Debra Lew Harder

Last updated

Debra Lew Harder (born 1960 or 1961) is an American pianist and radio announcer and host of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts. Harder was named as the fifth host of the broadcasts in 2021, succeeding the retiring Mary Jo Heath.

Contents

Harder was previously an announcer for classical music on radio station WRTI in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Biography

Debra Miyoung Lew [1] was born to South Korean parents in Burlington, Vermont, in 1960 or 1961. [2] She was raised in northeast Ohio and is a 1979 graduate of Western Reserve Academy. [2] [3] She studied the piano starting when she was six years old, and she was successful in music competitions growing up. [2] [4] She graduated from Kent State University with a bachelor's degree and she earned a Doctor of Medicine at the Northeastern Ohio Universities College of Medicine in 1985. [2] [5] She studied under pianist Tung Kwong-Kwong while at Kent State University. [4] [6] After practicing emergency medicine in central Ohio for a few years, she decided to pursue a career in music. [2] She began attending Ohio State University in 1988 to study under pianist and artist-in-residence Earl Wild, and she earned a Doctor of Musical Arts in 1994. [2] Through her career, she gave performances at venues such as the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concert Series at the Chicago Cultural Center, Verizon Hall in the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts in Philadelphia, and Wigmore Hall in London. [5]

Harder later moved to Philadelphia, where she shifted to mainly teaching music rather than performing, and she served on the faculties of Haverford College and Bryn Mawr College. [2] [5] She was host of the classical music programs on local radio station WRTI from 2016 to 2021. [7] In 2021, she was named as the new host of the Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts, taking the place of the retiring Mary Jo Heath. [8] Harder is the fifth person in 93 years to hold the job since the radio broadcasts began in 1931. [2]

Personal life

In 1985, she married Thomas Harder. [1] [2] He is a physician. [2] They have two children. [2]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WUAB</span> CW affiliate in Lorain, Ohio

WUAB is a television station licensed to Lorain, Ohio, United States, serving the Cleveland area as an affiliate of The CW. It is owned by Gray Television alongside low-power Telemundo affiliate WTCL-LD and Shaker Heights–licensed CBS affiliate WOIO, the latter station whose full-power spectrum WUAB transmits over via a channel sharing agreement. WUAB, WOIO and WTCL-LD share studios on the ground floor of the Reserve Square building in Downtown Cleveland, with WUAB and WOIO sharing transmitter facilities in suburban Parma.

WVIZ is a PBS member television station in Cleveland, Ohio, United States. It is owned by Ideastream Public Media alongside classical music station WCLV and co-managed with Kent State University–owned WKSU, the NPR member for both Cleveland and Akron. The three stations share studio facilities at the Idea Center on Playhouse Square in Downtown Cleveland; WVIZ's transmitter is located in suburban Parma, Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRTI</span> Public radio station in Philadelphia

WRTI is a non-commercial, listener-supported radio station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is a service of Temple University, with the university's board of trustees holding the station's license. The studios are on Cecil B. Moore Avenue in Philadelphia. WRTI plays classical music from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. and jazz all night. It broadcasts using HD Radio technology, using its digital subchannel to reverse this schedule. On WRTI-HD2, jazz is heard by day, classical music at night. News updates are provided by National Public Radio. The station holds periodic fundraisers on the air and on line.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHK (AM)</span> Talk radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WHK is a commercial AM radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a talk format known as "AM 1420 The Answer". Owned by the Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region as an affiliate for the Salem Radio Network. WHK's studios are currently located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while the transmitter site resides in neighboring Seven Hills.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKBF-TV</span> TV station in Cleveland (1968–1975)

WKBF-TV was a television station that broadcast on channel 61 in Cleveland, Ohio, United States, from January 1968 to April 1975. Owned and operated by Kaiser Broadcasting as one of an eventual group of six stations, it was the first ultra high frequency (UHF) independent station to serve northeast Ohio and the last outlet constructed by the Kaiser chain during the 1960s to begin operations. Despite airing several high-profile local programs, Kaiser's efforts to establish itself in Cleveland never took root because of the establishment of a second independent outlet, WUAB, later that same year, as well as general stagnation in the Cleveland market. In April 1975, Kaiser shut WKBF-TV down and sold its programming inventory to WUAB in exchange for a minority stake in that station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WTAM</span> Clear-channel news/talk radio station in Cleveland

WTAM is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and carries a news/talk and sports radio format commonly known as "Newsradio WTAM 1100". Owned by iHeartMedia, WTAM serves Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio, and is a clear-channel station with extended nighttime range. WTAM is also Northeast Ohio's primary entry point station in the Emergency Alert System.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKNR</span> Sports radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WKNR – branded as 850 ESPN Cleveland – is a commercial sports radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, serving Greater Cleveland. Owned by Good Karma Brands, WKNR is the Cleveland affiliate for ESPN Radio and the AM flagship station for the Cleveland Browns Radio Network; the Cleveland affiliate for the Ohio State Sports Network, and the radio home of Je'Rod Cherry and Tony Grossi. The WKNR studios are currently located in the East Bank of The Flats in Downtown Cleveland, while the station transmitter resides in the Cleveland suburb of North Royalton, And due to the 4-tower array at the site, WKNR’s daytime signal can be heard as far as Mansfield, and even as far as Newark and Zanesville. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKNR is available online.

