It’s the season finale (sort of — stay tuned for a bonus ep next week 👀), and we are giddy on gin and glowing with Agathe admiration.

This week, we’re talking about the extraordinary Agathe Backer Grøndahl — composer, pianist, and all-round icon. Ben is now a fully signed-up Patribachy Super Fan™. Ellie attempts a segue — we’ll let you be the judge of how that goes — and the whole episode has a real air of celebration.

That’s because this one is brought to you in collaboration with Faber Music Publishing 🎉 Faber invited us to the Norwegian Ambassador’s Residence (casual) for a lecture recital all about Agathe’s brilliant music, and we rejigged the whole schedule to bring you this very special episode.

It’s the end of the season — the gin is flowing, the vibes are high, and there’s a lot of love for the music of Agathe Backer Grøndahl. Come and see the season out with us 🥹🥂

Set the mood with these playlists:
🎵 Listen on Spotify
🎶 Listen on Apple Music

Interested in purchasing your own Backer Grøndahl scores? Thought you might be:

🧚 Faber Music

More music, more history, and more fun at www.debutpodcasts.co.uk

This week, we bring you an episode recorded across two continents, ten days apart, and in the middle of a storm.What could possibly go wrong?

Ellie is recording from Kenya, Ben is battling Storm Darragh, and the result is perhaps our most chaotic episode yet. But don’t worry — Ben’s exquisite vamping skills keep us (somewhat) on track while we repeatedly lose connection, then pick up perfectly where we left off (Ben was, of course, still at his desk waiting the entire time).

When we finally get there, we talk about Muriel Herbert — a brilliant composer whose music is so stunning that Roger Quilter should start looking nervous. We make our case for why she should be at the heart of every classical singer’s repertoire, and Ellie casually predicts her full engagement while she’s at it. Spoiler alert 🚨 she was right 🤭

It’s a mess, but it’s our mess, and we love it.

Get listening with this week's playlists:
🎵 Listen on Spotify
🎶 Listen on Apple Music

More music, more history, and A BLOG at www.debutpodcasts.co.uk!

This week, it’s finally happening... we’re talking about Amy Beach, and no one is happier about it than Ben. In fact, he might actually say she’s his favourite Patribachy composer (bold claim indeed).

But, in true Down with the Patribachy fashion, it takes us an embarrassingly long time to actually get there. Along the way, we get somewhat sidetracked by Virgo discourse, cultural appropriation in folk-inspired music, and wheth.

Also this week, Ellie may or may not say something so outrageous that Ben threatens to retire from the podcast entirely. Will he go through with it? No. But is it dramatic? Yes.

It’s chaotic, it’s unhinged, but it’s a great time, as always.

You can listen to some lovely music by Amy Beach below:

🎵 Listen on Spotify
🎶 Listen on Apple Music

🎟️ Get your ticket for EMPOWER 2025: London – an incredible evening celebrating women in music, featuring live performances and industry talks with legends like Errollyn Wallen CBE, Jess Gillam MBE, Héloïse Werner, and Dr. Leah Broad. It’s happening Friday, 21 March 2025 at King’s Place, London, and it’s completely unmissable.
👉 Tickets & more info at empowerwomenchangingmusic.com

And as always, visit us at www.debutpodcasts.co.uk for more, including our BRAND NEW BLOG!

We’re back with another week of Down with the Patribachy and this time, we’re talking about the brilliant DAME Judith Weir – the first female Master of the Queen's Music!

But, as always, we take a slightly scenic route to get there. In this episode, Ellie attempts to tell Judith's story in chronological order (spoiler: she fails), Ben contributes ✨very little✨ and GUYS we have our first ever (unofficial) sponsor!!! It’s unpaid, but that’s showbiz, baby.

It’s another chaotic, brilliant, joyful week at Down with the Patribachy.

Fancy listening to some of Dame Judith's bangers? Obvs:

🎵 Listen on Spotify

🎶 Listen on Apple Music

More music, info and our FIRST EVER DEBUT BLOG (written by B himself) at debutpodcasts.co.uk.

🎟️ Get your ticket for EMPOWER 2025: London – an incredible evening celebrating women in music, featuring live performances and industry talks with legends like Errollyn Wallen CBE, Jess Gillam MBE, Héloïse Werner, and Dr. Leah Broad. It’s happening Friday, 21 March 2025 at King’s Place, London, and it’s completely unmissable.
👉 Tickets & more info at empowerwomenchangingmusic.com

This week, we eventually get around to talking about William Grant Still – the legendary composer who blended African musical heritage with Western classical traditions to create something truly groundbreaking. But not before we take some serious detours.

