98.7WFMT to Debut New Series Focusing on Local Young Musicians

98.7WFMT to Debut New Series Focusing on Local Young Musicians


Introductions to debut Saturday, April 5 at 11:00 a.m.

CHICAGO, March 31 /PRNewswire/ -- 98.7WFMT will launch Introductions starting in April, a new weekly live performance series that will feature the Chicago region's most talented pre-college musicians. Introductions will air on Saturday mornings at 11:00 a.m., beginning April 5 on 98.7WFMT, and via live streaming at wfmt.com.

"This is the most important project that I've ever worked on," said
WFMT's General Manager Steve Robinson. "That's because we consider
supporting young musicians to be a core part of our mission, and this
program is our way of reaching out to young musicians and showcasing their
enormous talent to our listeners. In addition to the most gifted
instrumentalists and chamber groups in our listening area, we'll also
feature the most accomplished high school orchestras, bands and choruses.
Introductions is already creating enormous buzz, and we expect it to
continue once the program launches. I can't wait!"

In addition to their performances, the musicians featured on
Introductions will be interviewed briefly about their passion for music,their outside interests, and their hopes and dreams for the future. Smaller
ensembles and soloists will perform live in WFMT's Levin Performance Studio
and at facilities generously provided by lead corporate sponsors
Flashpoint: The Academy of Media Arts and Sciences LLC in Chicago, and at
the Barretts Home Theatre showroom in Naperville. The orchestras, bands and
choruses will be recorded in their school auditoriums for broadcast on
future programs. Groups interested in participating in the Introductions series may call 773-279-2019 or visit http://www.wfmt.com/introductions for
application information.

Each one-hour episode of Introductions will celebrate the fresh,
talented, non-professional musicians who are a vital part of the Chicago
arts community. In keeping with the spirit of the series as something
created by young artists for young artists, the series will be hosted by
two student-musicians, Lisa Brownstone (age 20) from the University of
Chicago and Raja Burrows (age 21) from Northwestern University. Both are
eager for the opportunity to meet fellow performers and to work to expand
the audience for classical music among their peers.

Series Producer David Polk, a recent college graduate himself, is
developing a unique companion website for the series
(http://www.wfmt.com/introductions) that will use interactive technologies to
create an electronic community based around the program. The site will
include archived audio of the weekly programs, pictures from the
broadcasts, biographies of the performers, links to the various schools
represented on the program, and a regional high school performing arts
calendar. "The long-range goal is to make the Introductions website a community for young classical music lovers to learn from and a means to
communicate with each other," says Polk.

Introductions is an original production of 98.7WFMT. Series Producer is David Polk. Executive Producer is Steve Robinson. In addition to the
corporate sponsorship provided by Flashpoint: The Academy of Media Arts and
Sciences LLC and Barretts Home Theater, Introductions is made possible by
the generous support of Richard and Mary L. Gray, Jim and Kay Mabie, The
Negaunee Foundation, The John R. Halligan Charitable Trust, Susan and
Richard Kiphart, Fay and Daniel Levin, The Music Institute of Chicago and
members of the WFMT Fine Arts Circle.

More information about Introductions and all of 98.7WFMT's programming is available at http://www.wfmt.com.

About 98.7WFMT

98.7WFMT, Chicago's Classical Experience, provides the best and
broadest selection of classical music and fine arts programming heard in
the country. A broadcasting force for more than 50 years, the station's
appeal continues to widen. 98.7WFMT is currently serving the largest
audience in its history. 98.7WFMT is available to listeners across the
nation and around the world via the station's enhanced web streaming at
http://www.wfmt.com.