WETA Virtuoso Lunchtime Concert

Live recorded performances from the finest orchestras in the U.S. and around the world, Monday through Thursday from 12-2 PM. These Lunchtime Concerts showcase the artistry and energy of live performance and connect WETA Virtuoso listeners to concert halls across the globe. Fridays take a more intimate turn with chamber music followed by an exploration of early music, offering a perfect midday escape into classical music's diverse landscape.  

Next Episode

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

June 15, 2026 12:00 pm

Boulez Conducts Mahler, Bartók & Stravinsky

Principal Guest Conductor Pierre Boulez leads the CSO in Stravinsky’s The Firebird. Opening the broadcast is Mahler’s Totenfeier. In between, we hear Bartók’s Music for Strings, Percussion and Celesta.

  • SymphonyCast

    SymphonyCast

    June 16, 2026 12:00 pm

    WDR Symphony Orchestra

    A program with the WDR Symphony Orchestra featuring violinist Julia Fischer led by Christian Mǎcelaru.
  • San Francisco

    Orchestra Series

    June 18, 2026 12:00 pm

    San Francisco Symphony

    Igor Stravinsky’s wild Russian folk-fable of a ballet The Firebird, retains the power to shock and enthrall into its second century. Kicking off this program conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen is Magnus Lindberg’s 2002 Bach-inspired piece Chorale. Alban Berg’s famed Violin Concerto—played here by Isabelle Faust— functions both as an elegy for a surrogate daughter who died too soon, and as a requiem for himself.
  • Black background with gold text rading Millenium of Music in old english font.

    Millenium of Music

    June 19, 2026 1:00 pm

    Rolf Lislevand: Libro Primo

    In keeping with the recent spate of recordings dedicated to Giovanni Girolomo Kapsberger, lutenist and theorbo performer Rolf Lislevand gives us the complete Libro Primo d'Intavolatura di Chitarrone, published in Venice in 1604.

More About Our Lunchtime Concert

The Lunchtime Concert on WETA Virtuoso features some of the top ensembles and classical music programs anywhere.

 

Wide photo of Chicago Symphony Orchestra during performance.

Mondays: Chicago Symphony Orchestra

The Chicago Symphony presents a full range of orchestral works under the seasoned baton of music director emeritus for life Riccardo Muti. The top-tier soloists and guest conductors complete the series with artists like Yo-Yo Ma, Hilary Hahn, and Daniil Trifonov; as well as Esa-Pekka Salonen, Mitsuko Uchida, and Bernard Haitink. The two-hour Chicago Symphony Orchestra broadcasts include dynamic and innovative commentary which takes the listener behind the scenes and into the music. 

Purple and dark green logo reading Your Classical Symphony Cast

Tuesdays: SymphonyCast

SymphonyCast features full-length concerts recently performed by the best orchestras from around the world. This two-hour weekly program showcases material drawn from Europe's premier symphony orchestras and festivals (including several weeks each summer at the BBC Proms), along with U.S. orchestras such as the New York Philharmonic, Los Angeles Philharmonic, Houston Symphony, and Minnesota Orchestra. 

NY Phil logo with text arranged in diamond shape.

Wednesdays: New York Philharmonic This Week

The New York Philharmonic This Week, hosted by Alec Baldwin, features recent performances and commercial recordings, complimented by interviews with the artists highlights from the NY Phil’s archives. The nationally syndicated program has garnered numerous awards and reaches millions of listeners every year. 

Los Angeles Philharmonic orchestra conductor with his arms raised in front of orchestra.

Thursdays: WFMT Orchestra Series

Journey around the world with WFMT on an exploration of some of the greatest ensembles on the planet. Episodes highlight the unique programming and superlative playing of top-tier orchestras like the London Symphony Orchestra, the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and more. 

Black and white logo for Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center

Fridays: Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (12pm - 1pm)

Recorded live in New York's Alice Tully Hall, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center series features stellar performances. The artists of CMS, a multi-generational selection of expert chamber musicians, constitute an evolving repertory company capable of presenting chamber music of every instrumentation, style, and historical period. Performing repertoire from over three centuries, and numerous premieres by living composers, CMS offers programs curated to provide listeners a comprehensive perspective on the art of chamber music. 

Black background with gold text rading Millenium of Music in old english font.

Fridays: Millennium of Music (1pm - 2pm)

Showcasing the sources and mainstreams of European music for the thousand years before the birth of Bach, Millennium of Music has been produced and hosted by Robert Aubry Davis since his first broadcasts in this specialty in 1975.