Podcasts about Aldeburgh Festival

Andrew Comben, Chief Executive of Britten Pears Arts, reflects on leading an organisation where legacy, place, and innovation intersect. We explore the 2025 Aldeburgh Festival, the return of Festival Extra, and how collaboration across the sector is vital to sustaining new artistic work.

Jon Jacob speaks to ETO General Director Robin Norton-Hale and members of the cast and production team about the English Touring Opera production of Blond Eckbert that opens the 75th Aldeburgh Festival on 7th June 2024.

Lindy Hume, AM, is one of Australia's leading directors, acknowledged internationally for fresh interpretations of a wide variety of repertoire, and for progressive artistic leadership of a number of Australian arts organisations, including Opera Queensland (2012-2017), Sydney Festival (2010-2012) and Perth International Arts Festival (2004-2007). She was also the first Artistic Director of West Australian Opera (1992-96), Artistic Director of Victoria State Opera and then OzOpera (1996-2001). Lindy has most recently been Creative Director of the Four Winds Easter Festival, Bermagui and is currently Artistic Director of the 10 Days on the Island Festival, Tasmania 2019-2023. In 2021 Lindy Hume was appointed a Member of the Order of Australia for significant service to the performing arts, particularly to opera. After a hugely successful year in 2021, during which Lindy directed The Marriage of Figaro for New Zealand Opera, Madama Butterfly for Welsh National Opera and The Barber of Seville for State Opera South Australia, 2022 saw her continuing in her roles as Creative Director of the Four Winds Easter Festival and Artistic Director of the 10 Days on the Island Festival, Tasmania as well as developing a new staged presentation of Schubert's Die Winterreise for Musica Viva's national tour of the work with Alan Clayton, which was also seen at the Barbican, in London. Lindy's production of Rigoletto was also presented by Opera Philadelphia. As a director, Lindy has created more than 50 major productions across Australasia including Carmen, Don Giovanni, Fledermaus, La Périchole and Les pêcheurs de perles (Opera Australia), Orlando, Trouble in Tahiti and The Barber of Seville (OzOpera), Alcina and Orpheus in the Underworld (West Australian Opera), Carmina Burana (State Opera of South Australia/The Australian Ballet), Idomeneo (Pinchgut Opera), Rigoletto and Lucia di Lammermoor (NBR New Zealand Opera). European productions include La bohème (Deutsche Staatsoper in Berlin, which was telecast live throughout Europe), Tolomeo (Musiektheater Transparant in Belgium), Radamisto (Handel Festspiele and Opernhaus Halle), A Streetcar Named Desire and Norma (Opera Theatre St Gallen in Switzerland), Così fan tutte (Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London), and Albert Herring and Phaedra (Aldeburgh Festival in the UK). She made her American debut in 2004 directing The Barber of Seville for Houston Grand Opera, returning in 2009 and 2013 to direct Rigoletto and Die Fledermaus respectively. Her production of “Cenerentola” was produced by NBR New Zealand Opera in 2015 and presented by Oper Leipzig and in San Diego in 2016. Lindy is recognised as a champion of new Australian work across a range of genres. As Artistic Director of OzOpera, she commissioned the MDTV project, award-winning screen operas with ABC TV, and major Australian works including Paul Grabowsky's Love in the Age of Therapy and Richard Mills' Batavia (with Opera Australia and the Melbourne Centenary of Federation Festival). In 2007, she commissioned and directed the world première of Richard Mills/Timberlake Wertenbaker's opera The Love of the Nightingale. New Australian work, a focus on contemporary Indigenous culture, the development of a distinctive regional identity and celebration of local communities have been fortes of her tenure as Artistic Director of the Perth International Arts Festival 2004-2007 and as Festival Director of the 2010-2012 Sydney Festival. Lindy has just directed a new production of Mozart's Idomeneo, in a co-production between Victorian Opera and Opera Australia. The production has just finished a season at the Palais theatre in Melbourne and will be seen in Sydney from February 20th to March 15th in 2024.It will be a part of the thrilling Summer season programmed by Lindy as Guest Creative Director. The STAGES podcast is available to access and subscribe from Spotify and Apple podcasts.

Alexander Polzin is a German sculptor, painter, costume and set designer. He began his career as a stonemason, but is now well known for his collaborations with writers, composers, choreographers and scientists. He has created sets, often drawing on his work in sculpture, for operas including Verdi's Falstaff and Rigoletto, and Wagner's Tristan and Isolde, for which he created huge illuminated stalactites, suspended above the stage. For a 2022 production of Mozart's opera Mitridate in Copenhagen, the centrepiece was an enormous layered ochre-coloured rock formation, with which bodies merged or slid across. As a painter and sculptor, he's enjoyed exhibitions in galleries around the world, and has collaborated with the Aldeburgh Festival in Suffolk, in 2016 and 2023. His work also appears in prominent public spaces, including his statue of Giordano Bruno in Potsdamer Platz in Berlin.

