Aaron Cohen

Director of Programming Operations

Aaron Cohen has a varied career centered on music, audio and media.  In addition to serving as New York Public Radio’s Director of Programming Operations, he is also an award-winning radio producer and an accomplished musician.

Aaron joined New York Public Radio in 2000, and has worn several different hats within the company since then.  From 2000 to 2006, he was a radio producer.  During this time at NYPR, he worked on every kind of radio program imaginable, from live call-in shows and concert broadcasts, to pre-produced programs and long-form radio documentaries.  A notable highlight of those years is The Ring & I, a one-hour radio documentary about Wagner’s Ring Cycle, which he co-produced with Jad Abumrad in 2004.  The program won more than ten awards, including the National Headliner Grand Prize, and continues to be broadcast around the world to this day.

In 2006, Aaron joined the Programming Department, where he currently serves as the Director of Programming Operations.  In this role, Aaron interacts with all the departments of New York Public Radio, and makes sure everything gets on-air as it’s supposed to throughout the day and night. Additionally, Aaron occasionally produces special projects for WQXR.

Aaron began his career as a classically trained oboist.  As a professional musician, he performed with many orchestras, including a performance at the Barcelona Summer Olympics in 1992.  Aaron also recorded two solo CDs.  His first CD, Oboecentric, was recorded in 1994 and features late Baroque and early Classical sonatas for oboe and continuo.  The second CD, Oboisms, features works by 20th Century North American composers for oboe and piano.

Aaron Cohen appears in the following:

Dining with Richard Strauss: A Remembrance of Paul Thomason

Friday, June 09, 2023

"During his final months, when Paul knew he had very little time left, I asked who he planned to spend time with when he got to heaven. No surprise, it was going to be Richard Strauss."

Comments [1]

Embrace Everything: The World of Mahler

Thursday, July 07, 2022

Join WNYC producer and host Aaron Cohen for the second installment of "Embrace Everything."

Comments [3]

Listen: Embrace Everything

Tuesday, July 07, 2020

Explore Mahler’s First Symphony during this one-hour special, Tuesday at 9.

Comments [9]

Part 3 - The Enigma of Richard Strauss

Wednesday, June 11, 2014

Richard Strauss was an intensely private man, and many felt he wore a mask in public, never showing his true self.  

Comments [1]

Part 2 - Strong Women Dominate Strauss Operas

Tuesday, June 10, 2014

The operas of Richard Strauss are dominated by female voices, and many of his fifteen operas are named for their female stars.

Comments [2]

Part 1 - Epic Tales Well Told: Strauss's Tone Poems

Monday, June 09, 2014

Strauss first came to international attention writing tone poems, his virtuoso symphonic works that portray stories, characters, and even philosophical ideas.

Comments [2]

Music is a Holy Art: A Richard Strauss Celebration

Sunday, June 08, 2014

Strauss soprano Deborah Voigt hosts this one-hour radio documentary, presented by WQXR, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss. 

Comments [14]

Music is a Holy Art: A Richard Strauss Celebration

Friday, June 06, 2014

WQXR
Strauss soprano Deborah Voigt hosts this one-hour radio documentary, presented by WQXR, in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Richard Strauss.

Comments [1]

The Operavore Field Guide to Singers

Friday, February 28, 2014

WQXR

Welcome to Operavore’s Field Guide to Singers. With this handy companion at your side, you’ll soon be able to recognize even the rarest specimens by their distinctive songs and calls.

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Comments [2]

Clash of the Titans: An Exploration of Verdi & Wagner

Friday, October 04, 2013

Tonight at 9 pm, tune in for a special broadcast of this one-hour program exploring the differences between this year's big anniversary composers: Wagner and his contemporary Verdi.

Comments [3]

Clash of the Titans: An Exploration of Verdi & Wagner

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

Tonight at 8 pm, tune in for a special re-broadcast of this one-hour program exploring the differences between this year's big anniversary composers: Verdi and his contemporary Wagner.

Comments [36]

'The Iceberg' Opera Drifts into Newark

Monday, April 01, 2013

On Sunday evening at the Park & Bark Arts Center in Newark, NJ I heard a performance of what is, without question, the most unusual opera I’ve ever heard.

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Passion Pointers: Five Tips for Getting to Know Bach's St. John Passion

Sunday, March 18, 2012

The St. John Passion is one of Bach's two great surviving Passions, or sacred oratorios, the other being the St. Matthew Passion.

Comments [5]

Mahler's Second: The Story within the Symphony

Friday, February 17, 2012

We place Mahler's program notes against the music to see if we can gain a greater understanding of the ideas in the composer's mind as he wrote the work.

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Ten Favorite Pieces for Oboe

Sunday, November 14, 2010

New York Public Radio's resident oboist picks his favorite works for the instrument.

Comments [15]

How the Oboist's Art is Like a Bad Marriage

Sunday, November 14, 2010

There are many conversations that go on between an instrumentalist and their instrument. For the oboist and the oboe, a good face in public masks constant bickering and drama behind the scenes.

Read More

Comments [45]