Bill McGlaughlin
Encyclopedia
William "Bill" McGlaughlin (b. October 3, 1943) is an American composer
, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award
-winning classical music radio host
. He is the host and music director of the public radio programs Exploring Music
and Saint Paul Sunday
.
A nationally noted radio commentator, Bill McGlaughlin is known for his cheerful, open, and down-to-earth personality on classical music radio. Beyond his career as a broadcaster and music educator, McGlaughlin has also spent a decade as a professional orchestral musician, over two decades as a conductor, and a decade as a successful composer. McGlaughlin views the more recent, radio broadcast aspect of his musical career as outreach — as a way to keep classical music from becoming an increasingly marginalized art form, with ever smaller and older audiences.
, and his unusual accent stems from his Philadelphia childhood and the influence of his Scottish
-American grandfather, with whom he lived during his late teens. Bill absorbed the music of opera
at a very young age, as his draftsman father listened while in his at-home workshop. When Bill was 6, his father gave him a harmonica, and together they enjoyed playing their favorite opera melodies by ear. His father also had many instrumental
classical albums, which Bill enjoyed listening to in his own bedroom.
At the age of 14, McGlaughlin received his first piano lesson, quite by accident — his younger brother had been taking a series of pre-paid piano lessons but abruptly quit, so Bill was given the remainder. By his second lesson, McGlaughlin knew he wanted to be a professional musician.
, which he further studied in college, obtaining his Bachelor of Music
degree from Philadelphia's Temple University
in 1967.
Upon graduation in 1967 he became Assistant Principal Trombonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra
, a position he held through 1968. From 1969 to 1975 McGlaughlin was Co-Principal Trombonist of the Pittsburgh Symphony.
In addition, during these years in Pennsylvania, McGlaughlin performed in groups such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Players (which he founded in 1973), the Penn Contemporary Players, and the Philadelphia Composers Forum. He also performed as trombonist during many of his 1975–1982 years with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
. In 1969 he completed a Master of Music
degree in conducting
at Temple University, studying under Robert Page; and in addition he received private instruction and tutelage from William R. Smith (Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra) and Max Rudolf.
This led to a series of conducting positions:
During his 12-year tenure with the Kansas City Symphony, McGlaughlin greatly expanded the orchestra's repertoire, commissioned many new works, recorded albums, made two nationwide television broadcasts (including a Christmas special with the King's Singers
), greatly strengthened the orchestra's reputation, and brought it to a state of "unparalleled artistic and financial success." In addition, McGlaughlin received five ASCAP Adventurous Programming Awards for his continued performing of contemporary music, and for aiding Kansas City Symphony audiences in understanding the composers' intentions in these works.
McGlaughlin has also continuously had numerous guest conducting engagements, from a great variety of orchestras around the U.S.
In 1998, McGlaughlin left his conducting position and moved to New York City
to concentrate on composing. Prompted by the death of a friend who was a Kansas City pianist and composer, McGlaughlin's first major work was Three Dreams and a Question: Choral Songs on e.e. cummings — which he debuted with the Kansas City Symphony on April 28, 1998, to an enthusiastic audience and press. Some of his other works (many of them commissioned) include: Aaron's Horizons (a tribute to Aaron Copland
), Echoes, Angelus, Three Pieces for Wind Trio, Bagatelles, and The Heart's Light: An Essay for Orchestra.
For a millennial celebration, McGlaughlin was chosen from a field of 350 composers to write a major new work for Continental Harmony, a nationwide cultural initiative commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts
and the American Composers Forum
. The composition, Walt Whitman's Dream, premiered in July 2000, and celebrated the new millennium with a combined chorus of nearly 800 singers from around the world, accompanied by orchestra.
On December 15, 2005, the national two-hour daily NPR
classical music radio program Performance Today
announced that out of all of the music aired that week, McGlaughlin's new composition Remembering Icarus garnered the most, and the most heartfelt, listener response.
Discussing his own music, McGlaughlin describes his compositional style as more intuitive than intellectual, and says that he does not shun tonality: "I think when composers turn completely away from tonality, they lose a big part of storytelling." Some of his work incorporates or references elements of jazz — for instance Bela's Bounce, an homage to Béla Bartók
and Charlie Parker
.