Welcome to CultureLab, from New Scientist podcasts. In this episode, culture and comment editor Alison Flood speaks with composer Sarah Angliss. Sarah has written a new opera called Giant, which is based on the true story of the 18th-century “Irish giant” Charles Byrne, who had an undiagnosed benign tumour of his pituitary gland which caused him to grow to be 2.31m tall. Byrne's corpse was stolen and later put on public display by the surgeon John Hunter, despite his explicit wishes to be buried at sea. Giant premieres in June at the Aldeburgh Festival, 240 years since Byrne's death.To read about subjects like this and much more, you can subscribe to New Scientist magazine at newscientist.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Charles Byrne was an 18th-century “Irish giant” whose skeleton was stolen and put on display against his wishes. 240 years after his death, he is being remembered in a new electro acoustic opera rather than as a museum-piece curiosity. Dawn Kemp of the Hunterian Museum discusses removing the famous skeleton from their collection, and composer, musician, and robotic artist Sarah Angliss tells us about her new opera, Giant, which celebrates Byrne on stage, and is opening the Aldeburgh Festival. The Irish writer Maggie O'Farrell's last novel “Hamnet” is now playing on stage at the Globe Theatre and won the 2020 Women's Prize for Fiction. Her latest “The Marriage Portrait” has made it onto the 2023 shortlist, and was an instant Sunday Times Bestseller. Both focus on the lives of women hidden in history behind men of influence. In the next of our series meeting the Women's Prize finalists, we'll be finding out what it is about these stories that inspire her, and how it feels to make the shortlist for a second time. It is commonly accepted, including here at Front Row, that creativity is a good thing. But two new books: Samuel. W. Franklin's The Cult of Creativity and Against Creativity by Oli Mould, challenge that view, arguing that creativity is a recent invention and that the artistic impulse has been co-opted by the capitalist military industrial complex. Both authors discuss their ideas with Tom Sutcliffe. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Julian May

With his new memoir ‘Formation - Building a Personal Canon, Part I' hitting bookshops, and a new collaborative album with the tenor Ian Bostridge released this week, the American Jazz pianist Brad Mehldau joins Kate Molleson to discuss his childhood in small town New England, his forays into the New York Jazz scene of the 1990s, his encounters with kind musical heroes and future collaborators, and what it means to be a musician. Telling the story the 18th-century “Irish giant” Charles Byrne, whose corpse was stolen to order and put on public display, Kate speaks to composer Sarah Angliss about the World Premiere of her new opera Giant at this year's Aldeburgh Festival. She explains how she's treating this surprisingly tender tale of grave robbing and dissection. As Gypsy, Roma and Traveller History Month gets under way, Music Matters learns about a new project to highlight the invaluable recorded collection of gypsy and traveller voices archived within the Vaughan Williams Memorial Library. We speak to the University of East Anglia's Dr. Hazel Marsh about the impetus to make collections, housed at the English Folk Dance and Song Society, more accessible to Gypsy and Traveller people seeking engagement with their cultural heritage, and hear from the Scottish Traveller Ian McGregor. Celebrating two decades of music making with Les Siècles, Kate hears from conductor François-Xavier Roth as he prepares to tour with the orchestra to the Barbican, Edinburgh International Festival and BBC Proms. With new albums of works by Ravel and Ligeti about to be released this month, too, he tells Kate about the energy of discovery which drives the ensemble's prolific recording activity, and why performance needs to be dangerous.

Tim travels to the home of Icelandic composer Anna Thorvaldsdottir for a classical chat. They discuss Icelandic's musical pedigree, her upcoming role as Featured Artist at the Aldeburgh Festival, her cameo in Todd Field's Tár and the importance (or unimportance) of a work's conceptual inspiration in the ears of the listener.…Featured Clips:ARCHORA, performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra under Eva OllikainenAIŌN, performed by the Iceland Symphony Orchestra under Eva OllikainenRó, performed by CAPUT Ensemble under by Guðni FranzsonLinks:Anna's website: https://www.annathorvalds.com/ Some info on her upcoming residency: https://www.annathorvalds.com/blog/2022/12/20/featured-artist-at-the-2023-aldeburgh-festival Andrew Mellor on Iceland as a classical music powerhouse: https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/apr/05/iceland-classical-music-symphony-orchestra-uk-tour … Buy us a coffee innit: https://ko-fi.com/classicalpod … Follow us here: instagram.com/classicalpod/ twitter.com/ClassicalPod facebook.com/ClassicalPod/

