Tom Huizenga
Tom Huizenga is a producer for NPR Music. He contributes a wide range of stories about classical music to NPR's news programs and is the classical music reviewer for All Things Considered. He appears regularly on NPR Music podcasts and founded NPR's classical music blog Deceptive Cadence in 2010.
Joining NPR in 1999, Huizenga produced, wrote and edited NPR's Peabody Award-winning daily classical music show Performance Today and the programs SymphonyCast and World of Opera.
He's produced live radio broadcasts from the Kennedy Center and other venues, including New York's (Le) Poisson Rouge, where he created NPR's first classical music webcast featuring the Emerson String Quartet.
As a video producer, Huizenga has created some of NPR Music's noteworthy music documentaries in New York. He brought mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato to the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, placed tenor Lawrence Brownlee and pianist Jason Moran inside an active crypt at a historic church in Harlem, and invited composer Philip Glass to a Chinatown loft to discuss music with Devonté Hynes (aka Blood Orange).
He has also written and produced radio specials, such as A Choral Christmas With Stile Antico, broadcast on stations around the country.
Prior to NPR, Huizenga served as music director for NPR member station KRWG, in Las Cruces, New Mexico, and taught in the journalism department at New Mexico State University.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Huizenga's radio career began at the University of Michigan, where he produced and hosted a broad range of radio programs at Ann Arbor's WCBN-FM. He holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan in English literature and ethnomusicology.
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After decades of performing, the celebrated soprano's enthusiasm for music is irresistible. She chooses some of her favorite recordings for an informal session of listening and conversation.
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Watch the vocal group sing new music with yelps, yodels and fine harmonies tightly spun.
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From classical and rock to jazz and world music, the saxophone has invaded many cultures and styles. Try this quiz celebrating the bicentennial of the instrument's inventor, Adolphe Sax.
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Think you know your musical ghouls and ghosts? From country and classical to rock and jazz, try this hair-raising Halloween puzzler.
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The Danish String Quartet doesn't live on Brahms and Beethoven alone. Watch the versatile group play Danish folk tunes, from centuries-old Fanø wedding dances to traditional Roskilde reels.
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From tiny Denmark comes a big symphonic sound. Three recent albums offer a glimpse of the Nordic sound, from the undervalued Carl Nielsen, the experimental Per Nørgård and the accessible Poul Ruders.
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On Oct. 19, 1814, an Austrian teenager named Franz Schubert wrote "Gretchen at the Spinning Wheel," a boldly innovative song that remains an inspiration for singers and songwriters.
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Every Friday, the proprietors of NPR Classical and their Twitter followers gather for a half-hour speed session to share great recordings and discuss the music.
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The winner of the 2014 Pulitzer Prize for music is both an unforgettable seascape and an urgent call to action. Hear the Alaskan composer and environmentalist's sweeping symphonic work.
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Now that the Scottish people have voted to remain in the United Kingdom, it's time to salute their classical musicians — from soprano Mary Garden to composer James MacMillan.