, McGlaughlin occasionally filled in as host on Garrison Keillor
's weekday morning radio show on Minnesota Public Radio
(MPR). MPR producer Tom Voegeli came up with the idea for a new show: Saint Paul Sunday Morning, with McGlaughlin as host. MPR had just received a public radio communications satellite
uplink
, as well as seed money to develop a few pilot shows for national distribution. Voegeli wanted a program which would present world-class musicians, in an informal live setting in MPR's new state-of-the-art studio
, to a national audience. Voegeli also wanted McGlaughlin to sound like himself — a musician — rather than like a broadcaster, and to share his own intimate, animated enthusiasm with listeners.
The show, now called Saint Paul Sunday
, debuted locally in 1980, and went national via syndication in 1981. The weekly one-hour show features live in-studio performances by and interviews with the world's top classical musicians, both soloists and ensembles. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music
program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. The show, with McGlaughlin as host and music director since its inception, was awarded the Peabody Award
in 1995.
McGlaughlin's enthusiasm for the show and the music is evident: "If I had been able to imagine Saint Paul Sunday as a kid," he says, "I think I’d have been in ecstasy at the idea of having the whole wide world of music to run around in, and best of everything, to be able to bring friends along."
Radio Network, approached McGlaughlin to host a daily radio show, which would showcase and explicate great works of classical music.
Robinson notes, "As far as I'm concerned, no one can top Bill in the way he conveys his passion for music on the radio." The show, Exploring Music
, debuted nationally in 2003, and has proved very popular with audiences of all ages and levels of expertise. The program, which explores a single classical music theme each week in one-hour daily episodes, has been praised for the enthusiasm and relatability with which it brings classical music appreciation to a large audience, and as of 2008 has over 500,000 listeners.
Exploring Music garnered McGlaughlin, as its host and music director, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Fine Arts Radio International in 2004, "because he has taken up the music education baton implicitly passed to him by the late Karl Haas
, whose Adventures in Good Music
has metamorphized into Exploring Music, with an ear tuned to the evolving trends of the 21st-century classical audience." Fine Arts Radio International concluded by saying, "Exploring Music, with its weekly thematic concept, provides the classical radio listener with both in-depth education and compelling radio listening, a balance that is rarely achieved."
since its inception in 1999. He is also the host, since 2007, of the newly relaunched nationally syndicated radio series Concerts from the Library of Congress
.
In addition to these and to Saint Paul Sunday and Exploring Music, since 1986 McGlaughlin has also hosted (and occasionally conducted) a number of radio and television programs on NPR
, PRI
, PBS
, and the BBC
, and on local NPR affiliates.
Drawing upon his expertise as a conductor and his abilities as a music commentator, McGlaughlin contributed one of the ten chapters in the 2008 book, Leonard Bernstein: American Original. Editor Barbara Haws describes McGlaughlin's chapter, "On the Podium: Intellect and Energy," in her introduction to the book:
with his longtime partner, three-time Grammy-nominated jazz singer Karrin Allyson
. The couple met in the early 1990s in Kansas City. McGlaughlin has co-produced and assisted on most of Allyson's CDs, and also often accompanies her on the road when she is touring. He continues to compose, and also has occasional guest conducting engagements around the country. He has two grown children from a former marriage.
Interviews
Additional radio broadcasts
Compositions
Performance
Writing
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
, conductor, music educator, and Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
-winning classical music radio host
Radio personality
A radio personality is a person with an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality can be someone who introduces and discusses various genres of music, hosts a talk radio show that may take calls from listeners, or someone whose primary responsibility is to give news, weather,...
. He is the host and music director of the public radio programs Exploring Music
Exploring Music
Exploring Music is an internationally syndicated radio program featuring classical music, with commentary and analysis by host Bill McGlaughlin. It is a daily, one-hour show with a single in-depth theme each week. The show, which debuted in 2003, is produced by WFMT Radio Network...
and Saint Paul Sunday
Saint Paul Sunday
Saint Paul Sunday is a Peabody Award-winning weekly classical music radio program, hosted by Bill McGlaughlin. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. Programs since 1997 are also available...
.
