The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts | WFMT
WFMT Radio Network
Each week WFMT goes live to the Chicago Cultural Center for concerts with emerging artists from around the world, produced by the International Music Foundation. Some shows offer solo recitals while others feature ensembles. The concerts take place beneath the world’s largest Tiffany-domed ceiling, part of a landmark building that originally housed the Chicago Public Library. The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts are named for British pianist Myra Hess who organized some 1,700 free lunchtime concerts for Londoners during World War II, in the years of nightly air raids.
Location:
Chicago, IL
Networks:
WFMT Radio Network
Description:
Each week WFMT goes live to the Chicago Cultural Center for concerts with emerging artists from around the world, produced by the International Music Foundation. Some shows offer solo recitals while others feature ensembles. The concerts take place beneath the world’s largest Tiffany-domed ceiling, part of a landmark building that originally housed the Chicago Public Library. The Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts are named for British pianist Myra Hess who organized some 1,700 free lunchtime concerts for Londoners during World War II, in the years of nightly air raids.
Twitter:
@WFMTclassical
Language:
English
Contact:
International Music Foundation 30 East Adams, Suite 1206 Chicago, IL 60603 (312) 670-6888
Email:
webmaster@wfmt.com
Episodes
Dilshod Narzillaev, cello and Victor Asuncion, piano
9/17/2025
Cellist Dilshod Narzillaev and Pianist Victor Asuncion perform works by Robert Schumann, Afanasyevich Varelas and Johannes Brahms, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Cellist Dilshod Narzillaev has captivated audiences worldwide with his solo performances alongside prestigious ensembles, including the Boston Pops Orchestra at Symphony Hall, the National and State orchestras of Uzbekistan, the Kansas City Chamber Orchestra, ...
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Duration:00:36:20
Han Chen, piano
9/3/2025
Pianist Han Chen performs works by Florence Price, György Ligeti and Sergei Rachmaninoff, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. A fearless performer with seemingly limitless imagination and possessed with uncanny energy, pianist Han Chen plays scores old and new with rare rigor and insight. Alex Ross, classical music critic of The New Yorker, who selected Mr. Chen’s ...
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Duration:00:15:17
Zachary Brandon, violin and Sung Hoon Mo, piano
8/27/2025
Violinist Zachary Brandon and pianist Sung Hoon Mo perform works by Claude Debussy and Gabriel Fauré, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Zachary Brandon is acclaimed for his poetic interpretation and boldly personal sound. A laureate of the Elmar Oliveira International Violin Competition, the International Stradivarius Violin Competition, and the Cooper International Violin Competition, he has performed ...
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Duration:00:44:10
Adia Evans, soprano and Michael Banwarth, piano
8/20/2025
Soprano Adia Evans and pianist Michael Banwarth perform works by Alfred Bachelet, Joseph Marx, Gian Carlo Menotti, H.T. Burleigh, Lori Laitman, Leslie Adams, and Ricky Ian Gordon, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. A second-year soprano with The Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center from Baltimore, Adia Evans sang Theresa Alvarez/The Listeners, Girlfriend 2/Blue, and Countess Ceprano/Rigoletto ...
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Duration:00:25:08
Robert Brooks Carlson, piano
8/13/2025
Pianist Robert Brooks Carlson performs works by Franz Liszt, Claude Debussy and Johannes Brahms, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Originally from a small town in central Virginia, American pianist Robert Brooks Carlson began playing piano at the age of eight. Now, Robert performs extensively throughout the United States and Europe as both a recital soloist and chamber musician. ...
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Duration:00:36:59
Aaron Wolff, cello and Victor Asuncion, piano
6/18/2025
Cellist Aaron Wolff and pianist Victor Asuncion perform works by Reena Esmail and César Franck live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Described by the Chicago Tribune as “a musician of quicksilver brilliance,” Aaron Wolff is a laureate of the 2024 Naumburg Cello Competition, and first prizewinner of the Boston Symphony Concerto competition. As winner of the Leo B. ...
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Duration:00:30:38
Ilya Shmukler, piano
4/2/2025
Pianist Ilya Shmukler perform works by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and Modest Mussorgsky, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. “Shmukler is a volcano”; “the name of Ilya Shmukler should be remembered” – that is how the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung described this pianist after his triumph at the world-renowned Concours Géza Anda 2024 in Zurich, Switzerland, where he won ...
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Duration:00:41:53
Jungah Yoon, flute, and Kay Kim, piano
3/26/2025
Flutist Jungah Yoon and pianist Kay Kim perform works by Maurice Ravel, Samuel Barber and César Franck, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Jungah Yoon gave her debut recital at the age of ten after being selected as a Kumho prodigy. She is a laureate of numerous competitions, including the Seattle Young Artist Competition, Australian Flute Festival ...
