Podcasts about Edinburgh International Festival

Time now to hear about one of the many audio described performances taking place at this year's Edinburgh International Festival. Hywel Davies has been hearing about ‘Works And Days' which explores our connection with the land we inhabit.  For more information on the performance, visit the EIF website - Works and Days | Edinburgh International Festival

Today, Newscast was recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe in front of a live audience. Adam was joined by friends of the podcast Brian Cox, actor, and James Graham, playwright and screenwriter, who are putting on the play Make It Happen at the Edinburgh International Festival.They discuss re-imagining the 2008 financial crisis for the stage in Edinburgh, and Brian's portrayal of the ghost of economist Adam Smith, plus the news of Storm Floris and Kate Forbes' resignation as an MSP.Newscast brings you daily analysis of the latest political news stories from the BBC. It was presented by Adam Fleming. It was made by Miranda Slade. The social producer was Joe Wilkinson. The technical producer was Mike Regaard. The assistant editor is Chris Gray. The senior news editor is Sam Bonham.

The Lionesses have made history by becoming the first England football squad to win a major trophy on foreign soil, they successfully defended their European title in Basel last night. The match went to extra time and penalties - Clare McDonnell got reaction and reflection from guests including 5Live commentator Vicki Sparks, BBC Sport correspondent Katie Gornall, chief executive of the Women's Professional League Nikki Doucet and star player Lucy Bronze's mum Diane.The BBC has found that five women who were exploited by so-called grooming gangs in Rotherham as children say they were also abused by police officers in the town at the time. One woman says she was raped repeatedly in a marked police car, and threatened with being handed back to the gang if she didn't comply. The BBC's Ed Thomas brings us the story and Clare hears from Professor Alexis Jay who is the author of the Independent Inquiry into Child Sex Abuse and Zoë Billingham, former His Majesty's Inspector of Constabulary.Actor Michelle Collins, best known as Cindy Beale in the BBC's EastEnders, makes her Edinburgh Festival Fringe debut in Motorhome Marilyn, a dark comedy inspired by Michelle's real-life encounter with a woman Cindy saw in LA. The play reveals the toll of living in the shadow of an icon, exploring failure, ageing and the heartbreaking cost of unattained dreams. Michelle joined Datshiane from Edinburgh to talk about her debut.Hattie Williams lost her mother when she was 18 years old leaving her feeling anchorless and needing to embark on a self-exploratory journey to recover some stability. When she experienced motherhood, she felt that she had achieved that. She told Anita Rani how these experiences inspired her first novel, Bitter Sweet, which she wrote on her maternity leave.Sara Pascoe is a comedian, and her children don't sleep, her kitchen won't clean itself and her husband “doesn't want to be in it”. Sara's new show - I am a Strange Gloop – is on a UK tour. She stumbles stunned to the stage from the soft play area, with battle-hardened tales to tell on the front line of motherhood.Nicola Benedetti is a Grammy award winning violinist and ambassador for classical music. She is also director of the Edinburgh International Festival, which begins on Friday. In October she's due to embark on her first solo tour in more than ten years. She joined Clare to discuss the repertoire, and how she will combine solo performances with storytelling, and share a selection of shorter works.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Annette Wells Editor: Corinna Jones

One of many audio described performances at this year's Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) is Book of Mountains and Seas, an opera inspired by Chinese myths that confronts humanity's complex relationship with nature. David Hogg chats to audio describer Amanda Drollinger to learn more… Learn more about the show and book tickets on the EIF website - Book of Mountains and Seas | Edinburgh International Festival Learn more about the access pass here - Access Pass | Edinburgh International Festival Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

The Dan Daw show is a bold dance-theatre production where Australian dancer Dan fuses sexy choreography and touching theatricality to take a stand against ableism. The show, which is part of the 2025 Edinburgh International Festival (EIF) explores how engaging in kink becomes an act of defiance and radical self-acceptance. Amelia spoke to audio desciber, Myra Galletly, about her career and her process for describing the show. Learn more about the show and book tickets on the EIF website - The Dan Daw Show | Edinburgh International Festival Learn more about the access pass here - Access Pass | Edinburgh International Festival Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

Tom Sutcliffe is joined by reviewers Ekow Eshun and Hanna Flint to discuss Liam Neeson in a sequel to the beloved Naked Gun comedy film series, new Amazon Prime action TV series The Assassin which stars Keeley Hawes as a hitwoman, a new covers album from Paul Weller called Find El Dorado and the long-awaited Ray of Light remix album Veronica Electronica, from Madonna. Plus, conductor Sofi Jeannin talks to Tom about preparing to conduct John Tavener's eight-hour piece The Veil of the Temple, involving several choirs and orchestras, which opens the Edinburgh International Festival on August 2nd. Presenter: Tom Sutcliffe Producer: Tim Bano

Time now to hear about one of the many audio described performances taking place at this year's Edinburgh International Festival. Hywel Davies has been hearing about the dark puppetry of ‘Faustus in Africa'. For more information and tickets, visit the EIF website - Faustus in Africa! | Edinburgh International Festival Learn more about the access pass here - Access Pass | Edinburgh International Festival Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

The Lionesses have made history by becoming the first England football squad to win a major trophy on foreign soil, they successfully defended their European title in Basel last night. The match went to extra time and penalties - Clare McDonnell gets reaction and reflection from guests including 5Live commentator Vicki Sparks, BBC Sport correspondent Katie Gornall, chief executive of the Women's Professional League Nikki Doucet and star player Lucy Bronze's mum Diane.Nicola Benedetti is a Grammy award winning violinist and ambassador for classical music. She is also director of the Edinburgh International Festival, which begins on Friday. In October she's due to embark on her first solo tour in more than ten years. She joins Clare to discuss the repertoire, and how she will combine solo performances with storytelling, and share a selection of shorter works.As part of our series taking a deep dive into the world of women and gaming, Nuala speaks to Cath Bowie, a 76-year-old grandmother from the north east of Scotland who spends her free time playing and streaming Fortnite.England's win over Spain to retain their Euros title has cemented Sarina Wiegman's status as one of the world's greatest football managers. This was her third successive European title, having also won it with her home nation, the Netherlands in 2017. What makes her such a successful manager? Clare speaks to Tom Garry, women's football writer for the Guardian.

Hello Grab a pillow and lay down. Drift off. Allow yourself to dream. Such overt direction wouldn't normally feature in a Thoroughly Good Podcast introduction, but its fitting for this one with pianist Hanni Liang who, ever the experimenter with concert formats, tests out an element of her forthcoming Edinburgh Festival appearance on me in a bit of a podcast first. Liang combines a performance of Debussy Reverie with audience-led improvisation at The Hub as part of Edinburgh International Festival this year, inviting people to share their dreams so that she can improvise on the ideas that emerge from it. She does the same here with me. It's only really since recording this that I've come to understand what my recurring dream really is about - in its simplest terms its to do with the panic of time running out. And now, having understood that, it is phenomenally disappointing to realise I've been having this same dream for as long as I can remember. Even so, I've not had it since recording this episode. There is then a therapeutic impact to Hanni's work. More than that, Hanni's candid reflections on the experience of improvisation isn't that far from a theme stitched through recent episodes - leadership qualities, and specifically in this case, the need for and the experience of vulnerability.

There are nine AD performances with touch tours at the Edinburgh international festival this year, Amelia spoke to Callum Madge to learn more about what's on offer. See the full program on the EIF website - What's on | Edinburgh International Festival Learn more about access at the EIF on their website - Access | Edinburgh International Festival Image shows the RNIB Connect Radio logo. On a white background ‘RNIB' written in bold black capital letters and underline with a bold pink line. Underneath the line: ‘Connect Radio' is written in black in a smaller font. 

