Hearing’ is an event; it is something which 

happens to us as a natural process. ‘Listening’ is an

action; it is something we do consciously.
Compare
hearing is an event. listening is an action.

Suddenly I heard a noise.

Someone was in the garden.
I listened very carefully to what she
said and wrote it all down.
Did you hear the thunder last
night?
Do you listen to the radio in bed?
[on the phone]
George! Listen to me! I have something
important to tell you.
The line is very bad. I
can’t hear you.

Sometimes we can use either hear or listen to, depending on whether we want to emphasise the
event or the action:
Did you  hear that interview with David Beckham on the radio yesterday? (emphasis on
the event)
Did you  listen to that interview with David Beckham on the radio yesterday? (emphasis
on the action)
I love hearing/listening to  the sound of falling rain.
We don’t normally use hear in the continuous form. We often use hear with can:
[on an internet phone call]
I can hear  you really clearly.
Not: I’m hearing you really clearly.
Warning:
We use to after listen before an object:
Every morning I listen to my Mozart CD while I’m having breakfast. It prepares me
mentally for the day.
Not: Every morning I listen my Mozart CD …
We use listen without to if we do not mention the object, or if it is a discourse marker:
Meena,  listen! I don’t want you staying out late!
Listen, I was wondering if you could help me. (discourse marker beginning a new topic
or phase of a conversation)
The music was beautiful. We just sat there and listened.