FestCast by Cheltenham Festivals

From 2014, a special remembrance programme for John Tavener, performed in Gloucester Cathedral. 'Scatter roses over my tears' was given its premiere performance by the Cavaleri Quartet, and 'Towards Silence' was performed by the Cavaleri Quartet, joined by the Celan Quartet, the Gildas Quartet and Quatuor Hermes, with support from Arts Council England.

The second episode from our Composium day features a moving short talk from James Murphy, Chief Executive of the Royal Philharmonic Society, and our second panel session with speakers Hannah Kendall composer, Huw Watkins pianist and composer, Emma-Ruth Richards composer and Harriet Wybor, composer and Classical Relationship Manager from PRS for Music. Composium kindly supported by Penny McCracken & John Mumford, The John S Cohen Foundation and The Michael Tippett Musical Foundation. In partnership with PRS for Music and Wild Plum Arts.

In this episode, Camilla King is joined by Lucy Schaufer and Zoe Martlew to discuss creativity in lockdown, what comes next, and Zoe's song cycle 'Musae', premiered at the 2019 Music Festival.

Science Festival Chair Vivienne Parry is joined by four UCL professors to explore how we can tackle and track the virus. Professor of Biochemical Engineering Suzanne Farid, Richard Angell, Principal Research Associate, Francois Balloux, Chair in Computational Biology Systems and Judith Breuer, Professor of Virology.

What can be learned from past pandemics to help us prepare for the future? Science Festival Chair Vivienne Parry is joined by John Sabapathy, Senior Lecturer in Medieval History, Nicola Miller, Professor of Latin-American History, Graham Hart, Professor of Sexual Health and HIV Research and Professor of Infectious Disease, Anne Johnson.

A UCL team made up of Professor of Climatology Mark Maslin, Associate Professor of Science & Technology Studies Jack Stilgoe and Professor of Virology, Deenan Pillay talk to Science Festival Chair, Vivienne Parry about our future post-coronavirus.

How can we stay sane on a planet shrouded in chaos? How do we stay human in a technological world? How do we feel happy when we are encouraged to be anxious? Matt Haig has been a pivotal figure in the conversation about mental health since Reasons To Stay Alive, a book which tells the story of how he overcame the illness that almost destroyed him. The follow-up, Notes On A Nervous Planet has been described as, 'an honest and human guide to coping with the modern world' and has become an essential for people all over the world. Drawing on his own experiences, he links what he felt with the world around him and shares his reflections on how we can feel happy and human in the twenty-first century. He talks to broadcaster Claudia Hammond.

Back in the day when the country was locked in frenzied discussions over backstops, borders and all things Brexit We asked Sebastian Faulks - novelists Philip Hensher and Sarah Moss, and Sunday Times dating columnist Dolly Alderton to go head-to-head in a literary tussle over the real nature of two of the canon's most notable romantic heroes.

On the outskirts of war-torn Damascus, a man pushes his piano into the street and begins to play; an act of defiance that will become a beacon of hope and resistance for the people of Syria. Accompanied by a spellbinding live performance, Aeham Ahmad shares his extraordinary story of the healing power of music in the face of despair which serves as a timely reminder of the importance of not turning your back on creativity and culture in times of crisis. He talks – and sings – to international correspondent Lyse Doucet.

We are all still getting used to the surreal way of life that comes with a lockdown. But what about people who already choose to live entirely off-grid? No running water, no phone, no electricity or any of the things it powers – just a wooden cabin on a smallholding by the edge of the forest. In today's podcast, intrepid traveller Mark Boyle and adventurer Ben Fogle explore the hard-won joys of life without modern technology and ask what it means to be human at a time when the boundaries between man and machine are blurred.