John Schaefer has hosted Soundcheck since the show’s inception in 2002. He has also hosted and produced WNYC’s radio series New Sounds since 1982 (“The No. 1 radio show for the Global Village” – Billboard) and the New Sounds Live concert series since 1986.
John has written extensively about music, including the book New Sounds: A Listener’s Guide to New Music (Harper & Row, NY, 1987; Virgin Books, London, 1990); The Cambridge Companion to Singing: World Music (Cambridge University Press, U.K., 2000); and the TV program Bravo Profile: Bobby McFerrin (Bravo Television, 2003). He was contributing editor for Spin and Ear magazines, and his liner notes appear on more than 100 recordings, ranging from “The Music of Cambodia” to recordings by Yo-Yo Ma and Terry Riley.
In 2003, Schaefer was honored with the American Music Center's prestigious Letter of Distinction for his "substantial contributions to advancing the field of contemporary American music in the United States and abroad." In May 2006, New York magazine cited Schaefer as one of "the people whose ideas, power, and sheer will are changing New York" in its Influentials issue. He began blogging for WNYC when accompanying the New York Philharmonic on its historic (and apparently very weird) trip to North Korea in 2008 and continues to blog at soundcheck.org.
He is a regular contributor to the World Science Festival and the White Light Festival at Lincoln Center; he has also written about horse racing (Bloodlines: A Horse Racing Anthology, Vintage NY 2006) and was a regular panelist on the BBC’s soccer-based program Sports World.
Shows:
John Schaefer appears in the following:
Weekly Music Roundup: Pulitzer Prize-Winning Composer Ellen Reid And Immigrant Songs
Monday, April 15, 2019
Roll Over Rembrandt: Rock & Roll Comes To the Met
Monday, April 08, 2019
Weekly Music Roundup: Blitz the Ambassador and Tamino
Monday, April 01, 2019
Weekly Music Roundup: Dexter Story, Malawi's Lazarus, and Angelique Kidjo
Monday, March 18, 2019
Weekly Music Roundup: Fémina, Little Simz, and Reese McHenry
Monday, March 04, 2019
Weekly Music Roundup: Omar Apollo and Better Oblivion Community Center
Monday, February 04, 2019
The Making Of 'The Lord Of The Rings'
Thursday, January 24, 2019
Weekly Music Roundup: Nakhane, Tanya Tagaq, and India.Arie
Monday, January 21, 2019
Weekly Music Roundup: VÉRITÉ and The Raconteurs
Monday, December 24, 2018
Weekly Music Roundup: Bruce Springsteen, MorMor, and Bibi Bourelly
Monday, December 10, 2018
The Untold Story of The First World War in Africa
Tuesday, December 04, 2018
For the First Time in 42 Years, a New Music Director at The Met
Monday, December 03, 2018
Weekly Music Roundup: Charles Bradley, Smashing Pumpkins, and Jacob Banks
Monday, November 12, 2018
Watch: Glimmery Electro Art-Pop by Arthur Moon
Thursday, November 08, 2018
Opera Takes To The Air In New 'Satyagraha' Production
Wednesday, October 31, 2018
Bowie’s “Berlin Trilogy”
Thursday, October 18, 2018
Weekly Music Roundup: Esperanza Spalding and Imogen Heap's 'Platform 9¾'
Monday, October 15, 2018
New York’s Surprising New Performance Space – The High Line
Wednesday, October 03, 2018
Modernizing the Music Business for the Streaming Era
Friday, September 28, 2018
Weekly Music Roundup: Wolf Alice, Jeremy Dutcher, and The Most Perfect Album
Monday, September 24, 2018