Amir Nizar Zuabi is artistic director of The Herds – an astonishing work of cardboard and imagination, which is sweeping northwards from Africa. The lifesize puppets of The Herds are given dazzling life by teams of puppeteers, drawing attention to climate emergency as the animals look for home in a changing world. Amir previously directed The Walk, where a 12-foot puppet girl sought refuge, greeted by dance and music wherever she went – these projects inspire art as well as empathy. Amir's own journey is also remarkable – a Palestinian-Israeli director now working on an almost unimaginable scale.   Amir Nizar Zuabi is an award-winning playwright and director. He was the founding Artistic Director of ShiberHur Theater Company, an Associate Director of the Young Vic Theatre, a member of the United Theaters Europe for artistic achievement, and an alumni of the Sundance Institute Theatre Program. Following his work on The Walk, in 2022 he took up the role of Artistic Director of The Walk Productions Limited. Alongside many writing credits, he has directed productions at Flanders Opera, Edinburgh International Festival, Bouffes du Nord and Royal Shakespeare Company.   The Herds https://www.theherds.org/ The Herds on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/the__herds/ Why Dance Matters is a dance podcast featuring inspiring conversations with extraordinary people from the world of dance and beyond. Hosted by David Jays, editor of Dance Gazette, this podcast explores how dance shapes lives and why it matters to us all. Brought to you by the RAD, which inspires the world to dance, these insightful stories will surprise and delight. Tune in and discover more on our website. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Neil Douglas-Klotz, Ph.D. (Saadi Shakur Chishti), is a world-renowned scholar, poet, and musician in Middle Eastern spirituality, specializing in the translation and interpretation of ancient Semitic languages like Aramaic, Hebrew, and Arabic. Based in Fife, Scotland, he directs the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning and co-founded the international Network of the Dances of Universal Peace. A former co-chair of the Mysticism Group at the American Academy of Religion, he is the bestselling author of *Prayers of the Cosmos*, *The Hidden Gospel*, *Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus*, and *The Aramaic Jesus Book of Days* (February 2025). Known for his pioneering Aramaic translations of Jesus's teachings, Neil bridges historical wisdom with contemporary challenges, offering a dogma-free path to authentic living. A Sufi practitioner for over 40 years, he also co-founded the Edinburgh International Festival of Middle Eastern Spirituality and Peace, earning the 2005 Kessler-Keener Peacemaker Award. Visit www.abwoon.org for more information

Spoken word poetry is a powerful tool for storytelling, activism and self-expression. Ella Al-Shamahi speaks to two award-winning poets who use the craft to amplify issues they care about.Sofie Frost is a Norwegian actor, slam poet and spoken word artist. She won the Norwegian Poetry Slam Championship in 2017 and was a finalist for Norway's Got Talent the following year. Sofie's poems have repeatedly gone viral, amassing millions of views online.Wana Udobang from Nigeria is a writer, poet and performer. She has released three spoken word albums that explore the themes of familial relationships, womanhood, joy and the body. Wana's work has been commissioned by organisations including the Edinburgh International Festival, Deutsches Museum and the Gates Foundation.Produced by Emily Naylor(Image: (L) Sofie Frost credit Astrid Sand Samnøy. (R) Wana Udobang credit Boye Oyewusi.)

In the week that Dear England, his play about the English football team, reopens at the National Theatre, playwright James Graham has announced that his next play, at the Edinburgh International Festival, will star Succession's Brian Cox and be about the financial crash of 2008. In this revealing conversation he talks to Sarah about his admiration for Southgate, the tragedy behind his play Punch, his horror of social media and why theatre is a vital tool for building empathy and countering toxic masculinity. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Global superstar violinist Nicola Benedetti on her search for truth as Director of the Edinburgh International Festival; musical intelligence; how she remembers all those notes; life in her thirties; being a mum; handling the future, and the art of performance. 

Send us a textGraham reports on BBC 6 Music's State of Independent Venues Week which for once makes Leeds and York look great.Graham and Chales share further thoughts on Bradford City of Culture's programme.Charles reports on David Hockney's exhibition at Saltaire in Bradford.Succession actor Brian Cox is about to return to the stage for Edinburgh International Festival in a year of good news for the city's arts.Keep in touch with Two Big Egos in a Small Car:X@2big_egosFacebook@twobigegos

I first heard The National 17 years ago this month I think, and I fell in love instantly. They've continued to be one of my favourite bands, and it's been great to see them ascend to new heights of popularity and pursue interesting creative directions in the band and outside. Guitarist Aaron Dessner is now a key producer and co-writer for the likes of Taylor Swift and Gracie Abrams. His twin brother Bryce Dessner is a composer whose orchestral and chamber compositions have been commissioned by the LA Philharmonic, Edinburgh International Festival and Kronos Quartet amongst others, and he's collaborated with the likes of Philip Glass, Steve Reich, Paul Simon, Sufjan Stevens and many more. Frontman Matt Berninger has become one of the most compelling rock frontman of the 21st century with his often darkly funny, self-deprecating lyrics, and gangly, physical stage presence. Drummer Bryan Devendorf is one of the most distinctive drummers operating in rock today. Which leaves my guest this episode, bassist Scott Devendorf. I feel like Scott is the member of the band I knew least about. Obviously I've seen him onstage many times anchoring the band, but I was intrigued to see how the interview would go, and was pleased to discover Scott was excellent company. The National have just released a new live album entitled “Rome” which was recorded this past June in, well Rome obviously. It does a pretty good job of capturing the catharsis and sometimes chaos of a National show. I thought it was an interesting decision to focus on one particular show rather than compile tracks from across the tour. I was curious how they would handle the situations where Matt goes walkabout with the microphone, climbing into the crowd and getting mobbed with fans singing their heads off. Scott had a lot to say about these decisions, and about The National as a live act in general. He was really generous with his time. I only found out this interview was happening less than 24 hours before it took place, so it was quite a whirlwind getting it prepped and organised. I again had some technical issues so I've mostly just used the zoom feed but it sounds fine. To have The National represented on the podcast really means a lot. This will be the last episode of the year, and what a way to go out.

Kritcirkeln är i Skottland och botaniserar på de två stora festivalerna som just nu präglar hela huvudstaden: Edinburgh International Festival, som pågår tom 25 augusti och i år har temat ”Rituals that unite us”, samt Edinburgh Fringe Festival (tom 26 augusti). Hör om en intensiv festivalvecka av högt och lågt, med allt från musikalisk whiskyprovning enligt konceptet ”Rhythm & Booze” och hysteriskt roliga musikaler inspirerade av filmen ”När lammen tystnar” och Gwyneth Paltrows uppmärksammade skidkollision – till internationell dans och opera i världsklass. Det blir också mer snack om festivalsnackisen ”TERF”, pjäsen som är baserad på J K Rowlings twittrande om transpersoner, och konflikten som uppstått mellan henne och Harry Potter-filmskådespelarna på grund av detta. Dessutom avhandlas den brittiska RuPaul's Dragrace-vinnaren Ginger Johnsons soloshow samt ett par grymma konsertupplevelser. Det skotska pop-folkmusikbandet Mànran som bjöd på både säckpipa och gaelisk sång. Och den lika underhållande som skickliga pianisten Chilly Gonzales, som utöver att spela upp den sittande publiken till spontana ovationer, också berättade varför han lanserat en kampanj för att byta namn på Richard Wagner Straße i Tyska Köln. Och vem han istället tycker att gatan borde uppkallas efter. Vid Kritcirkelns mikrofoner som vanligt: Loretto Villalobos och Cecilia Djurberg (producent & redigering) I detta avsnitt diskuteras följande föreställningar och artister: På Edinburgh International Festival » Penthesliela av Eline Arbo efter Heinrich von Kleist, Internationaal Theater Amsterdam » Gil Refazendo & Gira av Rodrigo Pederneiras, Grupo Corpo » Carmen av Georges Bizet, Opéra-Comique & Opernhaus Zürich » Songs of the Bulbul av Rani Khanam & Aakash Odedra » Così fan tutte av W A Mozart, Scottish Chamber Orchestra » Mànran » Chilly Gonzales På Edinburgh Fringe Festival » TERF av Joshua Kaplan, Civil disobedience & Theatre of the void » Silence! The musical av Jon Kaplan & Al Kaplan » Gwyneth goes skiing av och med Linus Karp och Joseph Martin, Awkward Productions » 2 Guys, 3 Drams: The Ultimate Live Blues and Whisky Experience av och med The Rhythm and Booze Project: Felipe Schrieberg och Paul Archibald

