Bill McGlaughlin

Bill McGlaughlin
Bill McGlaughlin recording Exploring Music
Background information
Birth name	William McGlaughlin
Born	(1943-10-03) October 3, 1943 (age 73) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Genres	Classical
Occupation(s)	radio host, music educator, musicologist, composer, conductor
Instruments	trombone
Years active	1967–present
Associated acts	Exploring Music Saint Paul Sunday Center Stage from Wolf Trap Concerts from the Library of Congress Kansas City Symphony St. Paul Chamber Orchestra
Website	billmcglaughlin.com

William "Bill" McGlaughlin (born 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 three 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.

McGlaughlin was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and his unusual accent stems from his Philadelphia childhood and the influence of his Scottish-American grandfather, with whom he lived during his early childhood and 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. Bill's mother, a high-school English teacher, was also a music lover.

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, and began practicing eight hours a day.

In high school, McGlaughlin took up the trombone, which he further studied in college, obtaining his Bachelor of Music degree from Philadelphia's Temple University in 1967.