Matt Abramovitz

VP, Programming

Matt Abramovitz is WQXR’s VP of Programming (and Dad Jokes) 

Matt Abramovitz, WQXR’s VP of Programming, got his start on the radio as a high school intern at WBGO. His early career brought him to Sirius Satellite Radio, where he worked on everything from jazz to blues to Springsteen. But Matt’s wife was four months pregnant when a merger left him job hunting. That’s when WQXR came into the picture: A part-time gig soon became full-time when the station was acquired by WNYC, and Matt was tasked with helping to launch WQXR as a newly-minted public radio station. Though Matt knew nearly nothing about classical music at the time, what he had was an obsession with radio — a passion fueled in large part by his uncle, a classic rock DJ in Boston — and a willingness to learn. 

Today, Matt develops programming for WQXR and spends Sunday evenings on the air. He also hosts the Classical Beer Jams and organizes the Classical Kids Fairs. For Matt, classical music was one of the greatest gifts of his life, offering both immense joy and copious material for groan-worthy dad jokes. You could say Matt is the Bach-bone of all things programming here at WQXR, and you can bet that everything he does will be infused with a healthy dose of e(dvard)grieg-ious dad jokes.

Matt Abramovitz appears in the following:

P.S. I Love You: Renée Fleming Sings Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin

Wednesday, December 01, 2021

For the Season 3 finale, star soprano Renée Fleming explores what it’s like to be in love, vulnerable, and courageous enough to hit “send.”

To Be Or Not To Be: Dean's Hamlet

Wednesday, November 17, 2021

One of the most famous questions in English literature gets answered anew with a modern operatic adaptation.

Potion, Emotion, Devotion: Wagner's Tristan und Isolde

Wednesday, November 03, 2021

In the vast catalogue of great, doomed love affairs, the story of an Irish Princess, a Cornish Knight, and a potion switcheroo takes you to a whole new realm.

Blanchard's Fire Shut Up in My Bones: A Boy of Peculiar Grace

Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Sometimes the journey to self-acceptance begins when you find the strength to face your past and leave it the road.

Verdi's Nabucco: By the Rivers of Babylon

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

With text from the Book of Psalms and an unforgettable melody, Giuseppe Verdi proved that there’s no place like home, especially when you can never return.

Once More Into the Breeches: Joyce DiDonato Sings Strauss

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

Love and great art have the power to transform you, especially when you’re wearing pants. 

Breaking Mad: Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor

Wednesday, August 25, 2021

A woman loses her grasp on reality and finds the only freedom available to her in murder and madness.

Crisis in the Kremlin: Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov

Wednesday, August 11, 2021

A tsar comes to power, but quickly realizes he’s powerless.

Only the Good Die Young: Verdi's La Traviata

Wednesday, July 21, 2021

A great woman dies, and lives forever.

Guys and Dolls: Offenbach's The Tales of Hoffmann

Wednesday, July 07, 2021

What separates humans from machines is our ability to love, to dream, and to believe in an illusion.

Strauss's Elektra: Waltzing With a Vengeance

Wednesday, June 23, 2021

Sometimes the most terrifying thing in life -- and in opera -- is to be alone with your thoughts. In her solitary moments, Richard Strauss's Elektra is consumed by one, dark obsession. 

Puccini's Tosca: Death is But a Dream

Wednesday, June 09, 2021

What will you think about before you die?

Handel's Agrippina: Nice Romans Finish Last

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

In order to be a Roman Emperor, you have to be entirely cold-blooded. So what happens if you’re not?

Stravinsky’s The Rake’s Progress: I Walk the Line

Wednesday, May 05, 2021

Have you heard the one when Johnny Cash, Igor Stravinsky, and William Hogarth walk into a podcast? Well, you will this week on Aria Code.

Mozart’s The Marriage of Figaro: Count On a Reckoning

Wednesday, April 21, 2021

A powerful man abuses his privilege then lashes out when he learns women are not his playthings. Classic Mozart comedy? Yes! Real life? Most definitely.

Rossini's Barber of Seville: On a Wig and a Prayer

Wednesday, April 07, 2021

Gioachino Rossini’s most famous opera The Barber of Seville is more than a comedic romp. Underneath the zany plot and cheerful music is a story about a woman’s determination to be free.

Verdi's Aida: There's No Place Like Home

Wednesday, March 24, 2021

There’s no place like home, the saying goes, but Giuseppe Verdi’s Aida realizes she’ll never see her homeland again.

Listen: "Nessun Dorma," Puccini's Anthem of Hope

Wednesday, March 10, 2021

“Nessun Dorma” has long been opera’s crossover hit. But in the last year, it’s become something more -- an anthem of hope.

Monday: Guest Host Branford Marsalis

Monday, November 16, 2020

On Nov. 16, Branford Marsalis sits down at the mic for his first ever show as a classical guest host.

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Juneteenth and Beyond: A Commitment to Change 

Thursday, June 18, 2020

Classical music belongs to everyone and we are committed to using our platform to bring all New Yorkers together so the future of classical music can be more equitable, just and joyous.
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