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 violinist on Live from WFMT in May 2025; – Clara Frantzen was featured in two Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Introductions episodes: as a violinist and composer in July 2025 and as an interviewee about Lollapalooza in August 2025. The post 2025 CSO Young Composers Initiative appeared first on WFMT.

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 Chicago. Since then, Elle has been a prizewinner in numerous competitions and was awarded the prestigious Anthony Quinn Foundation Scholarship in recognition of her artistic excellence. She has performed in masterclasses with leading artists including Martin Beaver, Midori, Ani Kavafian, Rachel Barton Pine, Boris Garlitsky, Yair Kless, James Ehnes, Vadim Gluzman, and Ilya Kaler. Elle has also participated in renowned summer festivals such as the Aspen Music Festival, the Bowdoin International Music Festival, the Heifetz International Music Institute, the Encore Chamber Music Institute, Musica Mundi, Mozarteum Summer Masterclasses, and the Menton Summer Festival. A dedicated chamber musician, Elle is a member of Quartet Meraviglia, which was awarded Bronze Medal at the 2024 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the 2024 St. Paul String Quartet Competition, and the Grand Prize at the Chicago National Chamber Music Competition. She currently studies violin with Almita Vamos. The post LIVE | Elle Cho, 16, violin 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 Lollapalooza Lineup. This episode contains interviews with Introductions alumni Angelika Wang, Kevin Harte, Clara Frantzen, Chloe Nam, Zachary Guo, and Chloe Cohen. Also interviewed is trumpeter Bennett King, who is booked to appear on Introductions on December 6, 2025. Other voices in the episode belong to composer Jonathan Bailey Holland and CYSO staff: Program Manager Reanna Panlilio, Director of String Ensembles Daniella Valdez, Executive Director Jennie Oh Brown, and Music Director Allen Tinkham. The post Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras at Lollapalooza appeared first on 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. 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 broadcast in previous Academy chamber groups in November 2024 and in October 2023 – Sasha Varchenko and Elle Choo appeared with previous Academy quartets in November 2024 – Additionally, Elle Cho is set to give a live recital on September 20, 2025. The post Porphyrion String Quartet and The Hemingway Quartet appeared first on WFMT.

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.

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 – Vivian Van de Sype-Cucu performed with a previous Academy string quartet in November 2024 – Jan Vargas Nedvetsky most recently performed live in September 2024 – Violinist Neal Kotamarty Eisfeldt previously appeared as a chamber music violist in October 2023 – Ella Wimbiscus had a solo recital in May 2022 – Cecilia O’Malley and Callia Murray have performed together in chamber groups in December 2023 and in August 2024 – Diego Dahle featured solo in June 2025. Neal Kotamarty Eisfeldt is also booked to perform live on Introductions twice before the end of the year: on September 13 he joins steelpan player Jaden Teague-Núñez in a duo by Jan Bach; and on December 20 Neal has his own feature violin recital. The post Caspian Quartet, Minela Trio & Quartetto Speranza appeared first on WFMT.

