Margaret Juntwait, Voice Of The Metropolitan Opera, Ridgewood Native, Dies

Margaret Juntwait, the host of WNYC’s Metropolitan Opera’s Saturday afternoon radio broadcasts, died Wednesday in Saddle River. She was 58.

Juntwait, a Ridgewood native, died of ovarian cancer, a disease she fought against for more than a decade, Met spokesman Sam Neuman told The New York Times.

Juntwait’s voice was heard more than 8 million listeners worldwide during her live Saturday broadcasts on WQXR-FM and in 40 countries, the report states. She broadcast about 900 live shows on the Met’s Sirus XM channel. She was only the third regular host in the broadcast’s history, which dates back to 1931. Previously, she worked at WNYC-FM, New York’s classical radio station.

“Margaret Juntwait was an extraordinary woman with a deep passion for radio and music and a beautiful, engaging voice and personality,” Laura Walker, president and CEO of New York Public Radio, said on WQXR. “Here at WNYC and then at the Metropolitan Opera, she was a warm and knowledgeable host who guided our musical experiences and made them richer. She was an iconic voice on the radio, a true and generous friend to so many of us and she will be deeply missed.”

Juntwait missed only one Saturday matinee broadcast due to her illness, the Times reported.

Juntwait is survived by her husband, Jamie Katz, her mother, three sons, and a daughter.