Bill McGlaughlin, the founding host of “Exploring Music” on WFMT, died on July 21 at his home on New York’s Upper West Side.
The cause was cardiac arrest, according to his wife, jazz vocalist Karrin Allyson.
McGlaughlin — a multi-hyphenate who composed, conducted and played trombone and piano — hosted “Exploring Music” from 2003 to 2025. His death comes just weeks before his internationally syndicated show was to change hands to its new host, broadcaster and bass-baritone Peter van de Graaff.
Insightful yet approachable, the weeknight program guides listeners through a theme, which is explored through weekly five-episode arcs. Through the show, McGlaughlin was honored with lifetime achievement awards by Fine Arts Radio International and the Association of Music Personnel in Public Radio.
Former Tribune critic John von Rhein praised McGlaughlin’s “folksy but informed manner,” which, in his estimation, “pulled thousands of listeners into the classical experience.” At its peak, “Exploring Music” reached 400,000 listeners in the U.S. alone.
When asked by a family member about how he approached radio hosting, McGlaughlin responded that he “pretended like (he) was talking to (his) dad,” Allyson told the Tribune on a call from New York.
“Bill never lorded his knowledge over anybody,” she said. “He was curious about things… He wanted to interview everybody and know about them.”
The oldest of six children, McGlaughlin was born in Philadelphia on Oct. 3, 1943. After graduating from Temple University, he joined the Philadelphia Orchestra and Pittsburgh Symphony as a trombonist.
From there, he was called to the podium, then to the airwaves. He became music director of Eugene and Tucson symphonies, eventually going on to a 12-year tenure as conductor of the Kansas City Symphony. After stepping away from conducting, he pivoted into composing. He penned some 20 works, as well as the theme for “Exploring Music.”
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McGlaughlin got his start in radio while in Minnesota, hosting the program “St. Paul Sunday.” The show went on to win a Peabody Award and laid the groundwork for “Exploring Music,” which made him a household name. Armed with a National Endowment for the Arts grant, WFMT’s then-general manager, Steve Robinson, recruited McGlaughlin for the program that would become “Exploring Music” in November 2002. It began airing the following October.
Sandra Cordova Micek, the president & CEO of Windows to the World Communications, called “Exploring Music” “a defining presence in WFMT’s programming.”
“Bill McGlaughlin’s extraordinary gifts as a broadcaster, musician, and educator transformed the way generations of listeners experienced classical music,” Micek wrote in a statement to the Tribune. “His legacy will continue to inspire audiences for years to come.”
WFMT head of programming & operations Roger Wight also expressed gratitude for McGlaughlin’s “decades of partnership with WFMT and for the lasting impact he made on listeners, colleagues, and radio stations across the country.”
“Bill McGlaughlin’s artistry, curiosity, and generosity touched countless people throughout the classical music community,” Wight’s statement continues.
The station has re-aired archival episodes of “Exploring Music” since the termination of McGlaughlin’s WFMT contract in December 2025. Speaking to the Tribune last December, McGlaughlin claimed that his annual host contract had not been renewed, but that no reason had been given for the termination.
“Some of the reasons you get from stations are, ‘too much vocal music,’ ‘too much new music,’ ‘too much talk’ — none of that. … I’m getting a lot of no-answers,” McGlaughlin said at the time. “It’s just a strange way to end a 22-year-long commitment.”
On July 15, WFMT recirculated an earlier announcement that van de Graaff would assume hosting duties of “Exploring Music,” starting the week of Aug. 24 rather than the previously announced March 30.A WFMT spokesperson confirmed that episodes recorded by McLaughlin will air through the week of Aug. 17. Forthcoming “Exploring Music” programs explore the string quartet repertoire and the music of Nadia Boulanger, the famed 20th-century French pedagogue.
McGlaughlin is survived by Allyson, children Kathleen McGlaughlin and Bill Timothy McGlaughlin, siblings Jake McGlaughlin, Kathleen Gillespie, Dick McGlaughlin, Tom McGlaughlin and Ed McGlaughlin, and grandson Beryl Lovejoy McGlaughlin. He was predeceased by parents Catharine Hogan and William McGlaughlin Sr.
In lieu of flowers, Allyson encouraged listeners to donate to their local library in honor of McGlaughlin, an avid reader.
Hannah Edgar is a freelance writer.