Synopsis The American composer Elliott Carter lived to be 103 and remained amazingly productive, publishing more than 40 works between ages 90 and 100, and over 20 more AFTER he turned 100 in the year 2008. On today's date in 2012, a new chamber work by Carter with an odd title received its first performance at a concert in the New York Philharmonic's CONTACT! Series. The work was titled “Two Controversies and a Conversation” and showcased the percussive aspects of the piano, highlighting that instrument alongside a solo percussionist. The premiere was an international triple-commission from the New York Philharmonic, the Aldeburgh Festival in England, and Radio France. An earlier version of part of the new work, titled just “Conversations,” had been premiered in the UK the previous year. The composer explained the title as follows: “How does one converse?” asked Carter. “One person says something and tries to get the other person to respond, or carry on, or contradict a statement. Those conversing are also all the time playing a kind of game with each other. I tried to put all that into my music … After the premiere of ‘Conversations' at the Aldeburgh Festival in June of 2011, [the British composer] Oliver Knussen suggested I expand this piece. I decided to add two more movements, which became the two ‘Controversies.'" Music Played in Today's Program Elliott Carter (1908 – 2012) –“Conversation,” from “Two Controversies and a Conversation” (Eric Huebner, piano; Colin Currie, percussion; New York Philharmonic; David Robertson, cond.) NYP 20120112

This year Aldeburgh Festival celebrates 50 years of the artist development programme - a music-making experience rooted in the Suffolk countryside that has supported many of the world's leading musicians. In this episode, previous participants reflect on their experience attending the Britten-Pears Orchestra and courses at the Britten-Pears School for Advanced Musical Studies now known as the Britten-Pears Young Artist Programme. Contributors in order of appearance: Nicholas Daniel Jessica Mogridge Kirsty Matheson Caroline Clarke Julia Lawrence Mark Stone Jacqui Shave Jacqueline McCarthy Patrick McCarthy Amy Helen Forsdike Chi-Yu Mo

Written in 2019 and originally premiering at the Aldeburgh Festival in 2020, Tom Coult and Alice Birch's 'Violet' tells the 24-day story of a village discovering the gradual loss of time. Recorded at rehearsals in the Jerwood Space in London in May 2022. 'Violet' opens the 2022 Aldeburgh Festival on 3 June.

The Playcast is back!We return with the first episode of the season brining you an interview with Caroline Bird. Caroline is the writer of Red Ellen which arrives at Nottingham Playhouse on Weds 13th April. Get your tickets hereBioCaroline won The Forward Prize for best poetry collection in 2020. She was shortlisted for the Costa Prize 2020, the TS Eliot Prize 2017, the Ted Hughes Award 2017, and the Dylan Thomas Prize twice in 2008 and 2010. She was a finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn Prize 2014. She has also won an Eric Gregory Award (2002) and the Foyle Young Poet of the Year award two years running (1999, 2000), and was a winner of the Poetry London Competition in 2007, the Peterloo Poetry Competition in 2004, 2003 and 2002. Caroline was on the shortlist for Shell Woman Of The Future Awards 2011.Caroline has had six collections of poetry published by Carcanet. Her first collection Looking Through Letterboxes (published in 2002 when she was only 15) is a topical, zesty and formally delightful collection of poems built on the traditions of fairy tale, fantasy and romance. Her second collection, Trouble Came to the Turnip, was published in September 2006 to critical acclaim. Watering Can, her third collection published in November 2009 celebrates life as an early twenty-something with comedy, wordplay and bright self-deprecation. Her fourth collection, The Hat-Stand Union, was described by Simon Armitage as ‘spring-loaded, funny, sad and deadly.' Her fifth collection, In These Days of Prohibition (published July 2017) was shortlisted for the 2017 TS Eliot Prize and the 2017 Ted Hughes Award. Her sixth collection, The Air Year was published in February 2020, and was book of the month in The Telegraph, book of the year in the Guardian, shortlisted for the Costa Prize, and winner of the Forward Prize.Bird's poems have been published in several anthologies and journals including Poetry Magazine, PN Review, Poetry Review and The North magazine. Several of her poems and a commissioned short story, Sucking Eggs, have been broadcast on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Radio 3. She was one of the five official poets at London Olympics 2012. Her poem, The Fun Palace, which celebrates the life and work of Joan Littlewood, is now erected on the Olympic Site outside the main stadium.In recent years, Caroline has given poetry performances at Aldeburgh Festival, Latitude Festival, the Manchester Literature Festival, the Wellcome Collection, the Royal Festival Hall, the Wordsworth Trust, Cheltenham Festival, and Ledbury Festival, amongst others.Caroline Bird began writing plays as a teenager when she was the youngest ever member of the Royal Court Young Writer's Programme, tutored by Simon Stephens. In 2011 Caroline was invited to take part in Sixty Six Books by the Bush Theatre. She wrote a piece inspired by Leviticus, directed by Peter Gill. In February 2012, her Beano-inspired musical, The Trial of Dennis the Menace was performed in the Purcell Room at the Southbank Centre.Caroline's new version of The Trojan Women premiered at the Gate Theatre at the end of 2012 to wide critical acclaim. Caroline's plSupport the show (https://nottinghamplayhouse.co.uk/support-us/donate/curtain-up-appeal/)

