Introductions | WFMT

We feature the New Trier High School Symphonic Wind Ensemble on this Saturday’s broadcast in a diverse program of music for wind and percussion instruments.  The ensemble was selected by the judges of the 2014 Chicagoland Band Festival at John Hersey High School to perform on Introductions.  Matt Temple is the director of bands at the more...

On this Saturday’s broadcast, we feature the Midwest Young Artists Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Stravinsky’s ground breaking 20th century masterpiece The Rite of Spring. The MYA Symphony Orchestra performed this piece in Pick-Staiger Concert Hall on the campus of Northwestern University in Evanston as a part of their spring concert on Sunday, May 3, more...

Fortis Piano Quartet was formed in the fall of 2014 by the chamber program of the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, a pre-college training program for highly gifted young musicians.  All four members are Fellows at the Academy. Joshua Brown, violinist/violist (15), Kitsho Hosotani, violinist/violist (15), Nathan Mo, cellist (16), and Daniel Szefer, piano (16) more...

On Saturday’s broadcast, we feature a violin soloist and a children’s choir. Shannon Kollasch, 17, has been studying the violin for 14 years.  For the past ten years, she has studied under Desirée Ruhstrat of the Lincoln Trio. Shannon has served as the concertmaster of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Symphony and Encore Orchestras. Her more...

Joseph Bricker, a senior at Evanston Township High School in Evanston, Illinois, is currently co-principal percussionist of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra and Midwest Young Artists Symphony Orchestra. Joe has earned many distinguished honors, including the 2013 Fine Arts Scholar in Percussion and the 2014 Emerson Scholar in Percussion (for tuition-free six weeks of intensive more...

On this Saturday’s broadcast, we feature the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra in selections from their November 23, 2014 concert at Symphony Center.  The program features cellist Lucie Ticho, winner of the CYSO Concerto Competition. For more information about the CYSO, please visit: http://www.cyso.org/         Program: Festive Overture in A Major, Op. 96, more...

Cathryn Cowell has been studying violin since the age of three. At the age of eleven, she made her orchestral debut at the DePaul Concert Hall, after winning the DePaul Community Concerto Festival. Cathryn is a member of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra performing biannually at the Chicago Symphony Center and community concerts. She has more...

Named after Maud Powell (1867-1920), America’s first international violin superstar (who grew up in Aurora, Illinois), this premier string quartet from the Elgin Youth Symphony Orchestra is coached by Karen Basrak, cellist in the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. The members include Jacob Song (Barrington High School), Mike Priller (Rolling Meadows High School), Claire Wright (Home schooled), and Paul Christian (Glenbard West more...

Quattro Voci is the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s Principal Player string quartet.  Consisting of violinists Shannon Kollasch (17) and Isabella Spinelli (16), violist Kayla Cabrera (16), and cellist Timothy Edwards (17), this group of CYSO section leaders lives up to the meaning of its name– “four voices” in Italian– by combining technique, passion, musicality, and more...

Atara String Quartet is comprised of Hannah White and Karisa Chiu, violin; Tess Krope, viola; and Krystian Chiu, cello. All four students are Fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a pre-college training program for gifted musicians. The quartet is coached by artist faculty member Mathias Tacke. Atara String Quartet was the first place more...