Kirsty Wark reviews highlights from the Edinburgh Festival, joined by critics Ian Rankin, Chitra Ramaswamy and Dominic Maxwell. They discuss two adaptations of Amy Liptrot's bestselling memoir about addiction, The Outrun. The film version opens the Edinburgh Film Festival tonight and stars Saoirse Ronan in the lead. The stage play The Outrun is a Royal Lyceum Theatre production for the Edinburgh International Festival. Gwyneth Paltrow's skiing incident and subsequent trial has been turned into two different musicals - I Wish You Well, starring Diana Vickers as the Hollywood star, and Gwyneth Goes Skiing. Dominic Maxwell, The Times theatre and comedy critic, gives his verdict on the funniest comedians at this year's Edinburgh Fringe. And they discuss Rebels and Patriots, a play about young soldiers in the IDF, a British Israeli Palestinian co-production. Presenter: Kirsty Wark Producer: Timothy Prosser

Amy Liptrot's bestselling memoir is brought to life in an epic and elemental world premiere. Amelia spoke to Audio Describer Lydia Kerr to learn more about the production and her career. AD performances of The Outrun are taking place on Sat 17 Aug at 8:00pm and Sat 24 Aug at 3:00pm. Book tickets by calling the box office on 0311 473 2056 or visiting the EIF website The Outrun | Edinburgh International Festival (eif.co.uk) Image is a bright yellow photo with black an yellow text. The text reads 'together we are' highlighted in black and written in sketched yellow capitals with 'Edinburgh International Festival' below in bold black capitals.

This evening at the Olympics, Algerian boxer Imane Khelif will fight for a gold medal in the women's welterweight event. Tomorrow, Taiwan's Lin Yu-ting will compete for gold in the final of the women's featherweight boxing. Both boxers have faced serious controversy over their eligibility to compete. To take us through what's going on, Anita Rani speaks to the BBC's Sport Editor, Dan Roan.Lottie Tomlinson rose to fame as the younger sister of One Direction's Louis Tomlinson. At 16, she went on tour with the band as a make-up artist and a decade on, has become an entrepreneur. But Lottie's mother and sister died within a few years of each other, when she was just 20-years-old. She joins Anita to talk about her experience of grief, which she's written about her new memoir, Lucky Girl.When writer and counsellor Lucy Cavendish split up from her partner it took her a while to realise that the friends she had believed she shared with him were now his and his alone. She joins Anita, along with Rosie Wilby, comedian and author of the book The Breakup Monologues, to discuss why friendships can fracture in a break-up and the politics of who gets to keep the friends.The South African soprano Golda Schultz is one of the opera world's most versatile and in-demand performers. After a music-filled childhood, she started training as a journalist but made the leap to become a professional singer and overcame severe stage fright. She talks to Anita about her appearance at this year's Edinburgh International Festival in Mozart's Cosi Fan Tutte.Presenter: Anita Rani Producer: Maryam Maruf Editor: Olivia Bolton Studio Manager: Duncan Hannant

Looking for a moving and magical theatre experience? 'Please Right Back', by Award-winning company 1927, combines handcrafted animation and bold storytelling to tell the story of the mysterious Mr.E. There is an AD performance and touch tour taking place on Sunday 10th August at the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF). Amelia spoke to Audio Describers Bridget Stevens and John Cummings to learn more about the production and their careers. Book tickets by calling the box office on 0311 473 2056 or visiting the EIF website www.eif.co.uk/events/please-right-back Image is a bright yellow photo with black an yellow text. The text reads 'together we are' highlighted in black and written in sketched yellow capitals with 'Edinburgh International Festival' below in bold black capitals.

It's that time of year again — Minnesota Fringe Festival is taking over local theaters. Here's a little history for you.Fringe fests like this one started in Edinburgh back in 1947, when several theater groups who hadn't been invited to the Edinburgh International Festival set up shop on the ‘fringe' and performed anyways. The idea of celebrating fringe groups has persisted and grown — although nowadays, the theaters are expecting them. Tim Kelley is the co-founder of Melancholics Anonymous, a local theater group putting on “Beanie Baby Divorce Play” at Open Eye Theatre for Minnesota Fringe Fest. He joined MPR News host Cathy Wurzer to share a behind-the-scenes look at the show.

Some of the most popular operas will be performed at this year's Edinburgh International Festival. Hywel Davies has been hearing more about the audio described performances of ‘Carmen' and ‘The Marriage of Figaro'. More information for each performance is available via the EIF website: Carmen | Edinburgh International Festival (eif.co.uk) The Marriage of Figaro | Edinburgh International Festival (eif.co.uk) Image is a bright yellow photo with black an yellow text. The text reads 'together we are' highlighted in black and written in sketched yellow capitals with 'Edinburgh International Festival' below in bold black capitals.

Edinburgh International Festival is underway, and today we're taking a look at a joyful dance performance from Brazil. Grupo Corpo has its UK premiere and will be available to experience with audio description (AD). So, let's find out a bit more about this unique performance from the show's audio describer, Amanda Drollinger. The AD performance for this show is on Wednesday 7th of August.  Image: Five dancers tilt their heads back, exposing their necks, which are painted red. Their chests are arched and they lift their arms in front of their chest. They're only wearing a flowing skirt of white fabric tied at their waist.

Looking for some live accessible entertainment?  There's a wide variety of music and AD Theatre, Opera and Dance at the Edinburgh International Festival (EIF). Amelia learned more about the performances and Access Pass from Callum Madge, the EIF Access Manager. Image is a bright yellow photo with black an yellow text. The text reads 'together we are' highlighted in black and written in sketched yellow capitals with 'Edinburgh International Festival' below in bold black capitals.