Synopsis The American composer Elliott Carter lived to be 103, completing more than 40 works between ages 90 and 100, and some 20 more AFTER he turned 100 in the year 2008. On today's date in 2012, a new chamber work by Carter with an odd title was premiered at a concert in the New York Philharmonic's CONTACT! Series. The work was titled “Two Controversies and a Conversation” and showcased the percussive aspects of the piano, highlighting that instrument alongside a solo percussionist. The premiere was an international triple-commission from the New York Philharmonic, the Aldeburgh Festival in England, and Radio France.  An earlier version of part of the work, titled “Conversations,” had been premiered in the UK the previous year.  The composer explained the title as follows: “How does one converse?” asked Carter. “One person says something and tries to get the other person to respond, or carry on, or contradict a statement. Those conversing are also playing a kind of game with each other. I tried to put all that into my music … After the [Aldeburgh] premiere of ‘Conversations,' [the British composer] Oliver Knussen suggested I expand this piece. I decided to add two more movements, which became the two ‘Controversies.'" Music Played in Today's Program Elliott Carter (1908 – 2012) “Conversation,” from “Two Controversies and a Conversation” (Eric Huebner, piano; Colin Currie, percussion; New York Philharmonic; David Robertson, cond.) NYP 20120112

Synopsis The American composer Elliott Carter lived to be 103, completing more than 40 works between ages 90 and 100, and some 20 more AFTER he turned 100 in the year 2008. On today's date in 2012, a new chamber work by Carter with an odd title was premiered at a concert in the New York Philharmonic's CONTACT! Series. The work was titled “Two Controversies and a Conversation” and showcased the percussive aspects of the piano, highlighting that instrument alongside a solo percussionist. The premiere was an international triple-commission from the New York Philharmonic, the Aldeburgh Festival in England, and Radio France.  An earlier version of part of the work, titled “Conversations,” had been premiered in the UK the previous year.  The composer explained the title as follows: “How does one converse?” asked Carter. “One person says something and tries to get the other person to respond, or carry on, or contradict a statement. Those conversing are also playing a kind of game with each other. I tried to put all that into my music … After the [Aldeburgh] premiere of ‘Conversations,' [the British composer] Oliver Knussen suggested I expand this piece. I decided to add two more movements, which became the two ‘Controversies.'" Music Played in Today's Program Elliott Carter (1908 – 2012) “Conversation,” from “Two Controversies and a Conversation” (Eric Huebner, piano; Colin Currie, percussion; New York Philharmonic; David Robertson, cond.) NYP 20120112

