Mary Jo Heath (born December 11, 1954)

Library of Congress The Library of Congress (LOC) is a research library in Washington, D.C., serving as the library and research service for the United States Congress and the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It also administers Copyright law o ...

Authorities (LCCN) is an American radio music host, associated with the

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera is an American opera company based in New York City, currently resident at the Metropolitan Opera House (Lincoln Center), Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. Referred ...

since 2006. Born in

Iowa City Iowa City is the largest city in Johnson County, Iowa, United States, and its county seat. At the time of the 2020 census the population was 74,828, making it the state's fifth-most populous city. The Iowa City metropolitan area, which enc ...

, Heath graduated from

Norman High School Norman High School is a four-year Public school (government funded), public high school in Norman, Oklahoma, with a steady enrollment of approximately 2,000 students. It is accredited by North Central Association, the Oklahoma State Department ...

Norman, Oklahoma Norman () is the List of municipalities in Oklahoma, 3rd most populous city in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, with a population of 128,026 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is the most populous city and the county seat of Clevel ...

, in 1972. She then studied music at the

University of Oklahoma The University of Oklahoma (OU) is a Public university, public research university in Norman, Oklahoma, United States. Founded in 1890, it had existed in Oklahoma Territory near Indian Territory for 17 years before the two territories became the ...

and completed a PhD in

music theory Music theory is the study of theoretical frameworks for understanding the practices and possibilities of music. ''The Oxford Companion to Music'' describes three interrelated uses of the term "music theory": The first is the "Elements of music, ...

at the

Eastman School of Music The Eastman School of Music is the music school of the University of Rochester, a private research university in Rochester, New York, United States. Established in 1921 by celebrated industrialist and philanthropist George Eastman, it was the ...

in Rochester, New York. While at Eastman, she studied voice briefly with fellow student

Renée Fleming Renée Lynn Fleming (born February 14, 1959) is an American soprano and actress, known for performances in opera, concerts, recordings, theater, film, and at major public occasions. A recipient of the National Medal of Arts, Fleming has been nom ...

, with whom she forged a lifelong friendship. After working in the classical music world in various capacities, including a manager at

Philips Classics Records Philips Classics Records, commonly referred to as Philips Classics, was a classical music label founded by PolyGram that existed from 1983 until 2009. A new division called Philips Classics Productions was set up to manage the Philips Classics l ...

, she became senior radio producer at the Metropolitan Opera in 2006. She became radio host in 2015 following the death of Margaret Juntwait. She is the fourth regular host of the broadcasts since they began in 1931. During the Met opera season Heath was host for two to three live broadcasts per week on Metropolitan Opera Radio on

Sirius Sirius is the brightest star in the night sky. Its name is derived from the Greek word (Latin script: ), meaning 'glowing' or 'scorching'. The star is designated Canis Majoris, Latinized to Alpha Canis Majoris, and abbr ...

with commentator William Berger, as well as the Saturday matinee international

Metropolitan Opera radio broadcasts 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 (theatre), stage of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. The Me ...

, where her commentator was

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. On May 8, 2021, she announced that the 2020–21 season would be her last, and she was set to retire in June 2021. Debra Lew Harder was announced as her replacement on September 21, 2021. In May 2016, Heath was awarded the Distinguished Alumni Award of the Eastman School of Music and spoke at the

commencement A graduation is the awarding of a diploma by an educational institution. It may also refer to the ceremony that is associated with it, which can also be called commencement, congregation, convocation or invocation. The date of the graduation ...

ceremony. Mary Jo Heath is married to Ronald Heath, a history teacher."The Voice of The Met"
by Brian Wilson,
page 2
, ''Oklahoma Magazine'', February 23, 2017

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heath, Mary Jo 1954 births Living people Classical music radio presenters Metropolitan Opera people People from Norman, Oklahoma University of Oklahoma alumni Eastman School of Music alumni People from Iowa City, Iowa Norman High School alumni