In 1969 he completed a Master of Music degree in conducting at Temple University, studying under Robert Page; and in addition he received private instruction and tutelage from William R. Smith, Associate Conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Max Rudolf.
[13][14] During his years as a trombonist after his master's degree, he brought a full orchestral score to rehearsals, taking careful notes on how good and poor conductors handled difficult passages.
[15] This led to a series of conducting positions: During his 12-year tenure with the Kansas City Symphony, McGlaughlin greatly expanded the orchestra's repertoire, commissioned many new works, recorded albums,[16] made two nationwide television broadcasts, including a Christmas special with the King's Singers,[17][18] greatly strengthened the orchestra's reputation, and brought it to a state of "unparalleled artistic and financial success.
"[19][20] In addition, he received five ASCAP Adventurous Programming Awards for his continued performing of contemporary music, and for aiding Kansas City Symphony audiences in understanding the composers' intentions in these works.
McGlaughlin himself founded the Pittsburgh Camerata (1973),[9] which focused on contemporary music, and he was a steady proponent of living composers' works in Kansas City as well.
Prompted by the death of a friend who was a Kansas City pianist and composer, McGlaughlin's first major work was Three Dreams and a Question: Choral Songs on e.e.
The composition, Walt Whitman's Dream, premiered in July 2000, and celebrated the new millennium with a combined chorus of nearly 800 singers from around the world, accompanied by orchestra.
[21][29] In the late 1970s, during his conducting stint in Saint Paul, Minnesota, McGlaughlin often spoke to the audience before a performance, informally explaining the program and what to listen for.
MPR had just received a public radio communications satellite uplink, as well as seed money to develop a few pilot shows for national distribution.
Voegeli wanted a program which would present world-class musicians, in an informal live setting in MPR's new state-of-the-art studio, to a national audience.
The weekly one-hour show, which aired through 2012, featured live in-studio performances by and interviews with the world's top classical musicians, both soloists and ensembles.
It was America's most widely listened to weekly classical music program produced by public radio, and aired on approximately 200 stations nationwide.
[26][45] Drawing upon his expertise as a conductor and his abilities as a music commentator, McGlaughlin contributed one of the ten chapters in the 2008 book, Leonard Bernstein: American Original.