A nationally noted radio commentator, Bill McGlaughlin is known for his cheerful, open, and down-to-earth personality on classical music radio. Beyond his career as a broadcaster and music educator, McGlaughlin has also spent a decade as a professional orchestral musician, over two decades as a conductor, and a decade as a successful composer. McGlaughlin views the more recent, radio broadcast aspect of his musical career as outreach — as a way to keep classical music from becoming an increasingly marginalized art form, with ever smaller and older audiences.
Early life
McGlaughlin was born in Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaPennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
, and his unusual accent stems from his Philadelphia childhood and the influence of his Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
-American grandfather, with whom he lived during his late teens. Bill absorbed the music of opera
Opera
Opera is an art form in which singers and musicians perform a dramatic work combining text and musical score, usually in a theatrical setting. Opera incorporates many of the elements of spoken theatre, such as acting, scenery, and costumes and sometimes includes dance...
at a very young age, as his draftsman father listened while in his at-home workshop. When Bill was 6, his father gave him a harmonica, and together they enjoyed playing their favorite opera melodies by ear. His father also had many instrumental
Instrumental
An instrumental is a musical composition or recording without lyrics or singing, although it might include some non-articulate vocal input; the music is primarily or exclusively produced by musical instruments....
classical albums, which Bill enjoyed listening to in his own bedroom.
At the age of 14, McGlaughlin received his first piano lesson, quite by accident — his younger brother had been taking a series of pre-paid piano lessons but abruptly quit, so Bill was given the remainder. By his second lesson, McGlaughlin knew he wanted to be a professional musician.
Performing
In high school, McGlaughlin took up the tromboneTrombone
The trombone is a musical instrument in the brass family. Like all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player’s vibrating lips cause the air column inside the instrument to vibrate...
, which he further studied in college, obtaining his Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music
Bachelor of Music is an academic degree awarded by a college, university, or conservatory upon completion of program of study in music. In the United States, it is a professional degree; the majority of work consists of prescribed music courses and study in applied music, usually requiring a...
degree from Philadelphia's Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
in 1967.
Upon graduation in 1967 he became Assistant Principal Trombonist of the Philadelphia Orchestra
Philadelphia Orchestra
The Philadelphia Orchestra is a symphony orchestra based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States. One of the "Big Five" American orchestras, it was founded in 1900...
, a position he held through 1968. From 1969 to 1975 McGlaughlin was Co-Principal Trombonist of the Pittsburgh Symphony.
In addition, during these years in Pennsylvania, McGlaughlin performed in groups such as the Pittsburgh Symphony Players (which he founded in 1973), the Penn Contemporary Players, and the Philadelphia Composers Forum. He also performed as trombonist during many of his 1975–1982 years with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.
Conducting
Orchestral performance sparked McGlaughlin's interest in conducting — an interest which was encouraged by Pittsburgh Symphony's William SteinbergWilliam Steinberg
William Steinberg was a German-American conductor.- Biography :Steinberg was born Hans Wilhelm Steinberg in Cologne, Germany. He displayed early talent as a violinist, pianist, and composer, conducting his own choral/ orchestral composition at age 13...
. In 1969 he completed a Master of Music
Master of Music
The Master of Music is the first graduate degree in Music awarded by universities and music conservatories. The M.Mus. combines advanced studies in an applied area of specialization with graduate-level academic study in subjects such as music history, music theory, or music pedagogy...
degree in conducting
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
at Temple University, studying under Robert Page; and in addition he received private instruction and tutelage from William R. Smith (Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra) and Max Rudolf.
This led to a series of conducting positions:
- 1975–1982: Associate Conductor; Principal Conductor of the Saint Paul Chamber OrchestraSaint Paul Chamber OrchestraThe Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra , based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, is the United States' only full-time professional chamber orchestra...
- 1981–1985: Music DirectorMusic directorA music director may be the director of an orchestra, the director of music for a film, the director of music at a radio station, the head of the music department in a school, the co-ordinator of the musical ensembles in a university or college , the head bandmaster of a military band, the head...
of the Eugene SymphonyEugene SymphonyThe Eugene Symphony is an American orchestra based in Eugene, Oregon. Its home venue is the Silva Concert Hall at the Hult Center for the Performing Arts.Approximately 27,000 people attend Eugene Symphony's classical and pops concert performances each year.... - 1982–1987: Music Director of the Tucson Symphony OrchestraTucson Symphony OrchestraThe Tucson Symphony Orchestra, or TSO, is the primary professional orchestra of Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1928, when the season consisted of just two concerts, the TSO is the oldest continuously running performing arts organization in the Southwest...