Matthew Kearns: President and Artistic Director of St. Lou Fringe, stopped by to talk with Nancy about this year's festival. ---  About the festival: "It all started in 1947 in Edinburgh, Scotland, as an alternative festival that played concurrently with the Edinburgh International Festival. In 1948, Robert Kemp, a local journalist, gave it the name Fringe: “Round the fringe of official Festival drama, there seems to be more private enterprise than before…” ---- Since then, it has grown into an international phenomenon with more than a hundred Fringe Festivals worldwide. ----  This year's festival runs August 12th through August 18th. ----          

In this episode I speak with  Wana Udobang a writer, poet, performer, curator, and storyteller with three spoken word albums: Dirty Laundry, In Memory of Forgetting, and Transcendence. Her work has taken her across Africa, Europe, and the US, and she has worked on prestigious commissions for events like the Edinburgh International Festival and The Gates Foundation. With a background in journalism, she has contributed to major outlets like The Guardian, Al Jazeera, CNN, and the BBC.Her curatorial projects include exhibitions for Rele Gallery and a video series exploring history through food. Wana also runs The Comfort Food Workshop and curates Culture Diaries, an archival project documenting African artists.We also talk about the challenges of the creative industry in Nigeria, looking at issues like limited infrastructure and border restrictions, the immense potential for collaboration, and sustainable growth. We also discuss the importance of staying true to one's unique voice and creating art focusing on human stories and the power of art to create awareness. You can connect with Wana at https://www.instagram.com/mswanawana/Why do you listen to this podcast https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfqYe7Kp9yTItZY5--I0NP05GAgqDyo-hCyGUrNO13Xj8yp4g/viewform

Charles taunts Graham with a review on Charles Hutch Press of Yes, live in York. Will Graham ever see Yes live?Graham discusses the book, Demarco's Edinburgh (Richard Demarco and Roddy Martine, 2023) about the history of  Edinburgh International Festival chronicling the struggles and success of legendary Scots maverick arts impresario, Richard Demarco.Graham announces that he likes Billie Eilish's latest album, Hit Me Hard and Soft!Charles went to see the sublime Dexys at Scarborough and discusses the joy in experiencing Kevin Rowland live, with a focus again on last year's Feminine Divine album and even a cover of the Bee Gees' To Love Someone. Much more like A Soul Passion Revue of old, he thinks.Graham previews the return of his Vinyl  Sessions classic albums event in Harrogate this week with The Eagles' Hotel California. Keep in touch with Two Big Egos in a Small Car:X@2big_egosFacebook@twobigegos

Stephen Cole is back on StoryBeat for the second time. An award-winning writer of musical theatre, non-fiction books, short stories, and novels, Stephen's work has been recorded, published, and produced worldwide, from New York City to London to the Middle East and Australia. With Matthew Ward he wrote the musicals After The Fair, Merlin's Apprentice, Rock Odyssey, and Casper (which originally starred Chita Rivera), The Night of the Hunter and Saturday Night at Grossinger's (with music by Claibe Richardson), and Dodsworth and Time After Time (with music by Jeff Saver), which has recently been revived at the Children's Theatre of Cincinnati.  In 2005 Stephen and composer David Krane were commissioned to write the first American musical to premiere in the Middle East. The result was Aspire, which was produced in Qatar. Their hilarious cross-cultural experiences resulted in another show titled The Road To Qatar! which has been produced in Dallas, New York and the Edinburgh International Festival (where it was nominated for Best Musical).  His most recent musical, Goin' Hollywood, was produced in 2023 to rave reviews and sold-out audiences in Dallas.Stephen has written continuity, narration, and special material for fifteen different Drama League Shows including all-star tributes to Kander and Ebb, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Liz Smith, Peter Stone, Angela Lansbury, Patti LuPone, Kristin Chenoweth, Audra McDonald and Neil Patrick Harris.  As an author, Stephen has published That Book About That Girl, I Could Have Sung All Night: the Marni Nixon story (which is currently in development as a feature film), Noel Coward: A Bio Bilbliography, and the Charles Strouse memoir Put On a Happy Face. A prolific short story writer, Stephen's first novel Mary & Ethel…and Mikey Who? was published in January 2024.  I've read Mary & Ethel…and Mikey Who? It's what's you call a real hoot, especially for lovers of old broads on old Broadway. It's the most entertaining time-slipping story I've read since Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five.Stephen is a recipient of a Gilman-Gonzales Falla Commendation for musical theatre as well as the prestigious Edward Kleban Award.  www.stephencolewriter.orghttps://www.facebook.com/steve.cole.5076798 https://www.instagram.com/stephencolewrit  

Scott is currently reprising his role as Rangers fan 'Billy' in NLP Theatre Company's 20th Anniversary Tour of 'Singin' I'm No A Billy, He's A Tim' by Des Dillon. In 2010 Scott won the coveted 'Stage Award for acting excellence' for his portrayal of Rangers daft Billy at the Edinburgh International Festival. Kyle's first professional role was in 2006's PondLife, a film from director Sean Wilkie, which chronicled the life of student filmmakers on their last day of school.[4] While still in college, Kyle starred in writer Stephen Greenhorn's play Passing Places, which he both produced and took on tour throughout Scotland.He went on to feature as Romeo in director Laura Pasetti's production of Shakespeare's tragedy at the Charioteer Theatre, and in Sandwich (2009), a short film centering on a retired mobster and a current crime lord. The film was transitioned into an internet series on YouTube entitled The Crews (2011), which eventually screened on STV in Scotland.[9] In 2010, Kyle's had a starring role in Des Dillon's play Singin' I'm No A Billy He's A Tim, which focused on the rivalry between Old Firm (Rangers and Celtic) football fans.[10] The play, which was produced by Kyle's company NLP (No limit People), premiered at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, where Kyle received the 2010 Stage Awards Best Actor Award for his role, before touring throughout Scotland and Ireland. In addition to the play, Kyle ran anti-sectarian workshops based upon its message at schools and youth groups in and around Glasgow. Later that year he starred opposite Coronation Street's Charlie Lawson in NLP's stage production of author Des Dillon's comedic play Blue Hen. Director Ken Loach's 2012 comedy The Angel's Share, a film revolving around Glaswegians who discover whisky, saw Kyle feature as Clancy in his first film role. That same year, he starred in director Laura Passetti's play Fleeto, about a young man who joins a gang after his best friend is stabbed, and director Rachel O'Riordan's Cold Turkey At Nana's, which focuses on heroin addiction. He would return to the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2013 in the title role of the Finnish play Bad Boy Eddie. From there he would star in director Paul Katis' 2014 feature film Kajaki (aka Kilo Two Bravo), where he portrayed real life soldier Corporal Stu Pearson in the story of a small unit of British soldiers positioned near the Kajaki Dam in the Helmand Province of Afghanistan during Operation Herrick in 2006.That same years saw Kyle's first radio production, BBC Radio Scotland's 2014 psychological thriller The Dead of Fenwick Moor, where he portrayed Stevie Caffrey.2015 saw Kyle return to stage productions in Loranga, an adaptation of Barbaro Lindgren's book Loranga Masarun och Dartanjang.Transcript

