Introductions | WFMT
WFMT • Music
WFMT • Music
Introductions | WFMT
WFMT • Music
WFMT • Music

About

Introductions is WFMT’s weekly Saturday morning program that features talented pre-college classical musicians in the Chicago area. Soloists and chamber ensembles perform live in WFMT’s Levin Performance Studio. Large ensembles, including orchestras, choirs, and bands, are recorded at their home venues and broadcast at later dates. The program also features youth music competition winners. While many students who appear on Introductions pursue other careers, some have gone on to study music at some of the most prestigious music schools around the world and pursue careers as professional musicians.

Episodes

  • 2025 CSO Young Composers Initiative
    New works from six young composers, guided by former Chicago Symphony Orchestra Composer-in-Residence Jessie Montgomery.
  • LIVE | Elle Cho, 16, violin
    Elle Cho is a violinist at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy. She plays Bach, Beach and Tchaikovsky with pianist Milana Pavchinskaya.
  • Porphyrion String Quartet and The Hemingway Quartet
    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.
  • Introductions Class of 2025
    A recap of 27 graduating seniors, some highlight performances, and where they're heading next.
  • Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras at Lollapalooza
    On Saturday August 2, CYSO played for its biggest live audience in history at Lollapalooza. Robbie Ellis was there to capture the moment.
  • Caspian Quartet, Minela Trio & Quartetto Speranza
    Three chamber groups who reached the semifinals of this year's Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, including the Bronze Medal-winning Quartetto Speranza.
  • Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Class of 2025
    We feature four graduating seniors from CYSO: violist Chloe Cohen, horn player Elyse Schlesinger, Kevin Harte on tuba, and Clara Frantzen as both a violinist and composer.
  • Lily Yoshihara, 18, violin
    Today we hear from a CMPI fellow and student at Midwest Conservatory in Schaumburg. Lily plays Brahms, Bach and Wieniawski; plus the Fantasy No. 1 of Japanese composer Ikuma Dan.
  • LIVE from Merit School of Music | Jacob Cornejo, 18, flute
    Join us in person at Merit School of Music for this live broadcast - free entry, no reservation required. Jacob Cornejo performs full works by Godard and Muczynski, a flute fantasia by Telemann, and shorter pieces by Ian Clarke and John Rutter.
  • LIVE | Henry Auxenfans, 17, violin
    We welcome return guest Henry Auxenfans for a feature recital. He's joined by Louis Auxenfans on clarinet and pianist Nathan Canfield for Mozart, Glazunov, Perkinson, Fuchs, Franck and Wieniawski.