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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September 23, 2019. If you’ve ever visited Spain or Italy, you know how the quality of the sun and soil, the wind and warmth affect everything from the…
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Join us in the WRTI Performance Studio on Wednesday, September 4th at 12:10 PM as pianist Jennifer Blyth gives us a live preview of upcoming recitals at…
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Live from WRTI 90.1: Winners of the Tri-County Concerts Association Youth Festival Piano CompetitionThe four winners of the Tri-County Concerts Youth Festival Piano Competition visit the WRTI Performance Studio on Wednesday, August 14th at 12:10 pm to…
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Listen to the winners of the 2019 Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA), directed by Ching-Yun Hu, perform live in our studio. Kevin Gordon is…
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Listen to concert pianist Ching-Yun Hu, founder and director of the Philadelphia Young Pianists' Academy (PYPA), plays works by Chopin, Albeniz, and Alkan…
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July 22, 2019. Two musical forces of nature join together in a live performance of fantasy, adventure and romance. Our WRTI Classical Album of the Week…
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Listen to a live performance by pianist Huiping Cai, in advance of her solo piano recital at the Philadelphia Young Pianist Academy on August 10, 2019.…
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Pianist Xun Pan is in the WRTI performance studio to warm us up for the 250th anniversary of Ludwig van Beethoven’s birth, which is coming up in December.…
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Listen to part two of our special live performances by regional winners of the second annual Steinway Junior Piano Competition. Our guests include:…
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Steinway Junior Piano Competition 2019 Regional Winners, Part 1: Live from WRTI's Performance StudioThree young winners of the annual Steinway Junior Piano Competition joined us live in the WRTI performance studio on Thursday, June 27th. WRTI's Kevin…