Jeff Spurgeon has been the morning host of WQXR since 2006. He joined WQXR in 1997 and during his 30-year career in radio, Spurgeon has been an announcer, reporter, newscaster, interviewer and producer. In addition to hosting Around Broadway each Wednesday with Charles Isherwood of the New York Times, Spurgeon hosts remote broadcasts in New York City and internationally.
His New York radio career began when he joined Mix 105’s Morning Team in 1989. Spurgeon also taught and developed a course in broadcast journalism at Townsend Harris High School at Queens College in Flushing. Outside the station he has been a member of an a cappella quartet with a wide-ranging repertoire, and he continues to sing and play the piano for his own pleasure, though seldom for anyone else. Originally from western Nebraska, Spurgeon now lives in Brooklyn with his wife Judy.
Shows:
Jeff Spurgeon appears in the following:
Long Delayed, Kenneth Branagh's 'The Magic Flute' Arrives in the US
Wednesday, June 05, 2013
When Sir Kenneth Branagh decided to adopt Mozart's opera The Magic Flute for film in 2006, an unlikely setting came to mind: the trenches of World War I.
The Greene Space
WQXR Presents the Emerson String Quartet
Monday, May 6, 2013
5:30 PM
The Emerson String Quartet performs in The Greene Space, in their final public New York City appearance with cellist David Finckel. They discuss their legacy and plans for the future. Featuring guest artists Paul Neubauer on viola and Colin Carr on cello. Watch on-demand video now.
András Schiff plays Bach's Chromatic Fantasy and Fugue in D minor, presented live in The Greene Space by WQXR
Thursday, April 18, 2013
During his recent visit to The Greene Space, András Schiff joined WQXR host Jeff Spurgeon to discuss and perform the music of J.S. Bach — a composer who has long been central to the Hungarian pianist's artistry.
The Greene Space
WQXR Presents András Schiff on Bach
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
7:00 PM
Pianist András Schiff performs music by Bach, a composer who has long been central to his artistry. Hosted by WQXR's Jeff Spurgeon. Watch on-demand video of the performance.
Video: Organist Paul Jacobs Makes a 'Glorious Racket' in Bach
Wednesday, March 27, 2013
In this video, Juilliard organ department chairman Paul Jacobs shows us how Bach is played on the pipe organ.
Could Any Musician Hold Our Attention for Days on End?
Thursday, March 21, 2013
Here in New York, WQXR, the sister station of our co-producer WNYC is launching something they're calling Bach 360°. It's a proper Bach-a-thon — a ten-day Bach marathon festival that explores what Johann Sebastian's music means to modern listeners.
Van Cliburn's Triumphant Carnegie Concert
Friday, March 01, 2013
Earlier this week, classical pianist Van Cliburn died at age 78. In a piece written on the day of his death, Soundcheck host John Schaefer described him this way:
"...one classical pianist was a larger-than-life, rock-star figure on at least two continents. He was a pop-music phenomenon, with a debut album that went triple platinum. Everyone knew who he was."
The pianist, who became a household name by winning the International Tchaikovsky Piano Competition in Moscow at the height of the Cold War in 1958. WNYC's classical sister station, WQXR, recorded Van Cliburn's triumphant post-victory concert at Carnegie Hall that year -- we take a listen with WQXR host Jeff Spurgeon.
Cold War Musical Envoy and Piano Legend Van Cliburn Dies at 78
Thursday, February 28, 2013
It was 1958. In the midst of the Cold War, the inaugural Tchaikovsky International Competition took place in Moscow. Amid a climate of fear and mutual suspicion between Americans and Russians, a 23-year-old Texan named Van Cliburn performed a breath-taking rendition of Tchaikovsky’s First Piano Concerto.
The Greene Space
WQXR Presents: Nicola Benedetti with Special Guest Howard Shore
Friday, February 22, 2013
7:00 PM
Friday, Feb. 22 | Toast Oscar weekend with an evening of film music performed by one of classical music's rising stars. Watch on-demand.
Would It Matter if Beyoncé Lip-Synched Her Performance?
Wednesday, January 23, 2013
Beyoncé sang at the presidential inauguration on Monday, though many people are saying that she actually lip-synched her performance. Commenting on Beyoncé's potential lip-synching are Jay Cowit, technical director for The Takeaway, and Jeff Spurgeon, the morning host of WQXR, New York Public Radio's classical music station.
Five Things to Listen for in Bach's Christmas Oratorio
Friday, December 21, 2012
If Handel's Messiah is the quarterback of holiday music, Bach's Christmas Oratorio is the second-string walk-on. But on Sunday, WQXR gives Bach's underplayed work a starting spot in the lineup.
Hurricane Sandy's Classical Soundtrack
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
For the past two days, a battery-powered radio has been the only connection to the outside world for many New Yorkers. And for many of them, music, particularly classical music, offered a brief respite from the confusion outside. Jeffrey Spurgeon is the morning host of WQXR.
The Greene Space
Leif Ove Andsnes: The Beethoven Journey
Saturday, September 22, 2012
1:00 PM
Hailed by The New York Times as “a pianist of magisterial elegance, power and insight,” Leif Ove Andsnes has embarked on a major multi-season project to perform and record the complete Beethoven piano concertos for Sony Classical.
Join us in The Greene Space, in his ...
From the WQXR Serendipity File...
Thursday, July 12, 2012
There we were in Central Park, watching the rehearsal for that evening’s concert broadcast, when in the distance was a children’s choir, writes Jeff Spurgeon. See what happens next.
New York Philharmonic Closes Season with Armory Spectacular
Monday, July 02, 2012
The New York Philharmonic offered some big sounds in its season-ending program, and served them up on a really big plate: the Drill Hall at the New York Armory. Jeff Spurgeon reports.
At Steinway & Sons, Tradition is the Key
Tuesday, May 29, 2012
Every day, the piano manufacturers at Steinway & Sons face an essential question: How to balance craftsmanship with making a profitable instrument. See how it happens in this video tour.
Pierre-Laurent Aimard on Coughs, Ringtones and Wrappers
Monday, April 23, 2012
On Monday, the French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard spoke with WQXR’s Jeff Spurgeon about programming and the distractions a performer sometimes endures.
The Greene Space
An Evening With The Knights
Wednesday, April 4, 2012
7:00 PM
One of New York’s most innovative and acclaimed new chamber orchestras, The Knights conclude their stay as WQXR’s ensemble-in-residence with a live performance in The Greene Space.
Robert Sherman Remembered
Wednesday, March 07, 2012
For Disney fans, the world may seem a little smaller today. Jeff Spurgeon of WQXR joins us to discuss the legacy of the late Disney songwriter Robert Sherman.
Remembering Rudolf Firkušny, Pianist of Refinement and Warmth
Saturday, February 11, 2012
"When I hear recordings by pianist Rudolf Firkušny, whose was born on February 11, 1912, the word that comes to mind every time is 'warmth,'" writes Jeff Spurgeon.