Expect:
🎻 A deep dive into Still’s fusion of spirituals, jazz, and orchestral music
📚 Ben’s History Club (aka revision videos on YouTube)
⏳ Ellie’s ongoing war with chronological order
🗣️ An unexpected ASMR moment (?!?)
💧 A theory that there must be something in the water in Little Rock, Arkansas
🎭 And a bold claim about the future of Welsh musicals

The word of the week (more than ever) is "anyway", because honestly, we need it.

Set the mood with these playlists:

🎵 Listen on Spotify
🎶 Listen on Apple Music

More music, more history, and more fun at www.debutpodcasts.co.uk!

It’s our St David’s Day special 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 (well, the day before – but close enough 💐), and we’re celebrating by diving into the life and music of Grace Williams – the trailblazing Welsh composer who fused national identity with European modernism. From stormy seas to nursery tunes, she created some of the most evocative music of the 20th century, all while battling the expectation that composing was a man’s job.

That is, of course, if we can ever actually get past the introduction… Expect many false starts, some truly cursed attempts at professionalism, and a deep dive into the magic of Grace’s music

Hear more below:

🎼 Listen on YouTube

🎵 Listen on Spotify

🎶 Listen on Apple Music

More music, more history, and a BRAND NEW BLOG (xxx) at www.debutpodcasts.co.uk!

This week, things are a little bit chaotic, but we’re shining a spotlight on Fanny Mendelssohn – a musical genius too often overshadowed by her famous brother, Felix (even though she wrote some of his best tunes 🙄). It’s time to give Fanny her due! We’re talking about her STUNNING compositions, the magic of Salon concerts (think candlelight, great music, and even better gossip), and why her work deserves to stand on its own.

Oh, and in groundbreaking news… we got our first ever sponsor! Finally, the corporate world has recognised our tireless work dismantling the patriarchy through niche classical music chat. Stay tuned for what is sure to be the most seamless and not-at-all ridiculous ad break in podcast history.

Set the mood with these playlists:

🎵 Listen on Spotify
🎶 Listen on Apple Music

More music, more history, and more fun at www.debutpodcasts.co.uk!

This week, Ellie and Ben are getting romantic and falling in love with the music of Harry Burleigh, a man who seamlessly blended African spirituals with Western classical music. Historically, Black and white musical traditions were kept apart, but Burleigh brought them together in a marriage fit for Valentine’s Day. From his stunning vocal works (some of which are very sexy — Feb 14th levels of sexy 😉🤭) to his lasting influence on classical music, we’re covering it all.

Oh, and speaking of romance… Ellie got engaged! Expect joyful chaos.

Get in the mood with these playlists:

🎵 Listen on Spotify

🎶 Listen on Apple Music

More music, more history, and more fun at www.debutpodcasts.co.uk!

After getting over the fact that they aren't being basic by talking about composers you ✨might✨ know so well, this week, Ellie and Ben are talking about the life and legacy of Clara Schumann! 🤩

Child prodigy, virtuoso pianist and a composer chronically overshadowed by her brother (and her romantic life), Clara Schumann was an absolute force in the 19th century music scene – oh, and she did it while raising EIGHT KIDS 👶👶👶👶👶👶👶👶

We unpack her gender, her genius, and whether or not she belongs in our brand spanking new canon 🎶

Want to hear her music? Obvs:

🎵 Listen on Spotify

🎶 Listen on Apple Music

Keep an eye on www.debutpodcasts.co.uk for more, and email Ellie and Ben with recommendations, ideas or literally anything else at [email protected] 💌

Down with the Patribachy is a debut podcast. This episode was produced by James Edgeler.

We’re BACK, bigger and better than ever for Series 3 of Down with the Patribachy!

(We promise the audio gets better the longer you listen)

And who better to kick things off than the phenomenal Errollyn Wallen — composer, singer, and all-round legend. From opera houses to outer space, she has never let barriers stand in the way of her talent and passion for music-making, saying 'we don't break down barriers ... we don't see any'.

Expect deep dives and big laughs from Ellie and Ben. They're happy to be back.

Want to hear her work? Of course you do:

🎵 Listen on Spotify🎶 Listen on Apple Music

Keep an eye on www.debutpodcasts.co.uk for more! ✨

Down with the Patribachy is a debut podcast. This episode was produced by James Edgeler.