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Duration:00:22:47
Sydney Lee, cello and Victor Santiago Asuncion, piano
3/19/2025
Cellist Sydney Lee, and pianist Victor Santiago Asuncion perform works by Leoš Janáček, Robert Schumann and Nadia Boulanger, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago.
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Duration:00:40:52
Kacper Żaromski, piano
3/12/2025
Pianist Kacper Żaromski performs works by Ignacy Jan Paderewski and Frédéric Chopin, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago.
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Duration:00:37:19
James Baik, cello and Victor Asunción, piano
3/5/2025
Cellist James Baik and pianist Victor Asunción performs works by Gaspar Cassadó, Benjamin Britten, and Robert Schumann, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Cellist James Baik has been described as an artist with “an undeniable authority,” and one possessing “a real warmth emerging in lyricism” by Le Soir, after his astounding performance at the 2021 Queen Elisabeth ...
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Duration:00:41:15
Jonathan Senik, piano
2/26/2025
Pianist Jonathan Senik perform works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Frédéric Chopin, and Mily Balakirev live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. At 22 years of age, Jonathan Senik became a prize-winner at the Arthur Rubinstein International Piano Master Competition. Senik was born in Israel and was considered a piano prodigy, since he performed an entire concerto with the ...
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Duration:00:41:41
Nathan Amaral, violin and Alice Chenyang Xu, piano
2/19/2025
Violinist Nathan Amaral and pianist Alice Chenyang Xu perform works by William Grant Still, Clara Schumann and Johannes Brahms live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Recently awarded the Grand Prize of both the Concert Artist Guild (CAG) and Young Concert Artist Trust (YCAT) competitions, resulting in management on both sides of the Atlantic Ocean, Nathan Amaral, the ...
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Duration:00:36:43
Jet Stephen Chong, piano
2/12/2025
Pianist Jet Stephen Chong perform works by Sergei Prokofiev, Tōru Takemitsu, and Maurice Ravel, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Jet Stephen Chong, a pianist of Filipino-Chinese descent, has garnered numerous accolades in both Philippine and international piano competitions, including top honors at the National Music Competition for Young Artists and other prestigious events. He has extensive ...
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Duration:00:33:08
Valentin Kovalev, saxophone and Nathan Canfield, piano
2/5/2025
Saxophonist Valentin Kovalev and pianist Nathan Canfield perform works by Johannes Brahms and Fernande Decruck, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Valentin Kovalev is a passionate and dedicated classical saxophonist who is seeking to elevate the voice of saxophone in classical music. Named the winner of the most prestigious international saxophone competitions, Valentin is also the recipient ...
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Duration:00:23:27
Anastasiya Magamedova, piano
1/22/2025
Pianist Anastasiya Magamedova performs works by Ludwig van Beethoven, Clara Schumann and Frédéric Chopin, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. A 2016 National YoungArts Winner, twenty-six-year-old pianist, Anastasiya Magamedova, was recently awarded 1st prize at the International Scriabin Competition in Paris and 2nd Prize at the International ArsClassica Competition. She began studying the piano at the age ...
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Duration:00:44:23
Huan Li, piano
1/15/2025
Pianist Huan Li performs works by Tania León, Johann Sebastian Bach and Ludwig van Beethoven, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Originally from Guangdong, China, now New York-based pianist Huan Li relishes in the endless exploration of music, alone and with others. Hailed as a pianist whose playing has “subtleties of articulation and dynamics, accomplished with fleet-fingered ...
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Duration:00:34:29
Kate Liu, piano
1/8/2025
Pianist Kate Liu performs works by Franz Liszt, Alexander Scriabin, and Frederick Chopin, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Kate Liu gained international acclaim after winning the Bronze Medal and Best Mazurka Prize at the 17th International Fryderyk Chopin Competition in Warsaw, Poland. She was also awarded the audience favorite prize voted by the Polish public on ...
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Duration:00:49:23
Chaeyoung Park, piano
12/11/2024
Pianist Chaeyoung Park perform works by Johann Sebastian Bach, transcribed by Vivaldi, Felix Mendelssohn, Ana Sokolovíc, and César Franck, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Winner of the 2022 YCA Susan Wadsworth International Auditions and Finalist in the 2023 Rubinstein Piano Competition, Chaeyoung Park has been praised as a passionate pianist who “does not play a single ...
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Duration:00:38:05
Anna Betka, piano
11/13/2024
Pianist Anna Betka performs works by Gioacchino Rossini, Ludwig van Beethoven, Richard Wagner; arranged by Franz Liszt, Sergei Rachmaninoff, and Freddie Mercury; arranged by Sonya Belousova, live from the Seventeenth Church of Christ, Scientist, Chicago. Anna Betka is a dynamic pianist, vocal and opera coach, and one of two Czech diction specialists in North America who is a native speaker ...
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Duration:00:37:43