- 1986–1988: Music Director of the San Francisco Chamber OrchestraSan Francisco Chamber OrchestraThe San Francisco Chamber Orchestra is an orchestra in San Francisco, California that gives small orchestra and chamber ensemble performances in the Bay Area....
- 1986–1998: Music Director of the Kansas City SymphonyKansas City SymphonyThe Kansas City Symphony is a United States symphony orchestra based in Kansas City, Missouri. The current music director is conductor Michael Stern. The current home of the Symphony is the Lyric Theatre, located in Downtown Kansas City on 11th Street between Wyandotte and Central Streets...
During his 12-year tenure with the Kansas City Symphony, McGlaughlin greatly expanded the orchestra's repertoire, commissioned many new works, recorded albums, made two nationwide television broadcasts (including a Christmas special with the King's Singers
King's Singers
The King's Singers is a British a cappella vocal ensemble who celebrated their 40th anniversary in 2008. Their name recalls King's College in Cambridge, England, where the group was formed by six choral scholars in 1968. In the United Kingdom, their popularity peaked in the 1970s and early 1980s...
), greatly strengthened the orchestra's reputation, and brought it to a state of "unparalleled artistic and financial success." In addition, McGlaughlin received five ASCAP Adventurous Programming Awards for his continued performing of contemporary music, and for aiding Kansas City Symphony audiences in understanding the composers' intentions in these works.
McGlaughlin has also continuously had numerous guest conducting engagements, from a great variety of orchestras around the U.S.
Composing
McGlaughlin was early on a champion of living composers and new music, dating back to his Pennsylvania days and his involvement with groups such as the Penn Contemporary Players and the Philadelphia Composers Forum. McGlaughlin himself founded the Pittsburgh Camerata (1973), which focused on contemporary music, and he was a steady proponent of living composers' works in Kansas City as well. Eventually, this championing became a desire to compose on his own.In 1998, McGlaughlin left his conducting position and moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to concentrate on composing. Prompted by the death of a friend who was a Kansas City pianist and composer, McGlaughlin's first major work was Three Dreams and a Question: Choral Songs on e.e. cummings — which he debuted with the Kansas City Symphony on April 28, 1998, to an enthusiastic audience and press. Some of his other works (many of them commissioned) include: Aaron's Horizons (a tribute to Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland
Aaron Copland was an American composer, composition teacher, writer, and later in his career a conductor of his own and other American music. He was instrumental in forging a distinctly American style of composition, and is often referred to as "the Dean of American Composers"...
), Echoes, Angelus, Three Pieces for Wind Trio, Bagatelles, and The Heart's Light: An Essay for Orchestra.
For a millennial celebration, McGlaughlin was chosen from a field of 350 composers to write a major new work for Continental Harmony, a nationwide cultural initiative commissioned by the National Endowment for the Arts
National Endowment for the Arts
The National Endowment for the Arts is an independent agency of the United States federal government that offers support and funding for projects exhibiting artistic excellence. It was created by an act of the U.S. Congress in 1965 as an independent agency of the federal government. Its current...
and the American Composers Forum
American Composers Forum
The American Composers Forum is a non-profit membership organization dedicated to the promotion and assistance of American composers and their music. It was founded in 1973 as the Minnesota Composers Forum and is based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, United States...
. The composition, Walt Whitman's Dream, premiered in July 2000, and celebrated the new millennium with a combined chorus of nearly 800 singers from around the world, accompanied by orchestra.
On December 15, 2005, the national two-hour daily NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
classical music radio program Performance Today
Performance Today
Performance Today is a Peabody Award-winning classical music radio show, currently hosted by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations...
announced that out of all of the music aired that week, McGlaughlin's new composition Remembering Icarus garnered the most, and the most heartfelt, listener response.
