seen in Chicago to the stage.”

Finding James Baldwin: Chicago’s Renée Baker Composes Opera Inspired By the Great Writer

Renée Baker’s interest in Baldwin began when she first heard recordings of his voice. “The person that I’d only accessed from books became quite real once I was able to actually hear and listen to him speak.” She notes.

Grant Park Music Festival Announces 2019 Season

The eighty-fifth annual season opens June 12 and will run through August 17, with most performances taking place at the Jay Pritzker Pavilion in Millennium Park.

$3.5 Million Grant Launches Initiative to Diversify the Next Generation of Musicians

CMPI will support promising young musicians from underrepresented backgrounds and low-income households in order to diversify the next generation of musicians.