In this podcast we give the brain a rest and take an excursion into the music world. Trevor Ford, Professor at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, talks to Stephen Brown about his journey from the East End of London to a career as a professional flautist, organist and choir master (an organiser of the annual 'Messiah from Scratch' at the Albert Hall) alongside, accountancy, business management and editing. They discuss the benefits he and Stephen gained from the free music tuition available to children of working class families in the East End in the 1960s and the importance of giving the next generation musical opportunities, but also survival skills necessary for a life in the music jungle.

Participants:

Trevor Ford, professor, Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London. https://www.gsmd.ac.uk/staff/trevor-ford

Stephen Brown, cellist, composer http://cornwallcomposers.com/stephen.htm

Music (with the permission): Handel's Messiah were sung by the Really Big Chorus accompanied by the English Festival Orchestra at the Royal Albert Hall in 2014.

Brainland the opera website: www.brainlandtheopera.co.uk

Sketch by Ken Barrett.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.