Impromptu | WFMT
WFMT Radio Network
Our live afternoon series of “impromptu” music and conversation features some of today’s most sought-after musicians from around the world. Previous guests on Impromptu have included cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mezzo-soprano Joyce Di Donato, and author Salman Rushdie. Other guests have included Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, tenor Joseph Calleja, violinist Joshua Bell, and the vocal ensemble Chanticleer. Broadcast live from the Levin Performance Studio at WFMT, the program also features local performers who are vital to Chicago’s vibrant musical culture.
Location:
Chicago, IL
Networks:
WFMT Radio Network
Description:
Our live afternoon series of “impromptu” music and conversation features some of today’s most sought-after musicians from around the world. Previous guests on Impromptu have included cellist Yo-Yo Ma, mezzo-soprano Joyce Di Donato, and author Salman Rushdie. Other guests have included Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, tenor Joseph Calleja, violinist Joshua Bell, and the vocal ensemble Chanticleer. Broadcast live from the Levin Performance Studio at WFMT, the program also features local performers who are vital to Chicago’s vibrant musical culture.
Twitter:
@WFMTclassical
Language:
English
Contact:
WFMT Radio Network 5400 N St. Louis Avenue Chicago, IL 60625-4698 (773) 279-2020
Email:
webmaster@wfmt.com
Episodes
Calidore String Quartet
1/6/2023
Gramophone Magazine called the Calidore String Quartet “a miracle of unified thought.” This vibrant, young ensemble won the 2016 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship, the first North Americans to be so honored. The ensemble continues to earn high praise, including a place on the prestigious roster of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two. Catch this extraordinary ensemble in performance tonight at Northwestern University’s Winter Chamber ...
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Duration:00:57:33
Lawrence Brownlee, tenor & Craig Terry, piano
5/13/2022
On October 15, 2015, the extraordinary American tenor, Lawrence Brownlee, and the superb collaborative pianist, Craig Terry, shared repertoire by Rossini – a Brownlee specialty – as well as a spiritual, “Come By Here,” as well as Britten’s lovely “Down By the Sally Gardens.”
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Duration:00:40:01
Danish String Quartet and Juho Pohjonen, piano
3/25/2022
Frederik Øland, Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, Asbjørn Nørgaard, and Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin – known collectively as the Danish String Quartet – have described their ensemble with these words: “Yes, playing string quartets is our job, and yes it is hard work, but we mostly do it for pleasure, like we always did.” Sometimes, of course, they revel in quintets, too, as ...
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Duration:00:33:05
Reginald R. Robinson, piano
1/28/2022
The story goes that Reginald R. Robinson first heard the sweet strains of ragtime music through the loudspeaker of a neighborhood ice cream truck. Years later, the self-taught pianist and composer received a 2004 “genius” fellowship from the MacArthur Foundation. Reginald Robinson performed some of his original compositions on Impromptu in 2017.
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Duration:00:39:24
John Henry Crawford, cello and Victor Santiago Asuncion, piano
10/8/2021
Hailed by the Philadelphia Inquirer for “projecting polished charisma and a singing sound,” cellist John-Henry Crawford has a passion for sharing powerful music with audiences near and far. His collaborator in this 2016 Impromptu Encore is pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion.
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Duration:00:53:11
Sephardic Journey: The Cavatina Duo with Desiree Ruhstrat, violin and David Cunliffe, cello
9/10/2021
Eugenia Moliner and Denis Azabagic are a Chicago-based husband-and-wife flute and guitar duo who make music as the Cavatina Duo. Violinist Desirée Ruhstrat and cellist David Cunliffe, also a married couple, are both members of the Lincoln Trio, one of Chicago’s most celebrated chamber ensembles. In this Impromptu Encore from 2016, the quartet performed excerpts from their recent album on ...
The post Sephardic Journey: The Cavatina Duo with Desiree Ruhstrat, violin and David Cunliffe, cello...