WCLV is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, carrying a fine art/classical music format. Owned by Ideastream Public Media, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and Northeast Ohio as the home station for the Cleveland Orchestra and an affiliate of the BBC World Service.

WKSU is a non-commercial educational radio station licensed to serve Kent, Ohio, featuring a public radio format. Owned by Kent State University and operated by Ideastream Public Media, WKSU's primary signal encompasses the Akron metro area, Greater Cleveland and much of Northeast Ohio as the regional affiliate for National Public Radio (NPR), American Public Media, Public Radio Exchange and the BBC World Service. The station's reach is extended into the Canton, Mansfield, Lorain, Ashtabula, Sandusky, New Philadelphia and Wooster areas via a network of five full-power repeaters, two low-power translators, and one on-channel booster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAKS</span> Contemporary hit radio station in Akron, Ohio, serving Cleveland

WAKS is a commercial radio station licensed to Akron, Ohio, known as "96.5 KISS-FM" and featuring a top 40 (CHR) format. Owned by iHeartMedia, WAKS's studios are located at the Six Six Eight Building in downtown Cleveland's Gateway District, and its transmitter resides in Brecksville; because of this, the station is recognized as a Cleveland radio station serving Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WHKW</span> Christian radio station in Cleveland, Ohio

WHKW is a commercial radio station licensed to Cleveland, Ohio, featuring a Christian radio format. Owned by Salem Media Group, the station serves both Greater Cleveland and the Northeast Ohio region. WHKW's studios are located in the Cleveland suburb of Independence while its transmitter site is in neighboring Broadview Heights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKDD</span> Radio station in Munroe Falls, Ohio, serving Akron

WKDD is a commercial radio station licensed to Munroe Falls, Ohio, United States, featuring a hot adult contemporary format known as "98.1 KDD". Owned by iHeartMedia, Inc., the station serves both the Akron-Canton metro area, with additional coverage in Greater Cleveland and much of surrounding Northeast Ohio. WKDD's studios are located in North Canton, while the transmitter is located in Cuyahoga Falls. In addition to a standard analog transmission, WKDD broadcasts over two HD Radio channels, and streams online via iHeartRadio.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Helen Jepson</span> American opera singer (1904–1997)

Helen Jepson was an American lyric soprano.

The Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts are a regular series of weekly broadcasts on network radio of full-length opera performances. They are transmitted live from the stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The Metropolitan Opera International Radio Network airs the live performances on Saturday afternoons while the Met is in season, typically beginning the first Saturday in December, and totaling just over 20 weekly performances through early May. The Met broadcasts are the longest-running continuous classical music program in radio history, and the series has won several Peabody Awards for excellence in broadcasting.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cleveland Browns Radio Network</span> Regional play-by-play radio network

The University Hospitals Cleveland Browns Radio Network is an American radio network composed of 24 radio stations which carry English-language coverage of the Cleveland Browns, a professional football team in the National Football League (NFL). Andrew Siciliano is the team's lead announcer, Nathan Zegura serves as commentator and Je'Rod Cherry is the sideline analyst/reporter. Jim Donovan served as lead announcer following the team's return in 1999 until his retirement prior to the 2024 season.

Mary Jo Heath is an American radio music host, associated with the Metropolitan Opera since 2006.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WAKR</span> Radio station in Akron, Ohio

WAKR (1590 AM) is a commercial radio station licensed to serve Akron, Ohio, and known as "Soft Hits 93.5 FM". Locally owned and operated by Rubber City Radio Group, Inc., the station primarily services the Akron metropolitan area, including both Summit County and Portage County.

References

  1. 1 2 "Marriage of Miyoung Lew / Harder". Akron Beacon Journal . October 27, 1985. p. 21. Retrieved June 1, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Tonguette, Peter (May 28, 2023). "Musician turned radio host Debra Lew Harder heard by millions of Metropolitan Opera fans". The Columbus Dispatch . Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  3. ↑ "Dr. Debra Lew Harder '79 Named Radio Host for the Metropolitan Opera". WRA Magazine. Western Reserve Academy. Winter 2022. Retrieved May 30, 2023– via Issuu.
  4. 1 2 Krebs, Betty Dietz (April 13, 1989). "Columbus concerto winner has local ties". Dayton Daily News . p. 34. Retrieved May 30, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  5. 1 2 3 "Debra Lew Harder Named Metropolitan Opera Radio Host, Only the Fifth in the Company's History" (Press release). New York: Metropolitan Opera. September 20, 2021. Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  6. ↑ "Prizes won by area musicians". Akron Beacon Journal . April 18, 1983. p. 30. Retrieved June 1, 2023– via Newspapers.com.
  7. ↑ Dobrin, Peter (September 20, 2021). "WRTI's Debra Lew Harder is the new host of Metropolitan Opera broadcasts". The Philadelphia Inquirer . Retrieved May 30, 2023.
  8. ↑ Salazar, Francisco (September 21, 2021). "Metropolitan Opera Names New Radio Host". operawire.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.