Tunes: Annie Arnot: Dhannsagh gun Dannsadh, Dannsamaid le Ailean (We would Dance, Dance, We would Dance with Allen), Cha Toir Iain Mòr a Nighean Dhomh (Big Iain would not Give his Daughter to Me), Chaidh a' Bhanarach Dhan Tràigh (The Dairymaid went to the Shore), or Iomairibh Eutrom, Hò Hò (Row Lightly),Dh'fhalbhainn Sgiobalta (I would go Tidily), Dh'fhalbhainn Fada ris a' Ghealaich (I would Travel far by Moonlight), Fear a Bhios Fada gun Phòsadh (A man who is Long without Marrying), Och nan Och Leag Iad Thu (Alas, they have Laid you Low), Tha mi Sgìth 's mi Leam Fhìn (I am Tired and I am Alone), or Buain na Rainich (Cutting the Bracken), Ma Leag Thu Mi, Ma Thog Thu Mi (If you Lowered me, if you Raised me), 'S Gann Gun Dìrich Mi a-Chaoidh (It's Likely that I will Never Climb Again), Seallaibh Curaidh Eòghainn (Look at Owen's Coracle), Bidh Clann an Rìgh air do Bhanais (The Children of the King will be at your Wedding), Cìdh an Fhidheall (Fetch the Fiddle), or Chunna mi san Dùn Thu (I saw you at the dùn) Barry Shears: "Ù Bhi Á Bhi" (From Play It like you Sing it Volume 2) Brìghde Chaimbeul: Banish the Giant of Doubt and Despair (or Chunna mi san Dùn Thu (I saw you at the dùn) +X+X+ Thanks to John Charles for this stellar Singer Spotlight Episode! +X+X+X+ Annie's recordings are found in the School of Scottish Studies archives, available through Tobar and Dualchais here: https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/person/473?l=en +X+X+X+ Tunes: Dhannsagh gun Dannsadh, Dannsamaid le Ailean (We would Dance, Dance, We would Dance with Allen) Cha Toir Iain Mòr a Nighean Dhomh (Big Iain would not Give his Daughter to Me) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/2759?l=en Chaidh a' Bhanarach Dhan Tràigh (The Dairymaid went to the Shore) or Iomairibh Eutrom, Hò Hò (Row Lightly) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/30685?l=en Dh'fhalbhainn Sgiobalta (I would go Tidily) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/91560?l=en Dh'fhalbhainn Fada ris a' Ghealaich (I would Travel far by Moonlight) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/91562?l=en Fear a Bhios Fada gun Phòsadh (A man who is Long without Marrying) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/91613?l=en Och nan Och Leag Iad Thu (Alas, they have Laid you Low) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/20782?l=en Tha mi Sgìth 's mi Leam Fhìn (I am Tired and I am Alone) or Buain na Rainich (Cutting the Bracken) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/99797?l=en +X+X+X+ Ma Leag Thu Mi, Ma Thog Thu Mi (If you Lowered me, if you Raised me) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/93101?l=en Barry Shears Setting: Tune #88, "Ù Bhi Á Bhi" (page 95) from Play It Like you Sing it: Barry Shears, Play it Like you Sing it Vol 2 https://capebretonpiper.com/content/play-it-you-sing-it-volume-2 +X+X+X+ 'S Gann Gun Dìrich Mi a-Chaoidh (It's Likely that I will Never Climb Again) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/99785?l=en Seallaibh Curaidh Eòghainn (Look at Owen's Coracle) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/91571?l=en Bidh Clann an Rìgh air do Bhanais (The Children of the King will be at your Wedding) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/28442?l=en Brìghde's performance of Clann Ulaidh (The Children of Ulster) at Edinburgh International Festival https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=464086319183171 Cìdh an Fhidheall (Fetch the Fiddle) or Chunna mi san Dùn Thu (I saw you at the dùn) https://www.tobarandualchais.co.uk/track/2717?l=en Brìghde's Puirt à Beul track: https://brighdechaimbeul.bandcamp.com/track/banish-the-giant-of-doubt-despair Resources: Dhannsadh Gun Dannsadh - Dance-Songs of The Scottish Gaels album: https://www.greentrax.com/music/product/dance-songs-of-the-scottish-gaels-scottish-tradition-series-vol-28 booklet: https://www.academia.edu/40876451/DhannsadhgunDannsadhDancesongsoftheScottishGaelsCDbooklet_ Barry Shears, Play it Like you Sing it Vol 2 https://capebretonpiper.com/content/play-it-you-sing-it-volume-2 Songs of Gaelic Scotland https://www.gaelicbooks.org/explore-the-shop/gifts/books/songs-of-gaelic-scotland-hardback FIN Here are some ways you can support the show: You can support the Podcast by joining the Patreon page at https://www.patreon.com/wetootwaag You can also take a minute to leave a review of the podcast if you listen on Itunes! Tell your piping and history friends about the podcast! Checkout my Merch Store on Bagpipeswag: https://www.bagpipeswag.com/wetootwaag You can also support me by Buying my First Album on Bandcamp: https://jeremykingsbury.bandcamp.com/album/oyster-wives-rant-a-year-of-historic-tunes or my second album on Bandcamp! https://jeremykingsbury.bandcamp.com/album/pay-the-pipemaker or my third album on Bandcamp! https://jeremykingsbury.bandcamp.com/album/bannocks-of-barley-meal You can now buy physical CDs of my albums using this Kunaki link: https://kunaki.com/msales.asp?PublisherId=166528&pp=1 You can just send me an email at wetootwaag@gmail.com letting me know what you thought of the episode! Listener mail keeps me going! Finally I have some other support options here: https://www.wetootwaag.com/support Thanks! 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Travel 365 is a daily getaway for you in the crazy that is day to day life. Going to a new destination one day at a time. With the hopes of giving you some insight into new places, different places to go and help you plan your next getaway.   From the creators of Swipe Wrong, we gelt we should help be the ones to show you the way when you just need to get away from it all. Like, Follow, Subscribe and Share.. but above all sit back relax and enjoy.     Get in contact with us at swipewrongpod@gmail.com call or text 317-426-6616   #Travel #escape #paradise #passport #foryou #fyp #foryourpage #exciting #adventure #travelagent #bookit #google #culture #fun #lifestyle

World famous violinist Nicola Benedetti starts her new job as Director of the Edinburgh International Festival. Anna Bailey follows her as she enters unchartered territory, commissioning new works and running an organisation. Nicola talks through her decisions for her first programme, which features over 2000 artists from 48 countries. And Anna follows the progress of some of those artists as they begin rehearsals in the Scottish capital.

With us this episode are filmmaker Janis Pugh & actor, director & writer Tilda Cobham-Hervey - just two of the brilliant women showcased at the Edinburgh Festivals 2023. Anna Smith also gives top tips of other female-led highlights of the Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh Fringe, Edinburgh International Book Festival, and - of course - Edinburgh International Film Festival. Our first guest is Janis Pugh, writer/director of Chuck Chuck Baby which will receive its World Premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival on 20th August. The feature is a musical comedy drama that celebrates female working class friendship and love in Wales. Helen, played by Louise Brealey (Sherlock, Smack the Pony) is stuck packing chickens by night and by day cares for a dying mother figure. Her life takes an unexpected turn with the return of Joanne, played by Annabel Scholey (Being Human, Walking on Sunshine). Janis Pugh joins Anna for a lively chat about her personal experiences of working in a chicken factory in Wales, and talks about the camaraderie she saw that inspired the film. She also explains why love is at the heart of the film, and talks about the fragile male character of Gary, played by Celyn Jones. We also chat with actor, director & writer Tilda Cobham-Hervey who, as well as working in film and TV, also works in live art and is bringing her intimate audio adventure Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar… to the Fringe. Tilda chats about her journey to making the production, and her love of immersive live experience, as well as the effects that the piece has on the two-strong audience. Anna Smith will be sharing her reaction to the piece as she updates live from the festivals, so stay tuned on the socials below. Find out more about Edinburgh Festivals and book tickets at www.edinburghfestivalcity.com/ Chuck Chuck Baby will have its World Premiere on 20th August, follow Girls On Film for info on its wider release https://www.eif.co.uk/events/eiff-chuck-chuck-baby Two Strangers Walk Into A Bar… is playing at House of Oz from 4th to 27th August https://www.houseofoz.co.uk/2023/two-strangers Anoushka Shankar will be appearing in Edinburgh International Festival on 27th August https://www.eif.co.uk/events/anoushka-shankar Festival highlights: Edinburgh International Film Festival - details at www.eif.co.uk/edinburgh-international-film-festival Your Fat Friend, Jeanie Finlay Past Lives, Celine Song Showing Up, Kelly Reichardt Scrapper, Charlotte Regan Is There Anybody Out There?, Ella Glendinining The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, Hope Dickson Leach Edinburgh International Book Festival - at www.edbookfest.co.uk What I Run Towards Will Strengthen Me, Sarah Polley Edinburgh Festival Fringe - all at https://tickets.edfringe.com/ Work in Progress, Rose Matafeo Composition, Leila Navabi Dugzi Dayz, Sabrina Ali Unforgettable Girl, Elisabeth Gunawan MEAT, Elle Dillon-Reams Other films mentioned in this episode include: House, Janis Pugh 52 Tuesdays, Sophie Hyde, 2013 Other TV mentioned in this episode include: The Lost Flowers of Alice Hart, Glendyn Ivin, 2023 Other theatre mentioned in this episode includes: Funeral, Ontroerend Goed (tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/funeral) Become a patron of Girls On Film on Patreon here: www.patreon.com/girlsonfilmpodcast Follow us on socials: www.instagram.com/girlsonfilm_podcast/ www.facebook.com/girlsonfilmpodcast www.twitter.com/GirlsOnFilm_Pod www.twitter.com/annasmithjourno Watch Girls On Film on the BFI's YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLX…L89QKZsN5Tgr3vn7z Girls On Film is an HLA production. Host: Anna Smith Executive Producer: Hedda Archbold Producer: Lydia Scott Audio Producer: Emma Butt Assistant Producer: Eleanor Hardy House band: MX Tyrants This episode is in partnership with Festivals Edinburgh

