GeneralLast Updated on 8 months by General
Tom Huizenga is a dedicated producer for NPR Music, contributing a diverse array of stories about classical music to NPR’s news programs. He serves as the classical music reviewer for All Things Considered and is a regular presence on NPR Music podcasts. Tom’s significant contributions to the field of classical music journalism include founding NPR’s classical music blog, Deceptive Cadence, in 2010.
Tom’s journey with NPR began in 1999, and he has since left his mark on several notable programs. He played a crucial role in the production, writing, and editing of NPR’s Peabody Award-winning daily classical music show, Performance Today, as well as the programs SymphonyCast and World of Opera. Tom has also managed live radio broadcasts from prestigious venues like the Kennedy Center and (Le) Poisson Rouge in New York, where he orchestrated NPR’s first classical music webcast featuring the Emerson String Quartet.
In addition to his work in radio, Tom has ventured into video production, creating compelling music documentaries in New York. His projects have taken artists to unique locations, such as mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato to the historic Stonewall Inn in Greenwich Village, tenor Lawrence Brownlee and pianist Jason Moran to an active crypt in a historic church in Harlem, and composer Philip Glass to a Chinatown loft to discuss music with Devonté Hynes (aka Blood Orange).
Furthermore, Tom has written and produced radio specials, including “A Choral Christmas With Stile Antico,” which was broadcast on stations across the country.
Before his tenure at NPR, Tom served as the music director for NPR member station KRWG in Las Cruces, New Mexico. He also contributed to education by teaching in the journalism department at New Mexico State University.
Tom’s radio career began at the University of Michigan, where he hosted and produced a diverse range of radio programs at WCBN-FM in Ann Arbor. He holds a B.A. from the University of Michigan in English literature and ethnomusicology, reflecting his deep-rooted passion for music and storytelling.