Introductions on WFMT

She's a great supporter of our station and a great pianist to boot: let's hear again from Edie Park of the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. Scarlatti, Beethoven, Chopin & Ahn this Saturday at 11am on WFMT.

Encore broadcast | Edie Park, 15, piano | WFMT Today we hear from Edie Park, a pianist and supporter of WFMT. She plays Scarlatti, Beethoven and Chopin before finishing her recital with the San Francisco-based composer Jean Ahn.

We're near the end of National Hispanic & Latino Heritage Month, so we have a highlights episode. Catch performances of Latin American composers' music from the last two years, performed by top young local musicians. Saturday at 11am on WFMT.

Hispanic & Latin American Heritage Month Highlights | WFMT Today on Introductions, we mark Hispanic and Latin American Heritage Month with highlight performances of pieces by composers from Cuba, Argentina, the US and Brazil.

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra's Negaunee Music Institute runs a Young Composers Initiative each year, with mentor Jessie Montgomery and players from the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. Hear the six most recent pieces this week, Saturday 11am on WFMT.

2025 CSO Young Composers Initiative | WFMT New works from six young composers, guided by former Chicago Symphony Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery.

It's our first solo guitar recital in a long long time: Evelyn Zhang is a student of Brad Conroy at the Music Institute of Chicago. She's got a wide variety of short pieces from Latin America and Europe - composers include Brouwer, Villa-Lobos, and Scarlatti. 11am Saturday on WFMT.

Evelyn Zhang, 17, guitar | WFMT Evelyn Zhang, a student of Brad Conroy, brings guitar music from Cuba, Venezuela, Austria, Italy, the UK and Brazil.

Two live broadcasts in a row: we've got Elle Cho, an Almita Vamos student from the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. She plays Bach, Vitali, Beach and Tchaikovsky with pianist Milana Pavchinskaya. 11am Saturday on WFMT.

LIVE | Elle Cho, 16, violin | WFMT Elle Cho is a violinist at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. She plays Bach, Vitali, Beach and Tchaikovsky with pianist Milana Pavchinskaya.

It's a big event in the Levin Studio this week: Jaden Teague-Núñez is our first ever steelpan soloist as winner of the 2024 Crain-Maling Foundation Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Artists Competition. On the bill is music by his father, Liam Teague of the NIU School of Music. This Saturday, live at 11am on WFMT.

LIVE | Jaden Teague-Núñez, 17, steelpan and piano | WFMT The winner of the 2024 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition brings his steelpan to the Fay and Daniel Levin Performance Studio.

Two string quartets from the Music Institute of Chicago Academy play Haydn, Haas, Dvořák, Brahms and Prokofiev. 11am Saturday on WFMT.

Porphyrion String Quartet and The Hemingway Quartet | WFMT This week, two string quartets from the Music Institute of Chicago Academy play Haas, Dvořák, Brahms, Prokofiev, and a double helping of C major Haydn.

Congratulations to our latest alumni! Hear from 27 graduating seniors from the Music Institute of Chicago, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Merit School of Music, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, New Music School, Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestras, Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative and more. 11am Saturday on WFMT.

Introductions Class of 2025 | WFMT A recap of 27 graduating seniors, some highlight performances, and where they're heading next.

Tomorrow is one of our biggest and loudest episodes of the year: Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras at Lollapalooza. Hear their epic Saturday set with Shostakovich, Tchaikovsky, Bonds, Williams and more. This Saturday 11am on WFMT, and as a podcast!

Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras at Lollapalooza | WFMT On Saturday August 2, CYSO played for its biggest live audience in history at Lollapalooza. Robbie Ellis was there to capture the moment.

Let's hear again from Katherine Schaufenbuel, her recital recorded in November 2024. This Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras violinist plays Telemann, Mozart, Brahms, Auerbach and Wieniawski.

Encore broadcast | Katherine Schaufenbuel, 13, violin | WFMT Today we feature young violinist Katherine Schaufenbuel, a student of Grigory Kalinovsky of Indiana University. She plays Telemann, Mozart, Brahms, Wieniawski and Auerbach with pianist Lyudmila Lakisova.

Two top groups from Merit School of Music are featured this week: the Purple Hippopotami and The Bone Rangers play music for flutes and trombones. 11am CT this Saturday on WFMT.

Purple Hippopotami & The Bone Rangers | WFMT We hear from two of Merit School of Music's top chamber groups: flute quartet The Purple Hippopotami and trombone quartet The Bone Rangers.

Chamber groups are on the show this week and next. Catch groups from the Institute of Chicago and Midwest Young Artists Conservatory who had success at the most recent Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Saturday 11am CT on WFMT.

Caspian Quartet, Minela Trio & Quartetto Speranza | WFMT Three chamber groups who reached the semifinals of this year's Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, including the Bronze Medal-winning Quartetto Speranza.