Front Row is live from Dynamic Earth in Edinburgh for festival season, presented by Kate Molleson. Scotland's own Grammy award-winning violinist Nicola Benedetti will be with us to share her vision for this year's Edinburgh International Festival, as she makes her debut as Festival Director. Kate will also be joined on stage by the Pulitzer Prize winning novelist Colson Whitehead to discuss Crook Manifesto, the latest instalment in his Harlem saga, set in 1970s New York. We'll have music from the Scottish folk singer Karine Polwart with pianist Dave Milligan, ahead of their appearance at the Book Festival. Glasgow comedian Susie McCabe will share stand-up from her new Fringe show exploring her womanhood, Femme Fatality. Novelist and fellow Glaswegian Andrew O'Hagan will reflect on making his directorial debut, as he brings his new play The Ballad of Truman Capote to the Fringe. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Kirsty McQuire

About Mark Cousins Mark is a Northern Irish-Scottish filmmaker and writer. His themes are the inspiring power of cinema, cities, walking, childhood, archives and recovery. At the start of his career he made TV documentaries on childhood, neo-Nazism and Mikhael Gorbachev. In the mid 90s he and the Edinburgh International Film Festival showed films in Sarajevo to support its besieged citizens. His first book was Imagining Reality: The Faber Book of Documentary (“Indispensible” - Times Literary Supplement). His 2004 book The Story of Film was published around the world. The Times called it “by some distance the best book we have read on cinema.” Its latest edition was published in October 2020. His 930 minute film, The Story of Film: An Odyssey (“The place from which all future film revisionism should begin” - New York Times), played in the major film festivals and cinemas, and has had an influence on film education. Michael Moore gave it the Stanley Kubrick Award, it won the Peabody Award, was BAFTA Scotland nominated, and received other prizes. In 2021 he added a sequel film, The Story of Film: A New Generation. It premiered as the launch film of Cannes, was called “poetry in motion” by the Hollywood Reporter, and “the soul of the festival” by Cannes director Thierry Frémaux. Empire magazine called it “a poetic opus” and it was nominated for Grierson award. Cousins' first feature documentary, The First Movie, about kids in Kurdish Iraq, won the Prix Italia. It was inspired by growing up in the Troubles in Northern Ireland and his passionate interest in the role cinema can play in kids' lives. In 2012 he was nominated for the London Awards for Art and Performance and the Screen International award. He was guest curator at the Eye Cinematheque in Amsterdam. His next feature film, What is this Film called Love?, played in 20 countries, at the ICA in London, and was nominated for Best Director by BAFTA Scotland. PJ Harvey called it “revelatory and inspiring”. The rock band Maximo Park wrote a song inspired by it. In 2013 he completed Here be Dragons, a film about the vital role of film archives, especially one in Albania. It won the main prize in the Romania Film Festival. In the same year he made A Story of Children and Film, which was in the official selection in Cannes. He curated Cinema of Childhood, a series of 17 films which toured the UK and Ireland for a year and was supported by the BFI. He received the Visionary Award in Traverse City and the Saltzgeber Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. Then he made Life May Be, co-directed with Iranian filmmaker Mania Akbari, and 6 Desires, an adaptation of DH Lawrence's book Sea and Sardinia. Life May Be was noted for its feminism and innovation and was called “transcendent and extraordinarily delicate”. It won the Don Quixote prize. 6 Desires: DH Lawrence and Sardinia, in which Jarvis Cocker plays the voice of DH Lawrence, had its world premiere at the London Film Festival and its international premiere at Sundance. Cousins had his first retrospective at the Wroclaw film festival. Others have followed in London, Thessaloniki, Finland and Geneva. Cousins' The Oar and the Winnowing Fan was a takeover of the DazedDigital website. His I am Belfast was his first full feature about Northern Ireland. It was released by the BFI. Variety compared it to the great director Dziga Vertov. His BBC/BFI film Atomic, a collaboration with the band Mogwai, played in Hiroshima, near Chernobyl and Coventry Cathedral and at the Edinburgh International Festival. He curated a season of films for the Romanian Cultural Institute and made a fiction film, Stockholm My Love, (starring Neneh Cherry, released by BFI). He completed Bigger than The Shining, a secret project, showable only in underground circumstances, and wrote The Story of Looking (“Like a wise man looking at the stars”, the Guardian; “Brilliant” the New York Times). It was nominated for the Saltire Award for best non-fiction book. Cousins' The Eyes of Orson Welles world premiered in Cannes and received rave reviews. His 2 hour, four-screen Storm in My Heart is about Hollywood sexism and racism. His 14 hour film Women Make Film premiered at the Venice, Toronto and Telluride film festivals, is narrated by Jane Fonda, Sharmila Tagore, Debra Winger, Adjoa Andoh, Kerry Fox and Tilda Swinton, and is showing in many countries. The Times called it “Exquisite, emotionally resonant and intellectually unassailable. Pure poetry.” It won the European Film Academy's inaugural Innovative Storytelling award, and has led to the restoration of a series of films directed by women. Two more recent films are The Storms of Jeremy Thomas, about the legendary film producer – which premiered in Cannes 2021 and won the best documentary in Spain's Dias De Cine - and The Story of Looking, in which he filters the history of looking through his own eye operation. Time Out called it “A rich cinematic journey into the art of seeing and how it connects us with culture, ourselves and each other.”  It won the Best Non-Fiction Film award at the Seville Film Festival. Cousins recently completed My Name is Alfred Hitchcock and The March on Rome, an Italian Palomar production about Mussolini and Fascism, part-shot in Cinecitta in Rome and starring Alba Rohrwacher. The latter premiered at the Venice film festival, was called “entirely arresting” by the Guardian, won the audience award for Best International Documentary in Brazil, and was nominated for a European Film Academy Award. The former premiered at the Telluride film festival. In 2022, his films were the subject of a multi screen film installation, Passé Présent Futur, at the huge Plaza cinema in Geneva, and had a retrospective at the Biograf film festival in Bologna. He premiered his first art installation, Like a Huge Scotland, at teh Fruitmarket gallery, Edinburgh, and – along with Cate Blanchette and Sarah Polley - was given the Outstanding Contribution to Cinema medal at the Telluride Film Festival. Cousins has honorary doctorates from the Universities of Edinburgh and Stirling, is Honorary Professor of film at Queen's University, was co-artistic director of Cinema China and did The Ballerina Ballroom Cinema of Dreams and A Pilgrimage, with Tilda Swinton. He and Swinton also ran The 8 ½ Foundation, a two year event which created a movie birthday for children. It was nominated for the Human Rights Award. He was chair of the Belfast Film Festival and Docs Ireland. He was recently given Portugal's Aurelio de Paz dos Reis international award for Outstanding Contribution to Cinema (2019), and the British Association of Film, Television and Screen Studies Outstanding Achievement Award for his work in screen education (2020). Mark's roles in filmmaking, education and advocacy have widened and deepened with the years. He was an early adopter of small cameras and new technology to evolve a business model for filmmaking which was sustainable, international and creatively free. He has walked across Los Angeles, Belfast, Moscow, Beijing, London, Paris, Berlin, Dakar and Mexico City. He drove from Edinburgh to Mumbai, and loves night swimming.     Mark's Info https://twitter.com/markcousinsfilm https://www.womenmakefilm.net/  