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 currently study with Danny Lai of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Professor Helen Callus of Northwestern University. Chloe serves as principal violist of the Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestra’s flagship Symphony Orchestra and Classical Orchestral Repertory Ensemble, and is joining the ensemble on tour in Spain this June and at Lollapalooza later this summer. In addition to their work as a performer, Chloe is passionate about community leadership, musical and otherwise. They tutor beginning orchestra students at their school and are the founder and president of Lincoln Park’s Trans Advocacy Club, creating space for LGBTQ+ voices and visibility. A committed student, Chloe is also an Illinois State Scholar. This fall, they will begin a dual degree at Northwestern University in Political Science and Viola Performance. Credit: Ashley Deran. Elyse Schlesinger is an 18-year-old horn player. A senior at William Fremd High School in Palatine, her finalist performance in the 2024 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition played on Introductions in April 2024. She was also a finalist in the Ocala Symphony’s Young Artist Concerto Competition in Florida, and won the Fremd Concerto Aria Competition. Her horn quartet is a finalist in both the Elmhurst Concerto Competition and the CYSO Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. Elyse has participated in the ILMEA District and All-State festivals, earning top chairs in both the Honors Band and Honors Orchestra. This summer, she will join the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA), touring East Asia. She is currently Co-Principal Horn of Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras and participates in CYSO’s chamber music program, performing in both brass and woodwind quintets. This fall, she will attend the New England Conservatory, studying horn with Rachel Childers. Credit: Mazeltography. Kevin Harte, 17 of Arlington Heights, is a senior at John Hersey High School. He started playing the tuba at the age of 10. He has performed with Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras, District 214 Honors Orchestra, ILMEA All State Honors Band, and other top youth ensembles. He received an honorable mention in the 2024 Crain-Maling Foundation CSO Young Artists Competition. His teachers have included Josh Wirt, Professor of Tuba at Elmhurst University, and his current teacher Serena Voltz of Axiom Brass. When he is not playing low notes in the back row, he can usually be found watching sports with his dad or listening to the works of his favorite composer, Gustav Mahler. In the fall, Kevin will begin a Tuba Performance degree at Carnegie Mellon University with Craig Knox of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. Clara Frantzen is a violinist, composer, and conductor from Oak Park. They study violin with Rachel Brown and conducting with Anthony Barrese. As a violinist, Clara plays in the CYSO Symphony Orchestra and CORE as Principal Second Violin. Last year, Clara also played alongside Civic Orchestra musicians for the Chicago Youth in Music Festival. This year, Clara won their high school’s concerto competition with Ravel’s Tzigane, and as a jazz violinist they won an Outstanding Soloist Award at the 2024 Purdue Jazz Festival. Clara was the assistant conductor for Korngold’s opera Die Kathrin at University of Chicago, and conducted a vocal and instrumental group in the 2022 Korngold in Song concert. As a composer, Clara studies under Jessie Montgomery through the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Young Composers Initiative, they won first place in the 2025 ILMEA Composition Competition for instrumental large ensemble. This fall, Clara will be attending Boston Conservatory as a violin major and studying under Sharan Leventhal. Other Class of 2025 CYSO players appearing as soloists on Introductions are: – David Roche, viola; Diego Dahle, cello and Sarah Morris, clarinet on June 7, 2025 – Henry Auxenfans, violin on June 14, 2025 – Zoe Strange, flute on July 26, 2025. Additionally, highlights from these players’ last CYSO concert will air on July 19, 2025. The post Chicago Youth Symphony Orchestras Class of 2025 appeared first on WFMT.

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 Bernardo Arias at the Midwest Conservatory of Music since the age of five. Achievements include being named a finalist for From the Top‘s Learning and Media Lab Fellowship, playing as Concertmaster for the 2025 ILMEA All-State Honors Orchestra, honorable mentions at the Musical Festival in Honor of Confucius and the DePaul Concerto Festival, and winning the Birch Creek Clampitt Concerto Competition in Door County, Wisconsin, with the opportunity to perform solo with the orchestra in 2024. Lily has been a member of the Midwest Philharmonic Orchestra since 2013, where she performed at the Chicago International Music Festival and Los Angeles International Music Festival. Throughout the years, she has also participated in masterclasses under Robert Chen, Rachel Barton Pine, and Baird Dodge. In 2024, Lily joined the Chicago Music Pathways Initiative. As a member of CMPI, Lily was selected to participate in the Equity Arc Pathways Orchestra where she served as Co-Principal and performed alongside members of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Civic Orchestra of Chicago. In the fall, Lily plans to pursue a Dual Degree in Violin Performance and Computer Science at the University of Michigan. The post Lily Yoshihara, 18, violin appeared first on WFMT.

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 Chicago’s Gage Park neighborhood, is an 18-year-old flute player. He began his music education at the Merit School of Music, where went through the Music Conservatory Program. He served as a section leader in the Merit Philharmonic, Wind Symphony, and the award-winning chamber ensemble The Purple Hippopotami. As a fellow of Chicago Musical Pathways Initiative (CMPI), Jacob has received intensive pre-professional music training and has performed in masterclasses with internationally acclaimed flutists and chamber musicians. This year, he performed as Principal Flute with the National Pathways Festival Orchestra, alongside musicians from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In addition, through the Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO, Jacob was invited to perform Mozart’s Concerto in G major at Symphony Center last March. Jacob studies flute woith Mariana Gariazzo and recently graduated from the Chicago High School for the Arts. In the fall he will begin Flute Performance studies at DePaul University studying with Aaron Goldman and Alyce Johnson. He previously appeared on Introductions as a member of The Purple Hippopotami Flute Trio in September 2024. The post LIVE from Merit School of Music | Jacob Cornejo, 18, flute appeared first on WFMT.