The Essay

2. Stephen Marquiss


Listen Later

Kate Kennedy meets musicians who, like her, had to stop playing after injury and rethink their lives. What does this mean for a musician's relationship with their instrument?

Aged 11, Stephen Marquiss was labelled an exemplary piano scholar. Gaining a music specialist place in 1990 Stephen promptly attained the highest ABRSM exam mark in the country and reached the televised semi-final of BBC Young Musicians. But then injury forced him to pull out. At 18, his career was all but over, having struggled with recurring RSI, musculo-skeletal issues, which destroyed his confidence and mental health. Ironically, this crisis forced him to address fundamental aspects of how piano is taught and played - and now at 45, Stephen has his own school of playing called Piano Portals, which seeks to rewrite how practice is approached. Kate takes him back to his practice rooms, to help us understand the intensity and the fear of failure that drove him to injury and we learn how his new approach to playing unfolded.

Presenter: Kate Kennedy

Producer: Erika Wright
Production Coordinator: Elisabeth Tuohy
Executive Producer: Rami Tzabar
Healing Musicians is a TellTale Industries production for BBC Radio 3

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The EssayBy BBC Radio 3

  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2
  • 4.2

4.2

82 ratings


More shows like The Essay

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,924 Listeners

Ask Penguin by Penguin Books UK

Ask Penguin

143 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,063 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,577 Listeners

The Documentary Podcast by BBC World Service

The Documentary Podcast

1,801 Listeners

Arts & Ideas by BBC Radio 4

Arts & Ideas

303 Listeners

6 Minute English by BBC Radio

6 Minute English

1,748 Listeners

Learning English Conversations by BBC Radio

Learning English Conversations

1,024 Listeners

The Infinite Monkey Cage by BBC Radio 4

The Infinite Monkey Cage

1,951 Listeners

Great Lives by BBC Radio 4

Great Lives

488 Listeners

Backlisted by Backlisted

Backlisted

585 Listeners

The Conversation by BBC World Service

The Conversation

71 Listeners

BBC Inside Science by BBC Radio 4

BBC Inside Science

411 Listeners

Thinking Allowed by BBC Radio 4

Thinking Allowed

305 Listeners

Curious Cases by BBC Radio 4

Curious Cases

760 Listeners

The Audio Long Read by The Guardian

The Audio Long Read

839 Listeners

Front Row by BBC Radio 4

Front Row

129 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

61 Listeners

Bookclub by BBC Radio 4

Bookclub

241 Listeners

Word of Mouth by BBC Radio 4

Word of Mouth

56 Listeners

Private Passions by BBC Radio 3

Private Passions

52 Listeners

The TLS Podcast by The TLS

The TLS Podcast

181 Listeners

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II by BBC World Service

13 Minutes Presents: Artemis II

4,170 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,236 Listeners