Discussing his own music, McGlaughlin describes his compositional style as more intuitive than intellectual, and says that he does not shun tonality: "I think when composers turn completely away from tonality, they lose a big part of storytelling." Some of his work incorporates or references elements of jazz — for instance Bela's Bounce, an homage to Béla Bartók
Béla Bartók
Béla Viktor János Bartók was a Hungarian composer and pianist. He is considered one of the most important composers of the 20th century and is regarded, along with Liszt, as Hungary's greatest composer...
and Charlie Parker
Charlie Parker
Charles Parker, Jr. , famously called Bird or Yardbird, was an American jazz saxophonist and composer....
.
Saint Paul Sunday
In the late 1970s, during his conducting stint in Saint Paul, MinnesotaSaint Paul, Minnesota
Saint Paul is the capital and second-most populous city of the U.S. state of Minnesota. The city lies mostly on the east bank of the Mississippi River in the area surrounding its point of confluence with the Minnesota River, and adjoins Minneapolis, the state's largest city...
, McGlaughlin occasionally filled in as host on Garrison Keillor
Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A Prairie Home Companion Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio...
's weekday morning radio show on Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio
Minnesota Public Radio , is the flagship National Public Radio member network for the state of Minnesota. With its three services, News & Information, Classical Music and The Current, MPR operates a 42-station regional radio network in the upper Midwest serving over 8 million people...
(MPR). MPR producer Tom Voegeli came up with the idea for a new show: Saint Paul Sunday Morning, with McGlaughlin as host. MPR had just received a public radio communications satellite
Communications satellite
A communications satellite is an artificial satellite stationed in space for the purpose of telecommunications...
uplink
Uplink
A telecommunications link is generally one of several types of information transmission paths such as those provided by communication satellites to connect two points on earth.-Uplink:...
, as well as seed money to develop a few pilot shows for national distribution. Voegeli wanted a program which would present world-class musicians, in an informal live setting in MPR's new state-of-the-art studio
Recording studio
A recording studio is a facility for sound recording and mixing. Ideally both the recording and monitoring spaces are specially designed by an acoustician to achieve optimum acoustic properties...
, to a national audience. Voegeli also wanted McGlaughlin to sound like himself — a musician — rather than like a broadcaster, and to share his own intimate, animated enthusiasm with listeners.
The show, now called Saint Paul Sunday
Saint Paul Sunday
Saint Paul Sunday is a Peabody Award-winning weekly classical music radio program, hosted by Bill McGlaughlin. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. Programs since 1997 are also available...
, debuted locally in 1980, and went national via syndication in 1981. The weekly one-hour show features live in-studio performances by and interviews with the world's top classical musicians, both soloists and ensembles. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. The show, with McGlaughlin as host and music director since its inception, was awarded the Peabody Award
Peabody Award
The George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
in 1995.
McGlaughlin's enthusiasm for the show and the music is evident: "If I had been able to imagine Saint Paul Sunday as a kid," he says, "I think I’d have been in ecstasy at the idea of having the whole wide world of music to run around in, and best of everything, to be able to bring friends along."
Exploring Music
In 2002, Steve Robinson, Vice President of WFMTWFMT
WFMT is an FM radio station in Chicago, Illinois, featuring a format of fine arts, classical music programming, and shows exploring such genres as folk and jazz). The station is managed by Window To The World Communications, Inc., owner of WTTW, one of Chicago's two Public Broadcasting Service ...
Radio Network, approached McGlaughlin to host a daily radio show, which would showcase and explicate great works of classical music.
Robinson notes, "As far as I'm concerned, no one can top Bill in the way he conveys his passion for music on the radio." The show, Exploring Music
Exploring Music
Exploring Music is an internationally syndicated radio program featuring classical music, with commentary and analysis by host Bill McGlaughlin. It is a daily, one-hour show with a single in-depth theme each week. The show, which debuted in 2003, is produced by WFMT Radio Network...
, debuted nationally in 2003, and has proved very popular with audiences of all ages and levels of expertise. The program, which explores a single classical music theme each week in one-hour daily episodes, has been praised for the enthusiasm and relatability with which it brings classical music appreciation to a large audience, and as of 2008 has over 500,000 listeners.
Exploring Music garnered McGlaughlin, as its host and music director, the Lifetime Achievement Award from Fine Arts Radio International in 2004, "because he has taken up the music education baton implicitly passed to him by the late Karl Haas
Karl Haas
Karl Haas was a German-American classical music radio host, whose distinctively sonorous voice and humanistic approach to making music appreciation contagious made him well-received by many...