What unites romantic sea mists, Green Men, haunting musical scores and Anglo-Saxon Kings? It’s Greater Anglia’s East Suffolk Lines! Get comfy for a tour through one of England’s most magical and diverse landscapes by train. From Felixstowe pass through Ipswich and on to Melton, a rural spot on the River Deben over which Sutton Hoo presides. Excavations at this burial ground revolutionised our understanding of history, giving a precious insight into the beliefs, rituals and society of the Anglo-Saxons. The National Trust’s Archaeology and Engagement Manager Laura explains some of the incredible learnings from this site. The line wends its way through magical, musical landscapes: home to the music of Benjamin Britten, the Aldeburgh Festival and vibrant market towns. We stop off to meet local artist Michael Bullen in Walberswick and hear how he’s been inspired by the ebb and flow of quayside life. In Halesworth, local historian Dave treats us to a tour around town. Often missed by tourists visiting by road, this hidden gem is a cornucopia of history, from its station house museum to traditional high street and gorgeous buildings. Dave shares some of Halesworth’s secrets including tales of a cheeky fox, incredible architecture, Green Men and wartime trysts in Crinkle Crankle Walls! For our final leg of the journey we’re joined by Trevor, who’s lived and worked along this line for most of his life. He explains how life and opportunity has changed here, from the days of steam to modern day tourism, education and work. Trevor guides us to Lowestoft where the newly refurbished station buildings are home to a fantastic Tourist Office where he volunteers – a great starting point for an adventure by the sea! Spoiler alert: this episode features ice cream. Lives on the Lines is created on behalf of the Community Rail Partnerships with Greater Anglia. Presented and produced by Katharine Kerr for Fresh Air Production. Explore the East Suffolk Lines at https://eastsuffolklines.co.uk https://eastsuffolklines.co.uk/community-rail-partnership @eastsuffolkline And explore travel with Greater Anglia at https://www.greateranglia.co.uk @greateranglia Find out about National Trust Sutton Hoo https://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/sutton-hoo @NT_SuttonHoo Halesworth and District Museum https://www.halesworthmuseum.org.uk @HalesworthM Explore Halesworth https://www.halesworth.net East Suffolk Travel Association http://www.eastsuffolktravel.org.uk Discover Lowestoft https://www.discoverlowestoft.co.ukSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Interview with Sarah Champion: https://talkingclassicalpodcast.wordpress.com/2019/09/30/ep-18-interview-with-canadian-mezzo-soprano-sarah-champion/ Canadian high mezzo-soprano Sarah Champion has been acclaimed for her ‘clarity and assurance’ (Opera Magazine) and heard both on the opera stage and the concert platform in Europe and North America in repertoire spanning four-centuries. Ms. Champion’s recent engagements have included The Lover in Tansy Davies’ BETWEEN WORLDS directed by Deborah Warner for English National Opera, Dorabella COSÌ FAN TUTTE on tour with Scottish Opera, Dorotea STIFFELIO for Chelsea Opera Group, the role of Naomi in the world premiere of Phillip Hagemann’s RUTH with Pegasus Opera, Zenobia RADAMISTO at the Palacio de Bellas Artes, Mexico and Daisy in the world premiere of Stuart McCrae’s ANTHROPOCENE for Scottish Opera. Upcoming engagements include Offred Before in Poul Ruders’ THE HANDMAID’S TALE with the Danish Royal Opera. Ms. Champion has performed as a soloist and recitalist throughout North America, the UK and Europe giving performances with Florilegium, the Britten-Pears Orchestra /Antonello Manacorda, Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra/Richard Egarr, the San Francisco Early Music Society, at the London Handel Festival, the Tage Alte Musik Regensburg, the Boston Early Music Festival, Festival Montreal Baroque, the Banff Centre and the Aldeburgh Festival. Notable engagements include recitals with the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada under Trevor Pinnock, the Little Baroque Company under Laurence Cummings and a staging of Messiaen’s song cycle Harawi directed by Tim Nelson. Other recent engagements include Female Artist LULU for English National Opera; covering Isabella L’ITALIANA IN ALGERI for Garsington Opera, the title-role XERXES, Donna Elvira DON GIOVANNI and Rosina BARBER OF SEVILLE for ENO and Brahms Liebeslieder Walzer and Schumann Spanisches Liederspiel in Istanbul. Ms. Champion studied trumpet and voice at McGill University and trained in voice at the Royal College of Music. She now studies with Nelly Miricioiu in London and is a former Britten-Pears Young Artist and a Malcolm Martineau Crear Scholar. Listen to the previous interview with British concert pianist James Lisney: https://soundcloud.com/talkingclassicalpodcast/ep-17-interview-with-james-lisney World Mental Health Day takes place every year on the 10th October. Organised by the World Federation for Mental Health, World Health Organization, and member organizations of WFMH, the day aims to promote mental health awareness and good mental health practice around the world, with this year's theme being suicide prevention. To mark World Mental Health Day, listen to Episode 11, an interview with Lucy Thraves, Editor of Classical Music Magazine, in which we discuss the importance of mental health and well-being in the classical music sector, and Harmony in Mind, the magazine's year-long mental health awareness campaign. https://soundcloud.com/talkingclassicalpodcast/episode-11 Find out more about World Mental Health Day: https://www.who.int/mental_health/world-mental-health-day/en/ https://www.mentalhealth.org.uk/campaigns/world-mental-health-day Get involved! If you'd like to get in touch about the Talking Classical Podcast, please drop a message at talkingclassicalpodcast.wordpress.com/contact. Alternatively, do get in contact via social media. Listen to the Talking Classical Podcast on SoundCloud, iTunes and Spotify. Follow Talking Classical online. SoundCloud & Facebook - @talkingclassicalpodcast Twitter - @tc_podcasts YouTube - bit.ly/2WF4duy Blog - talkingclassicalpodcast.wordpress.com

What marked Martin out for leadership? What mindset helped him be successful. What does he look for in artists? The former VP of Deutsche Grammophon - Artists and Repertoire - shared insights into how the record industry works, why he moved from artist management to artistic directorship. And, his connection with the Aldeburgh Festival. 

