June 21, 2022, Springfield, Mass. — With an elegant voice and an astute knowledge of all genres, Walter Carroll has shared his passion for classical music since 1989 as the weekday afternoon host of Classical Music on NEPM 88.5. On July 1, Walter Carroll will retire, bringing to a close a stellar career at NEPM and public radio.
“For decades, Walter has been a beloved companion to listeners,” said John Voci, NEPM senior director of radio. “He’s filled our homes, offices and hearts with the classical music that he loves. Walter will be missed by his colleagues at NEPM and by his listeners throughout western New England. I speak for many in wishing him and his wife Ann all the best and many years of enjoying traveling, attending the opera and visiting with family and friends.”
Walter is a Hoosier, born in Indianapolis into a family of musicians — a grandmother who was an opera singer, a grandfather who conducted bands and orchestras, and uncles who were jazz musicians. He sang with top choirs in high school and college.
His first classical music program was presented on WFCI, the campus station at Franklin College of Indiana. After graduating from Indiana University, Carroll pursued a theatrical career, which took him to Amsterdam, where he remained for two years. He spent another nine years in Tokyo, appearing on NHK Radio and Television, dubbing films into English, narrating documentaries and providing voices for other recordings. Back in the United States, he began his public radio career with New Hampshire Public Radio. He has been presenting classical music on New England Public Media since 1989.
His early interest in theater extended into a life-long pursuit with appearances in Shakespeare and modern plays and portrayals of historical characters in one- and two-person presentations. For the Hampshire Shakespeare Company he occasionally had the opportunity to play the father of some of the characters he played in his 20s.
Though he retires on July 1, Carroll will host a December 2022 NEPM trip to Germany, France, Switzerland and Austria. Information about the “Festive Winter Waltz” trip can be found at nepm.org/travel.
NEPM’s music department is actively recruiting an on air host. The position is posted at nepm.org/careers.
ABOUT NEW ENGLAND PUBLIC MEDIA
New England Public Media is a community-supported, independent non-profit organization based in Springfield, Massachusetts. Through a deep commitment to independent local journalism, trusted educational content, inspired cultural offerings, and civic engagement, NEPM endeavors to share new voices and inspire new conversations. It provides audiences with a broad array of local and national programs across all media — TV, radio, online, and mobile, including PBS and NPR programs as well as locally produced series, podcasts and specials. Its four digital TV channels, and two radio networks present news, jazz and classical music, documentaries, talk, drama, plus cultural and educational programming.
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Vanessa Cerillo
Senior Director, Marketing, Communications and Events
New England Public Media
413-735-6605
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