Classical Music Podcast

Rachel Webber recently discovered, as part of her postgraduate research, the earliest known Church of England anthem written by a woman.

Chris Gunness speaks to musician and cartoonist Ben Levy whose animations about classical masterworks have become an internet sensation over lockdown.  

James Clutton, director of Opera at Opera Holland Park, speaks to Chris Gunness about making performances work in the 'new normal'.

Chris Gunness speaks to baritone Roderick Williams about coronavirus and its impact on the music industry. 

Kirill Karabits, chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, speaks to Chris Gunness from lockdown in Paris about the impact of Covid-19.

John Gilhooly is the artistic and executive director of Wigmore Hall. 

Chris Gunness speaks to Israeli pianist and composer Matan Porat about how he's adapting to making music in the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Chris Gunness speaks to Julia Desbruslais, co-principal cellist and executive director of the London Mozart Players, about the ensemble's move to digital music-making in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak. 

Stephen Langridge is artistic director of Glyndebourne and former director of Gothenburg Opera. 

Chris Gunness speaks to Cuban-American conductor and composer Odaline de la Martinez, the first woman to conduct at the BBC Proms in 1984.

Chris Gunness speaks to one of the country's most exciting composers, Errollyn Wallen, who has worked with women affected by conflict and with people with disabilities. 

Allyson Devenish is the artistic director of a capella group NitroVoX, which tells stories of the African diaspora through song. She speaks to Chris Gunness about decolonising the musical curriculum, and the importance of race and identity in her career so far.

Raphael Wallfisch is an internationally renowned cellist, and a man on a mission to bring to world attention to music of little-known Jewish composers, some of whose work was partly destroyed by the Nazis. He speaks to Chris Gunness about the rise of antisemitism, the legacy of his mother, a Holocaust survivor, and his Jewish composers project.

Aside from her work on the concert platform, Clare Hammond is engaging in outreach to schools and prisons and immigration removal centres. She has also written movingly about her experiences of postnatal depression. She talks to Chris Gunness about managing mental health while sustaining a career, and healing through music-making.

Composer and countertenor Jonathan Darbourne is on a mission to spread the message of environmentalism through music. His new choir, Nature's Voice, launches this autumn

Chris Gunness speaks to Charles Hazlewood, conductor and co-founder of the British Paraorchestra. Its mission is to perform music that captivates any audience, proving beyond doubt that disability is no barrier to talent.

Evelyn Glennie is the world’s first musician to create a full-time career as a solo percussionist. Her mission is to teach the world to listen, thereby enhancing communication and social cohesion.

Ralph Allwood MBE was for 26 years director of music at Eton College where he set up the Eton Choral Courses. He conducts Inner Voices, a choir for state school children in London. He speaks to Chris Gunness about the joys of working with young people and of keeping alive the English choral tradition.

Conductor John Lubbock is founder of the Orchestra of St John's, a group with a social mission to serve the community. He talks to Chris Gunness about playing music for people with conditions such as autism and dementia. 

Cayenna Ponchione is the associate conductor of St John's, Oxford, and is committed to the promotion of gender and ethnic equality in conducting and composition.  She speaks to Chris Gunness about promoting social justice through music, and her experience of hosting the Afghan Women's Orchestra in Oxford.

Despite being born with one hand, Nicholas McCarthy told his mother at an early age he wanted to become a concert pianist. He talks to Chris Gunness about his journey towards realising this dream.

Composer and pianist Frank Horvat talks to Chris Gunness about working with depression in the music industry, and his campaigns for causes ranging from human rights to environmentalism.

Chris Gunness talks to conductor James Rose about working in the music world with a disability, and the challenges Rose has overcome along the way. 

Julian Lloyd Webber is principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and one of the leading musicians of his generation. He speaks to Chris Gunness about the power of music education and the importance of a broad curriculum for all young people.

Venezuelan pianist Gabriela Montero's talent for real-time improvisation has earned her many followers around the world.  She explains how she uses music to respond to the current political crisis in her home country.

Chi-chi Nwanoku OBE is founder and artistic director of the Chineke! Foundation, which gives a platform to musicians from BAME backgrounds. A former sprinter, she also helped to found the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and was its principal double bass for 30 years.

British conductor Mark Wigglesworth speaks about Brexit, the challenges of a career in the music industry, and the qualities that make a good leader.