Rana Mitter hears about a project that assesses the experiences of Muslim women in the UK cultural industries and talks to political artist John Keane. Author Katherine Rundell explains why adults should be reading children's books. Plus New Generation Thinker Majed Akhter on the sailor and activist Dada Amir Haider Khan and why his global approach to workers' rights has lessons for us now. Beyond Faith: Muslim Women Artists Today which includes work by Usarae Gul is at the Whitworth, Manchester from Friday 14th June until October 2019 John Keane's exhibition If you knew me. If you knew yourself. You would not kill me. is at Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh as part of the Aldeburgh Festival until Sunday 23rd June. Why You Should Read Children's Books, Even Though You Are Old And Wise by Katherine Rundell is published on 13th June. New Generation Thinkers is a scheme run by the BBC and the AHRC to select ten academics each year who can turn their research into radio. You can hear more from the 2019 Thinkers in this launch programme https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0004dsv Majed Akhter teaches at King's College London. You find hear the discussion about representations of Rwanda on TV and how the country has moved on from the conflict here https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0001dt8 Taryn Simon https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08q2pkg Producer: Torquil MacLeod

This week The Verb is live at The Aldeburgh Festival in Snape Maltings. Joining Ian and a studio audience are Lavinia Greenlaw, Fiona Sampson and Mark Padmore. Presenter: Ian McMillan Producer: Faith Lawrence

Today's guest in this first episode of the Fischoff Effect series is Blaise Magnière, first violin of the Avalon String Quartet.  I could not be more excited to be on site at the University of Notre-Dame as one of the official podcasters covering the 46th Annual Fischoff Competition from May 10 to 12, And, I thought it would be really fun to bring you guys 5 former winners of the competition to talk about their experience preparing for and competing at Fischoff, and about the wonderful adventures and opportunities that have followed their win! So, this week, you will hear all about the Fischoff Effect with my guests - Blaise Magniere from the Avalon String Quartet, Dorival Puccini from Axiom Brass, Matt Landry from the Akropolis Reed Quintet , Christopher Whitley from the Thalea String Quartet, and Lydia Reah from the former Kairos String Quartet!  Whether you are a musician about to compete at the competition, or a music lover looking for a fresh approach to practicing and preparing for a concert, make sure to subscribe and tune in everyday, because those conversations are bursting with inspiration and EXTREMELY useful information!  Each group has a unique and motivating story and my guests are so generous with their insightful tips and advice!  About Fischoff Founded in 1973 in South Bend, Indiana, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition has grown to become the largest chamber music competition in the world, attracting the finest and most talented young musicians from around the globe. and is one of the most prestigious classical music prizes attainable today. Since its founding, more than 6,000 musicians have participated, many of whom have gone on to distinguished careers in music performance and education.  Fischoff is also deeply committed to music education and partners with competition alumni to bring free, innovative Arts-in-Education programs directly to children in their own schools and community centers. Since 1995, nearly 50,000 children, youth and adults have received free educational programming of the highest order. Website: http://www.fischoff.org/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheFischoff Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/fischoffchambermusic/   Meet the Avalon String Quartet - Grand Prize 1998 Blaise Magnière & Mary Wang, violin | Tony Devroye, viola | Chen-Hou Lee, cello   https://avalonquartet.com/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/avalonqt/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/explore/tags/avalonstringquartet/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=avalon+string+quartet   Described by the Chicago Tribune as “an ensemble that invites you — ears, mind, and spirit — into its music” The Avalon has performed in major venues including Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, the 92nd St Y, Merkin Hall, and Bargemusic in New York; the Library of Congress and National Gallery of Art in Washington DC; Wigmore Hall in London; and Herculessaal in Munich. Other performances include appearances at the Bath International Music Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Caramoor, La Jolla Chamber Music Society, NPR's St. Paul Sunday, Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, Dame Myra Hess Concerts, Los Angeles Music Guild, and the Ravinia Festival. The quartet is performing an annual concert series at historic Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University. In recent seasons, the Avalon presented the complete quartet cycles of Beethoven, Bartok, and Brahms at Fullerton Hall at the Art Institute of Chicago. The Avalon is quartet-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music, a position formerly held by the Vermeer Quartet. Additional teaching activities have included the Icicle Creek Chamber Music Institute, Interlochen Advanced Quartet Program, Madeline Island Music Camp, and the Britten-Pears School in England, as well as masterclasses at universities and conservatories throughout the United States. Additionally, they have given numerous performances and presentations to young audiences in under-resourced schools and communities.    

