As a week exploring the legacy of the late great Dutch maestro Bernard Haitink draws to a close on Radio 3, Tom Service talks to today’s cohort of leading conductors and hears how they work their magic from the podium. With contributions from Marin Alsop and Sir Antonio Pappano, alongside rising stars Ryan Bancroft and Kalena Bovell, Rebecca Miller and Alice Farnham share their thoughts, too, and examine questions of leadership and new approaches to pedagogy.

With her new sound and video installation opening at Kings Place in London, Composer Hannah Conway joins Tom to talk about her work exploring voice loss and identity. We also speak to the soprano Lucy Crowe and Tanja Bage, a singer whose larynx were removed following a diagnosis of throat cancer, about their involvement in Sound Voice and their experience of duetting together.

And, the four members of the Takacs Quartet join Tom from their home in Boulder, Colorado, to discuss – amongst other things – surviving lockdown, the ensemble’s 47-year history, and their latest projects.