Stuart and Eamonn are joined by Andrea Baker down the line from Toronto. This week: The BBC Bafta Edit, Zelensky in the UK and Alex Cole-Hamilton and a listener question about media presenters of the 70's. At the end of the show the trio share their media recommendations. Recommendations: ANDREA : Obituary: Legendary & Trailblazing Mezzo-Soprano Grace Bumbry Dies at 86 https://operawire.com/obituary-legendary-trailblazing-mezzo-soprano-grace-bumbry-dies-at-86/  1)Talking Derry Girls podcast on The Big Light Network. https://www.thebiglight.com/talkingderrygirls  2) Edinburgh International Festival, the first by new Scottish Director, Nicola Benedetti, which has the theme, 'Where Do We Go From Here?'  https://www.eif.co.uk/  EAMONN:  New Film - AIR, available on Amazon. Directed by Ben Affleck. Cast includes Viola Davis and Matt Damon . The film follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan.  https://press.amazonstudios.com/us/en/original-movies/air STUART:  Weak Teeth - Excellent debut novel by Edinburgh-based writer, LYNSEY MAY, exploring lost love, grief ...and toothache  https://birlinn.co.uk/product/weak-teeth/ 

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.

Marking the centenary of Hungarian composer György Ligeti, Tom Service talks to musicians who knew him and who love his music. Violinist Patricia Kopatchinskaja and composer and conductor Thomas Adès explore the musical universe of the Violin Concerto; pianist Tamara Stefanovich describes meeting the composer and the intensity and fragility required to perform his music; Tom joins composer Anna Meredith in her studio to listen to one of his last works, the Hamburg Concerto; and György Ligeti's son, the composer and instrumentalist Lukas Ligeti reveals the passion he shared with his father for creating imaginary worlds, both musical and non-musical. Tom also talks to conductor Iván Fischer - the founder of the acclaimed Budapest Festival Orchestra - ahead of his appearances at the BBC Proms and at Edinburgh International Festival this summer. They discuss the difficulties of changing how symphony orchestras work, how his orchestra's mission to bring music to the communities of Budapest translates when they're on tour, and why mistakes are a very good thing. Plus musicians and noise. With recent stories about noise complaints against both musicians rehearsing at home and long-established music venues, we talk to Clara Cullen from the Music Venues Trust, Stuart Darke from the Independent Society of Musicians and Lisa Lavia from the Noise Abatement Society about the law, the psychology and how to balance the needs of musicians with the rights of communities for peace and quiet.

Stuart and Eamonn are joined by Andrea Baker down the line from Toronto. This week: The BBC Bafta Edit, Zelensky in the UK and Alex Cole-Hamilton and a listener question about media presenters of the 70's. At the end of the show the trio share their media recommendations. Recommendations: ANDREA : Obituary: Legendary & Trailblazing Mezzo-Soprano Grace Bumbry Dies at 86 https://operawire.com/obituary-legendary-trailblazing-mezzo-soprano-grace-bumbry-dies-at-86/  1)Talking Derry Girls podcast on The Big Light Network. https://www.thebiglight.com/talkingderrygirls  2) Edinburgh International Festival, the first by new Scottish Director, Nicola Benedetti, which has the theme, 'Where Do We Go From Here?'  https://www.eif.co.uk/  EAMONN:  New Film - AIR, available on Amazon. Directed by Ben Affleck. Cast includes Viola Davis and Matt Damon . The film follows the history of shoe salesman Sonny Vaccaro, and how he led Nike in its pursuit of the greatest athlete in the history of basketball, Michael Jordan.  https://press.amazonstudios.com/us/en/original-movies/air STUART:  Weak Teeth - Excellent debut novel by Edinburgh-based writer, LYNSEY MAY, exploring lost love, grief ...and toothache  https://birlinn.co.uk/product/weak-teeth/ 

Sara Mohr-Pietsch talks to violinist Nicola Benedetti as she prepares for her inaugural programme as Edinburgh International Festival director, becoming the first Scot to hold the position in the festival's 75-year history. Nicola discusses the challenges of balancing the festival job with life as a performer and sets out her vision for opening up music to a wider audience and deepening the culture of listening. We visit English National Opera to find out about a new staging of Henryk Gorecki's Symphony of Sorrowful Songs, 30 years after the first commercial recording of the piece shot to fame reaching number six in the UK pop album charts. Sara talks to Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya and director/designer Isabella Bywater about their new production of the piece and how the operatic setting changes our experience of the music. Baritone Lucia Lucas and composer Tom W Green discuss The World's Wife - a chamber opera from 2017 for string quartet and singer which uses text from the poetry collection by Carol Ann Duffy, who presents world history through the eyes of the wives and partners of the men in the history books. They talk to Sara about the use of material by historic women composers, the power of the poetry, and what it means to rework the piece with a transgender opera singer in 2023. And with stories in the media of a sector in decline, we look at what the numbers tell us about the state of classical music in the UK, with contributions from Anne Torreggiani at The Audience Agency on concert-going, Janis Susskind at Boosey and Hawkes on commissioning and audiences, and Dr Adam Whittaker at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire on uptake of A-levels and grade exams.

Edinburgh International Festival Artistic Director Nicola Benedetti joins Janice Forsyth

Live from Edinburgh, with a review of Alan Cumming's one man show, Burn, which sets out to update the biscuit-tin image of Robert Burns. Plus Counting & Cracking - the epic, multilingual life journey of four generations, from Sri Lanka to Australia. To review the Edinburgh International Festival performances, Kate Molleson is joined by Arusa Qureshi, writer and editor of Fest Magazine, and Alan Bissett, playwright, novelist and performer. Plus we speak to Scottish film director Charlotte Wells about her critically acclaimed new film Aftersun, as she returns to her home town to open this year's Edinburgh International Film Festival. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Emma Wallace Photo: Burn - Alan Cumming; picture credit - Gian Andrea di Stefano

Kate Molleson and guests live from Edinburgh Festival. Comedian and impressionist Matt Forde talks about capturing the essence of political figures in his show Clowns To The Left Of Me, Jokers To The Right. Mezzo Soprano Anne Sofie von Otter performs songs by Rufus Wainwright and Franz Schubert on the eve of her Edinburgh International Festival concert. Playwright Uma Nada-Rajah on her topical new farce for the National Theatre of Scotland. Exodus is about the race for political leadership and immigration policy. International festival director Fergus Linehan and Chief Executive of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Shona McCarthy swap notes on innovation, survival and legacy for one of the world's biggest arts festivals. Presenter: Kate Molleson Producer: Nicki Paxman Photo: the cast of Exodus. Picture credit: Brian Hartley

Richard Demarco and Marco Federici chat to Janice about "Rico: The Richard Demarco Story"