Enjoy the #classicalbuzz news roundup of classical music news from around the world. Esa-Pekka Salonen is heading back to California. Osmo Vänskä leaves Minnesota. Daniele Gatti got a quick contract in Rome. The Aldeburgh Festival won some of the most innovative musicians for the 2019 edition. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

In this edition of Tall Poppies, Paul Kildea talks about his latest book, "Chopin's Piano, A Journey Through Romanticism," and rising to the challenge of finding the right words to describe music. He also recalls the time in his life when the adjective – Australian - was not a positive one and shares his insatiable passion for Australia.“I have always tried to work out a way of coming up with a single image or analogy or a metaphor, that makes it really clear to a non-specialist, the phenomenon of hearing that piece of music”The conductor and author, Paul Kildea, hails from Canberra. He studied piano and musicology at the University of Melbourne before completing his doctorate at Oxford. Since his Opera Australia début in 1997, he has conducted many of today’s great artists in opera houses and concert halls throughout Europe and Australia.In 1999 he was appointed Head of Music at the Aldeburgh Festival and, in 2003, was named Artistic Director of one of London’s most prestigious concert venues, Wigmore Hall.Paul has also written extensively on music and culture in the twentieth century. His first three books feature the music and work of the composer, Benjamin Britten. The third, a biography, “Benjamin Britten: A Life in the Twentieth Century”, was published in 2013, the composer’s centenary year. The Financial Times considered it, ‘unquestionably the music book of the year’.Paul’s latest book, “Chopin’s Piano, A Journey through Romanticism,” has just been published. It tells the captivating story of Frédéric Chopin and the fate of his Majorcan pianino, the instrument he used while residing on Majorca, where he wrote a number of his renowned “24 Preludes”. It traces musical Romanticism from the early nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century. Among its protagonists are Chopin and the French novelist, George Sand, while the unexpected heroine of this book is the great keyboard player, Wanda Landowska, who rescued Chopin’s pianino in 1913.At the heart of this book’s 24 chapters, are Chopin’s 24 Preludes. It traces the instruments on which they were played, the pianists who interpreted them, and the traditions they came to represent.But it all begins and ends with the Majorcan pianino, which became a much-coveted cultural artefact during the Second World War. When the Nazis saw it as a symbol of the man and music, they were determined to appropriate it as their own.

Sara Mohr-Pietsch meets two American singers - the opera icon Grace Bumbry and the broadway star Audra McDonald. Plus a conversation with the sound artist Bill Fontana in Snape, Suffolk, where he's created an installation modifying sounds from the reedbeds, marshes and the Maltings' industrial past, for this year's Aldeburgh Festival. Grace Bumbry's career was launched when she won a competition at the tender age of 17. She was sought after across Europe and the USA as a mezzo soprano and later a soprano. Now aged 80, still actively coaching young singers, she's one of the jurors for the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World 2017. She talks about her life on stage and in the concert hall, and passes on the wisdom of her career.

Nishat Khan is one of India's finest musicians; born into a dynasty of famous sitar players, he first went on stage with his father and uncle when he was only seven. Since that first appearance in Calcutta in the 1970s, he has performed worldwide, collaborated with all kinds of musicians, from Philip Glass to Gregorian choirs to Django Bates, and composed both for the BBC Proms and for Bollywood films. He's here in Britain to appear at the Aldeburgh Festival this June, fresh from recording the soundtrack to a Bollywood movie. In Private Passions he talks to Michael Berkeley about the musical family he grew up in - he started playing the sitar before he could even walk. He explores too the spiritual meaning of music within this tradition and its power to reveal the voice of God. And he shares his excitement at discovering Western classical music, still very much a minority taste in India. Nishat Khan's choices include Bach's B Minor Mass; Bruckner's 8th Symphony; Mozart, Manuel de Falla; Britten's "Sea Interludes"; and sitar music played by his father and uncle. Produced by Elizabeth Burke A Loftus Production for BBC Radio 3.

Tate Modern opens its new £260m extension to the iconic former power station on London's South Bank on Friday. Architect Amanda Levete, who has remodelled the V&A, and the art critic Andrea Rose visit the Switch House to discuss the opportunities the new space offers for international and female artists.Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard is performing Messiaen's two-hour celebration of birdsong, Catalogue d'Oiseaux, at the Aldeburgh Festival this Sunday from dawn to dusk. We join him in front of the piano for a tour of the different bird calls in the piece and he reveals how Messiaen's personal connection to nature informed his work. Emma Cline discusses her debut novel The Girls which is tipped to be the summer bestseller. It follows teenager Evie Boyd who gets caught up in cult that will eventually lead to murder, in a narrative loosely based on the Manson murders of the '60s. As the publishers Penguin prepare to relaunch their series Modern Poets for the first time this century, Samira takes soundings on the state of contemporary poetry with the series editor Donald Futers. Presenter Samira Ahmed Producer Dymphna Flynn.

