Bill McGlaughlin, Peabody Award-winning radio host, composer, conductor and musician passed away July 21st at the age of 82 at his home in Manhattan. Bill has been a familiar voice to JPR listeners for over 45 years, as the host of Exploring Music since 2003. Prior to that he hosted the program Saint Paul Sunday Morning.
McGlaughlin was born in Philadelphia and was a trombonist with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Pittsburg Symphony before moving on to Saint Paul, Minnesota where he was associate conductor of the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra. His radio career began in St. Paul, when he became a morning host at Minnesota Public Radio. Bill later developed a connection to Oregon when he took the position of music director of the Eugene Symphony in the early 1980’s. He filled that same role for the Kansas City Symphony, the San Francisco Chamber Orchestra, and the Tucson Symphony.
Over the winter, it was announced that Bill would not be producing any new episodes of Exploring Music. Peter van de Graaff will take over as host of the show August 24th. Until then, listeners can still listen to episodes from the Exploring Music archives featuring Bill McGlaughlin, including weeks focusing on the String Quartet, Musical Families and the Curse of the Ninth.