Duration:00:49:12
Alisa Weilerstein, cello, Sergey Khachatryan, violin, and Inon Barnatan, piano
9/3/2021
Originally broadcast in May 2019, this Impromptu Encore features violinist Sergey Khachatryan, cellist Alisa Weilerstein, and pianist Inon Barnatan in an outstanding performance of Beethoven’s “Ghost” Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1.
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Duration:00:35:26
Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet and Michael Brown, piano
8/20/2021
Tune in to hear clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein and pianist Michael Brown play Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s 1945 Clarinet Sonata in this Impromptu Encore from 2018.
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Duration:00:37:14
Beatrice Rana, Piano
8/13/2021
Italian pianist Beatrice Rana made her Chicago debut at Symphony Center on February 24, 2019. The next day, the 2013 Cliburn Competition silver medalist performed on Impromptu.
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Duration:00:34:54
Parker Quartet with Richard O’Neill, viola, and Edward Arron, cello
8/6/2021
Acclaimed violist Richard O’Neill and cellist Edward Arron joined the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet for a live performance in 2019.
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Duration:00:44:22
Eden-Stell Guitar Duo
7/30/2021
The Eden Stell Guitar Duo is known for its chameleon-like ability to communicate in a multitude of styles. In this Impromptu from 2017, collaborators Mark Eden and Christopher Stell confirmed their reputation as one of the world’s leading guitar ensembles.
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Duration:00:28:35
Cavatina Duo
7/16/2021
The Cavatina Duo brings together Spanish flutist Eugenia Moliner and Bosnian guitarist Denis Azabagic. In this 2019 Impromptu, you’ll hear the “style, sympathy, and technical aplomb” that captivated Fanfare Magazine as well as fans around the globe.
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Duration:00:31:59
Solera Quartet
7/9/2021
WFMT presented the Solera Quartet on Impromptu in May 2019. These rising stars have been acclaimed by critics as “top-notch, intense, stylish, and with an abundance of flare and talent” and “one of the foremost young string quartets.”
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Duration:00:51:45
Michael Barenboim + The West-Eastern Divan Ensemble
6/11/2021
Since 1999, the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra has brought together Arab and Israeli musicians as a means to defy fierce political divides in the Middle East and globally. Concertmaster Michael Barenboim leads the newly-formed West-Eastern Divan Ensemble, and on February 20, 2020 that fantastic group of chamber players performed the Mendelssohn Octet, live on Impromptu.
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Duration:00:59:04
Aizuri Quartet
6/4/2021
Enjoy an encore performance by the award-winning Aizuri Quartet, whose debut album Blueprinting was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award. This Impromptu was originally heard on WFMT on January 17, 2020.
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Duration:00:41:28
Pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion, violinist Giora Schmidt, and cellist Leonardo Altino
5/21/2021
In 2018, the engaging Filipino-American pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion returned to WFMT’s Levin Studio. For this Impromptu performance, he brought some wonderfully talented friends, violinist Giora Schmidt and cellist Leonardo Altino.
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Duration:00:49:09
Marc-André Hamelin, piano
4/30/2021
It’s always such a pleasure to welcome pianist Marc André Hamelin to WFMT and to hear that brilliant musical mind at work. This Impromptu Encore was first broadcast in May 2016.
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Duration:00:45:39
Neave Trio
4/23/2021
Cellist Mikhail Veselov, pianist Eri Nakamura, and violinist Anna Williams are the members of the Neave Trio. These musicians strive to engage, exchange, and connect “every time we play, and in everything we do.” And they say, “We just happen to use music to do this.”
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Duration:00:39:52
KAIA String Quartet & Fareed Haque, guitar
3/26/2021
The members of the KAIA String Quartet devote their artistry to promoting the rich and colorful music of Latin America. In 2018 they joined forces with guitar virtuoso Fareed Haque to perform pieces by Latin American masters.
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Duration:00:44:10
Danish String Quartet [Encore Broadcast]
7/17/2020
The Danish String Quartet once described themselves with self-effacing friendliness, quipping “…we are simply your friendly neighborhood string quartet with above average amounts of beard.” Violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen, violist Asbjørn Nørgaard, and cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin made their Impromptu debut on October 9, 2014.
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Duration:00:46:42