Britain's Aldeburgh music festival was founded after the second world war by the composer Benjamin Britten and the singer Peter Pears. Britten used to take “composing walks”, drawing inspiration from the birdsong he heard in the surrounding countryside and this year, birdsong forms the centrepiece of the festival, as artistic director Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and chief executive Roger Wright, told FT critic Hannah Nepil Music: Biber, Sonata Representativa: II. Nightingale, Romanesca; Williams, The Lark Ascending, Hugh Bean; Messiaen, Catalogue d'oiseaux / Book 3 - 6. L'Alouette Lulu, Pierre-Laurent-Aimard See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The New Elizabethans: Benjamin Britten. One of the greatest composers of the 20th century. A conductor and musician of gifted brilliance, Britten was writing symphonies from the age of twelve and learning from the composer Frank Bridge in his early teens. A pacifist during WWII he travelled through America with the singer Peter Pears (who would later become his life-long companion) and befriended writers like W.H.Auden and Christopher Isherwood. He is famous for operas like Peter Grimes, choral works such as The War Requiem which he wrote for the reconsecration of Coventry Cathedral and enjoyed composing for children: The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra is one of his best known pieces. He founded the Aldeburgh Festival on the Suffolk coast, which continues to this day, and the Britten-Pears Foundation still promotes his work with Peter Pears. He refused a knighthood but was a member of the Order of Merit and accepted a life peerage in 1976. The New Elizabethans have been chosen by a panel of leading historians, chaired by Lord (Tony) Hall, Chief Executive of London's Royal Opera House. The panellists were Dominic Sandbrook, Bamber Gascoigne, Sally Alexander, Jonathan Agar, Maria Misra and Sir Max Hastings. Producer: Clare Walker.

I’m pleased to be able to share this interview with Robert Meyer, one of our most experienced and interesting members of the double bass community. Robert has had a long and illustrious career on the double bass, working for over 50 years in most of the major orchestras in London (including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, and BBC Symphony), as Principal Bass of the Vancouver Symphony, and has taught at the Universities of British Columbia and Victoria. Robert writes a blog called Musical Reminiscences, and it is a must-read for any bassist… or any musician, for that matter! About Robert Meyer Robert Meyer’s accomplishments as a double bass player and concert artist could fill several pages, as Benjamin Britten was quoted as saying: “He has proved himself to be a considerable musician and a fine player.” His career, however, extends beyond his notable achievements as a performer and includes distinctions as both an artist (he is a Chinese Watercolourist of repute) and an educator (He currently assists the Victoria Youth Orchestra, freelances in the Pacific Northwest and frequently gives solo lectures “All you ever wanted to know about the Double Bass but were afraid to ask”). However, here is a brief synopsis of his career: Graduated as a double bass soloist from the Royal College of Music, London, England. Respectively a member of the London Philharmonic, London Symphony, Philharmonia and BBC Symphony Orchestras. (Conductors include Furtwangler, de Sabata, von Karajan, Klemperer, Giulini, Bruno Walter, Koussevitsky, Stokowski, Rhozdesdensvky, Stravinsky, Khatchaturian, etc.) Principal Bass, Sadlers Wells Opera, Principal Bass, San Carlo Opera, Naples, Covent Garden Ballet Orchestra, Principal/co Principal Bass English Chamber Orchestra, Moscow Chamber Orchestra (Barshoi), Principal Bass, Bolshoi Ballet. Commanded by HRH Queen Elizabeth II to perform at her Coronation. Founding Member, Solo Bass and librarian to Benjamin Britten’s English Opera Group and Aldeburgh Festival. Invited to come to Canada as Principal Bass, Vancouver Symphony, Principal Bass CBC Vancouver Chamber Orchestra and Principal Bass Vancouver Opera. Robert Meyer has taught at the Universities of British Columbia and Victoria and played at most major festivals and concert halls in the world. Learn more at Robert’s blog Musical Reminiscences.  

Sir Peter Pears has been acknowledged for many years as an outstanding interpreter of the vocal music of Benjamin Britten. He also helped Britten to found the Aldeburgh Festival and he still takes an active part in the running of it.In conversation with Roy Plomley, Sir Peter talks about his long career and chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island.[Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Sprig Of Thyme by Benjamin Britten Book: A book by E.M Forster Luxury: Painting from his collection

Sir Peter Pears has been acknowledged for many years as an outstanding interpreter of the vocal music of Benjamin Britten. He also helped Britten to found the Aldeburgh Festival and he still takes an active part in the running of it. In conversation with Roy Plomley, Sir Peter talks about his long career and chooses the eight records he would take to the mythical island. [Taken from the original programme material for this archive edition of Desert Island Discs] Favourite track: The Sprig Of Thyme by Benjamin Britten Book: A book by E.M Forster Luxury: Painting from his collection