Episode Links Anurekha Ghosh (@anurekhaghosh) • Instagram photos and videos Anurekha Ghosh Dance World - YouTube SHOW HIGHLIGHTS (0:02:34) Moving to India from UK (0:06:56) Transitioning to working and learning in India (0:17:42) How do you perform for a learned audience (0:14:17) Doing Kathak away from Delhi (0:16:26) Kathak in Kolkata (0:18:53) How have your productions evolved over time? (0:21:49) The wish to start presenting more traditional work (0:25:18) Dealing with conflicts during collaborations (0:27:07) Handling ticket sales/costs/logistics (0:29:53) The evolution of tradition (0:32:08) Doing camera based work (0:40:33) Impact and Legacy BIO Anurekha Ghosh is one of the finest internationally acclaimed BBC award-winning Indian Classical Kathak dancers. Her technique and style is a combination of “tradition and modernity”. She has shown her excellence in Choreography be it in the classical or contemporary genre. She has been trained in classical Kathak dance, specializing in the Lucknow Gharana since her childhood under the guidance of Smt. Meera Majumdar and Smt. Mousumi Sen in Calcutta. Anurekha moved to the United Kingdom in 1992 and took further training in Kathak with Guru Pratap Pawar. She received extensive training under the renowned Kathak exponent Nahid Siddiqui from Pakistan. She received advanced ‘talim' from Tabla exponent Pt. Dinanath Mishra of Benaras Gharana. She is fortunate to receive in-depth guidance and ‘talim' from the finest Kathak exponent and Guru Smt. Durga Arya. She learnt the art of Kalaripayattu, a South Indian Martial Arts at CVN Kalari, Kerala. She has trained in vocal music from Smt. Swagatalakshmi Dasgupta in Kolkata. Anurekha has performed in the major theatres and Festivals all over the world as a soloist or with her company productions. She has performed in USA, Canada, all over Europe, India, Estonia, Japan, Pakistan, Indonesia and the UK including Royal Opera House, London, South Bank Centre, London, Edinburgh Fringe Festival Madission Square Gardens New York, Festival of FEZ, Morocco (sharing the stage as a soloist with Pandit Ravi Shankar and Anouska Shankar) and Edinburgh International Festival, Scotland, New York Kathak Festival, USA, DancElation Festival, USA, Vande Mataram Dance Festival organized by Sangeet Natak Academy, New Delhi to name a few. She has choreographed and created many classical and contemporary productions for her company: Anurekha Ghosh and Company. Anurekha received the awards for Arts & culture category presented by the Asian women Achievement Awards in collaboration with BBC, The Lisa Ullman Scholarship for Dance and Movement, the Best choreographer for The Place Choreodrome at The Place Dance Theatre UK, Nritya Shiromani, Naatyasaaradhi, Natya Damru, “Tujhe Salaam” by ILEAD (Indian Institute of Management, Kolkata), Nritha Vilasini, REX KARMAVEER fellowship from ICONGO instituted by United Nations, Amravati award, Pandit Arjun Mishra award and Padmavati award, Kala Bhushan award to name a few. Anurekha collaborated with internationally renowned choreographers like Padmashree Kumudini Lakhia, Akram Khan (UK), Nahid Siddiqui (Pakistan/UK), Shobana Jeyasingh (UK), Mark Baldwin (UK), Andre Gingras (Holland), Héla Fattoumi and Eric Lamoureux, Via Dance Company, France. She has danced in the Michael Howell film “FRANKENSTEIN” choreographed by Mark Baldwin, screened on BBC. Her performance is also featured in the film THE SUFI WORLD. She has given many performances on BBC, Channel 4, French Television, and Indian Television. Anurekha shares her time in India and the west, teaching classical Kathak to aspiring students across the world, She has been conducting dance workshops and master-classes in Primary and Secondary schools, Special Needs schools, Performing Arts colleges and University all across the globe. She has been imparting classical Kathak dance training in intensive retreats attended by students from various parts of the world. Intro Music Credit: Bansure Raga | Doug Maxwell

Stuart and Eamonn are joined by journalist and photographer, David Pratt. This week - the war in Ukraine, the Scottish Government's new economic strategy, Nicola Benedetti announced as the new director of the Edinburgh International Festival and a listener question on press regulation. At the end of the show, Stuart, Eamonn and David share their personal media recommendations. To listen to the full hour-long episode, and for a full list of recommendations, join the Talk Media Club (99p per week + VAT): patreon.com/talkmedia After I've joined the club, how do I listen? Download the Patreon app (iOS/Android) and login with your account details.

Laura Barger from Yarn/Wire joins the Soundweavers team to chat about what it really means to proceed without a plan, auditioning and integrating new members, and the usefulness of the recording process for musicians. We discuss their collaborative project Be Holding with the poet Ross Gay, composer Tyshawn Sorey, and director Brooke O'Harra, and the first- to twelfth-grade students of Girard College. Laura shares about the ensemble's web series Feedback, in which they focus on the process of making new music. And, we speak about the Yarn/Wire International Institute, a tuition-free program serving both performers and composers. Yarn/Wire is a New York-based percussion and piano quartet (Sae Hashimoto and Russell Greenberg, percussion; Laura Barger and Ning Yu, pianos) dedicated to the promotion of creative, experimental new music. Pianist Julia Den Boer will join as guest artist for the 2021-2022 season. Described by The Brooklyn Rail as “fascinating and exciting, with playing that is precise and full of purpose,” the ensemble is admired globally for the energy and precision it brings to performances of today's most adventurous compositions. Founded in 2005, the ensemble seeks to expand the representation of composers so that it might begin to better reflect our communities and experience new creative potential. Yarn/Wire appears internationally at prominent festivals and venues including the Lincoln Center Festival, Edinburgh International Festival, Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Hall, Rainy Days Festival (Luxembourg), Ultima Festival (Norway), Transit Festival (Belgium), Dublin SoundLab, Monday Evening Concerts (Los Angeles), Contempuls Festival (Prague), Brooklyn Academy of Music, New York's Miller Theatre at Columbia University, River-to-River Festival, La MaMa Theatre, Festival of New American Music, and London's Barbican Centre. Their numerous commissions include works from composers such as Enno Poppe, Michael Gordon, George Lewis, Ann Cleare, Peter Evans, Alex Mincek, Thomas Meadowcroft, Misato Mochizuki, Sam Pluta, Tyondai Braxton, and Kate Soper. The ensemble enjoys collaborations with genre-bending artists such as Tristan Perich, Ben Vida, Mark Fell, and Sufjan Stevens. Through the Yarn/Wire International Institute and Festival and other educational residencies and outreach programs, Yarn/Wire works to promote not only the present but also the future of new music in the United States. Their ongoing commissioning series, Yarn/Wire/Currents, serves as an incubator for new experimental music. The transcript for this episode can be found here. For more information about Yarn/Wire, please visit their website, Bandcamp, Yarn/Wire Feedback Series, and YouTube (Yarn/Wire International Institute).

In today's episode: Mendelssohn's concert overture ‘The Hebrides' goes under the microscope, Tim unwraps the musical history of the Olympic Games and Sam chats to Andrew Moore, Head of Music at the Edinburgh International Festival.Listen along with the score of the ‘Hebrides' overture: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJt8nW2sURE …Music referenced;'Colourful', produced by Ryosuke Imai, UTA, Sunny Boy and Jun'Mentre dormi' from Vivaldi's L'Olimpiade, performed by Christopher Lowrey and Voices of Music'Olympische Hymne' (‘Olympic Hymn') by Richard StraussDmitri Shostakovich's Festive Overture in A Major, performed by the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra under Yuri TemirkanovGeorge Gershwin's Rhapsody in BlueMendelssohn's ‘The Hebrides' performed by Wilhelm Furtwangler and the Berlin PhilharmonicOrnette Coleman's ‘Lonely Woman'…Follow us here: instagram.com/classicalpod/ twitter.com/ClassicalPod facebook.com/ClassicalPod/