, whose Adventures in Good Music
Adventures in Good Music
Adventures in Good Music, hosted by Karl Haas, was radio's most widely listened-to classical music program, and aired nationally in the U.S. from 1970 to 2007. Adventures in Good Music was also syndicated to commercial and public radio stations around the world...
has metamorphized into Exploring Music, with an ear tuned to the evolving trends of the 21st-century classical audience." Fine Arts Radio International concluded by saying, "Exploring Music, with its weekly thematic concept, provides the classical radio listener with both in-depth education and compelling radio listening, a balance that is rarely achieved."
Additional media appearances
McGlaughlin has been the co-host of the nationally syndicated radio series Center Stage from Wolf TrapWolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts
Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts, known locally in the Washington, D.C. area as simply Wolf Trap, is a performing arts center located on 130 acres of national park land in Wolf Trap, Virginia...
since its inception in 1999. He is also the host, since 2007, of the newly relaunched nationally syndicated radio series Concerts from the Library of Congress
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and...
.
In addition to these and to Saint Paul Sunday and Exploring Music, since 1986 McGlaughlin has also hosted (and occasionally conducted) a number of radio and television programs on NPR
NPR
NPR, formerly National Public Radio, is a privately and publicly funded non-profit membership media organization that serves as a national syndicator to a network of 900 public radio stations in the United States. NPR was created in 1970, following congressional passage of the Public Broadcasting...
, PRI
Public Radio International
Public Radio International is a Minneapolis-based American public radio organization, with locations in Boston, New York, London and Beijing. PRI's tagline is "Hear a different voice." PRI is a major public media content creator and also distributes programs from many sources...
, PBS
Public Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
, and the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
, and on local NPR affiliates.
Drawing upon his expertise as a conductor and his abilities as a music commentator, McGlaughlin contributed one of the ten chapters in the 2008 book, Leonard Bernstein: American Original. Editor Barbara Haws describes McGlaughlin's chapter, "On the Podium: Intellect and Energy," in her introduction to the book:
- BernsteinLeonard BernsteinLeonard Bernstein August 25, 1918 – October 14, 1990) was an American conductor, composer, author, music lecturer and pianist. He was among the first conductors born and educated in the United States of America to receive worldwide acclaim...
's passion on the podium is perhaps the most indelible image he has left us. By evaluating Bernstein's marked conducting scores in the PhilharmonicNew York PhilharmonicThe New York Philharmonic is a symphony orchestra based in New York City in the United States. It is one of the American orchestras commonly referred to as the "Big Five"...
Archives and analyzing his televised performances, conductor, composer, and radio personality Bill McGlaughlin brings together the ephemeral with the workaday to understand better Bernstein's hold over the popular imagination and his remarkable rapport with musicians. Melding the flamboyant public display with the private meticulousness seen in the scores provides new insights, and confirms long-held assumptions about what Bernstein was hoping to achieve.
Awards and honors
- 1984, 1988, 1993, 1997, 1998: ASCAP Awards for Adventurous Programming (Kansas City Symphony)
- 1990 Deems TaylorDeems TaylorJoseph Deems Taylor was a U.S. composer, music critic, and promoter of classical music.-Career:Taylor initially planned to become an architect; however, despite minimal musical training he soon took to music composition. The result was a series of works for orchestra and/or voices...
Award (ASCAP) for Saint Paul SundaySaint Paul SundaySaint Paul Sunday is a Peabody Award-winning weekly classical music radio program, hosted by Bill McGlaughlin. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. Programs since 1997 are also available... - 1990 Honorary Doctorate, Westminster College
- 1995 Peabody AwardPeabody AwardThe George Foster Peabody Awards recognize distinguished and meritorious public service by radio and television stations, networks, producing organizations and individuals. In 1939, the National Association of Broadcasters formed a committee to recognize outstanding achievement in radio broadcasting...
for Saint Paul Sunday - 1997 Honorary Doctorate, Rockhurst UniversityRockhurst UniversityRockhurst University is a private, coeducational Jesuit university located in Kansas City, Missouri, founded in 1910 as Rockhurst College. The school adheres to the motto etched into the stone of the campus bell tower: "Learning, Leadership, and Service in the Jesuit Tradition." It is one of 28...
