Introductions | WFMT

The Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Negaunee Music Institute and mentor Jessie Montgomery took six young composers and guided them through workshops of new pieces throughout the year. The Young Composers Initiative culminated in a concert featuring fellows of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as performers. Two of the composers have previously appeared on WFMT: – Sylvia Pine performed as a v...

Today we hear from 16-year-old violinist Elle Cho. She plays Bach, Beach and Tchaikovsky with pianist Milana Pavchinskaya. Elle Cho began violin studies at the age of three and is a Fellow at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a training center for advanced pre-college musicians. As a winner of the DePaul Concerto Competition, she made her solo debut at age eight with the Oistrakh Symphony of...

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. Some players have previously appeared on Introductions : – Mingshi Xia and Simon Updegraff played with Trioscuro in September 2024 – Simon Updegraff additionally did a live solo recital in November 2023 – Lucy Wu has been broadcas...

Our annual Labor Day-weekend recap of 27 graduating seniors, some highlight performances, and where they’re heading next. The post Introductions Class of 2025 appeared first on WFMT .

On Saturday August 2, Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras had a primetime spot at Lollapalooza in Grant Park, the opportunity to play for its biggest audience in history. Robbie Ellis was there and talked to the players and those who made it happen. More from WFMT: Adela Skowronski’s story CYSO Makes History at Lollapalooza . More from CYSO: Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra Selected for 2025 L...

We hear from three chamber groups who reached the semifinals of this year’s Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, including the Bronze Medal-winning Quartetto Speranza. Many of today’s players have appeared previously on Introductions : – Tristan Zhu most recently gave a solo recital in March 2025 – Lily Sullivan most recently appeared live in November 2024 – V...

We feature four graduating seniors from CYSO’s flagship orchestra on viola, horn, tuba and violin. Chloe Cohen, Elyse Schlesinger, Kevin Harte and Clara Frantzen at their final Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras concert, May 18, 2025. (Photos: Ed Spinelli.) Chloe Cohen is a 17-year-old violist from Chicago and a senior at Lincoln Park High School. They began playing the viola at age six and c...

Today we hear from Lily Yoshihara, a violinist from Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative and from Midwest Conservatory in Schaumburg, and a student of Taka Matsunaga and Bernardo Arias. Lily plays Brahms, Bach and Wieniawski; plus the Fantasy No. 1 of Japanese composer Ikuma Dan. Yoahn Jon Kwon plays piano. Lily Yoshihara has been studying the violin under the instruction of Taka Matsunaga and Bern...

You can join us in person for this live Introductions episode – come to Merit School of Music (38 S Peoria St, Chicago). Doors open at 10:30am on Saturday June 21 for the live broadcast starting at 11:00am sharp. Robbie Ellis hosts. Free entry, no reservation required. This event is part of Make Music Chicago , a one-day festival of free music-making across the city. Jacob Cornejo , from Chi...

We welcome return guest Henry Auxenfans for a feature violin recital. He’s joined by his brother Louis Auxenfans on clarinet and pianist Nathan Canfield for Mozart, Glazunov, Perkinson, Fuchs, Franck and Wieniawski. Henry Auxenfans, 17-year-old violinist, is a senior at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools. He has been honored with many regional, national and international competitio...