Kevin Gordon
Former Classical HostA veteran broadcaster, Kevin garnered a wealth of experience in radio before taking the weekday classical host position from 2 to 6 PM at WRTI, where he was on the air until his retirement in March 2023.
He served as host on the classical music station WQXR in NYC for 15 years, on Classical South Florida WKCP in Miami, and on WINS, NBC News, and the RKO Radio Network, all in New York.
In addition to his experience in radio, Kevin has performed comedy on the ABC Radio Network and narrated programs at New York’s Hayden Planetarium, Rochester’s Strasenbergh Planetarium and the Ciudad de las Artes y de las Ciencias in Valencia, Spain. He appeared onstage at the Kennedy Center in a two-person program about Pablo Casals, and at Lincoln Center Out of Doors as the host of A Salute to Old Time Radio. Kevin has been the host of New York City’s Bryant Park Festivals, and has appeared onstage in various theatrical productions.
When he’s not on the air, or on the stage, Kevin enjoys a prominent career as a fine artist and portrait painter with works on display at numerous universities — including Columbia, Dartmouth, and the University of Michigan — and at hospitals and private collections throughout the country. His illustrations appear in books of all types, including his own best-selling, The Good Cigar. He's quite a talented guy!
Kevin grew up in Rochester, New York in a home filled with music and art. Is he a musician? “I play piano and guitar badly,” he quips. “But I try.” How did he break into classical music hosting? At WQXR, he originally started out in the news department, and then developed a background and passion for classical music, and transitioned in the ‘90s to classical host.
Favorite composer? “Beethoven. I really connect with him.” Kevin is so fascinated with the composer that he went to Vienna to visit all of the apartments that Beethoven lived in. “He was a bad tenant – he got kicked out a lot, so I was busy!”
Kevin also wrote a book about conductor George Szell, filled with anecdotes.
As he puts it, he has been — at one time or another — a television weatherman, a nightclub magician, a private pilot, and an amateur bullfighter. Kevin's wife is a licensed acupuncturist, and his son is an Emmy Award-winning actor.
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From Saint Hildegard de Bingen to Billie Eilish, cellist Rafaela Gromes celebrates works by women on 'Femmes,' a double album performed with Festival Strings Lucerne. -
A new album of Beethoven's late piano sonatas shows the depth of Maurizio Pollini's maturity, as well as his willingness to take chances. -
The Philadelphia Museum of Art's blockbuster new Matisse exhibition has a story to tell about the artist's close relationship to music, as curator Matthew Affron explains in a walk-through with WRTI. -
Junwen Liang, winner of the senior division of the 10th Philadelphia Young Pianists’ Academy Piano Festival, speaks with WRTI's Kevin Gordon, and performs in our studio. -
I've been working in the media biz for 50 years, meeting lots of interesting people along the way. This is part 2 of my journey, covering the mid '80s to the present. -
When I recently mentioned offhandedly to my colleagues at WRTI that this is my 50th year on the air, they were doubtful that could possibly be true for someone of my youthful appearance. “Prove it," they challenged. This two-part “scrapbook” is the proof. -
Beethoven. Sure, he was the deaf, scowling musical genius with the wild hair. But those who knew him thought of him a little differently. We’ll take a look at some little-known quirks of the great composer, culled from documented recollections of his friends and acquaintances, biographies, and my conversation with John Suchet, author of Beethoven: The Man Revealed. -
Ludwig van Beethoven, who lived from 1770 to 1827, is one of the most popular composers of all time. Although he began to lose his hearing in his late 20s, and went completely deaf by his mid 40s, his deafness did nothing to defeat his ability to compose. -
Kevin Gordon's memories of his days in Spain. -
WRTI is thrilled to be a partner with the Philadelphia Young Pianists’ Academy as it presents its 9th Annual Summer Piano Festival. The festival lasts for…