- 2004 Fine Arts Radio International Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2007 Boyer Tribute Award, Temple UniversityTemple UniversityTemple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
- 2008 Dushkin Award, Music Institute of ChicagoMusic Institute of ChicagoMusic Institute of Chicago is a community music school in Illinois with campuses in Downers Grove, Evanston, Highland Park, Lake Forest, Lincolnshire, Northbrook and Winnetka....
, for Exploring MusicExploring MusicExploring Music is an internationally syndicated radio program featuring classical music, with commentary and analysis by host Bill McGlaughlin. It is a daily, one-hour show with a single in-depth theme each week. The show, which debuted in 2003, is produced by WFMT Radio Network...
Personal life
McGlaughlin lives in New York CityNew York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
with his longtime partner, three-time Grammy-nominated jazz singer Karrin Allyson
Karrin Allyson
Karrin Allyson is an American jazz vocalist. She has been nominated for three Grammy Awards, and has received positive reviews from several prominent sources, including The New York Times, which has called her a "singer with a feline touch and impeccable intonation."-Career:Allyson grew up in...
. The couple met in the early 1990s in Kansas City. McGlaughlin has co-produced and assisted on most of Allyson's CDs, and also often accompanies her on the road when she is touring. He continues to compose, and also has occasional guest conducting engagements around the country. He has two grown children from a former marriage.
See also
- Exploring MusicExploring MusicExploring Music is an internationally syndicated radio program featuring classical music, with commentary and analysis by host Bill McGlaughlin. It is a daily, one-hour show with a single in-depth theme each week. The show, which debuted in 2003, is produced by WFMT Radio Network...
- Saint Paul SundaySaint Paul SundaySaint Paul Sunday is a Peabody Award-winning weekly classical music radio program, hosted by Bill McGlaughlin. It is America's most widely listened to weekly classical music program produced by public radio, and airs on approximately 200 stations nationwide. Programs since 1997 are also available...
- Compositions by Bill McGlaughlinCompositions by Bill McGlaughlinConductor and radio commentator Bill McGlaughlin began composing in 1997, whereupon he left his conducting position at the Kansas City Symphony and moved to New York City to concentrate on composing. The outcome of the move was a flurry of creativity, and he has been composing successfully,...
External links
Biography- Official bio on Exploring Music site
- McGlaughlin resumé 2003
- Bill McGlaughlin – Bio at WQXRWQXR-FMWQXR-FM is an American classical radio station licensed to Newark, New Jersey, and serving the New York City metropolitan area. It is the most-listened-to classical-music station in the United States, with an average quarter-hour audience of 63,000...
Interviews
- 1993 interview – Kansas City Jazz Ambassadors Magazine
- 2002 article on McGlaughlin in the Star TribuneStar TribuneThe Star Tribune is the largest newspaper in the U.S. state of Minnesota and is published seven days each week in an edition for the Minneapolis-Saint Paul metropolitan area. A statewide version is also available across Minnesota and parts of Wisconsin, Iowa, South Dakota, and North Dakota. The...
- "Bill's Excellent Venture: Radio Host Brings Arias and Masses to the Masses." Time Out Chicago. July 3, 2008
Additional radio broadcasts
Compositions
- Audio interview and performance of McGlaughlin's Remembering Icarus on Performance TodayPerformance TodayPerformance Today is a Peabody Award-winning classical music radio show, currently hosted by Fred Child. It is the most listened-to daily classical music radio program in the United States, with 1.2 million listeners on 237 stations...
, December 2005 - McGlaughlin's Bela's Bounce performed in 2003 by the TMEA Symphony Orchestra
- 1-minute audio sample of McGlaughlin's Walt Whitman's Dream
- Theme to Exploring Music
Performance
- Conducting Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe with the Texas Music Educators Association Symphony Orchestra; Part Two
Writing
- Leonard Bernstein: American Original (HarperCollins, 2008). Chapter by Bill McGlaughlin, pp. 157–172
- Igor Stravinsky (Metropolitan Opera Radio Broadcast Intermission Feature)
- The Life, Times, and Music of Claude Debussy (Met Intermission Feature)
- McGlaughlin's 10 Favorite CDs