Talking Classical Podcast

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Welcome to the first Talking Classical Podcast of 2021! Kate Royal is one of the world's leading sopranos. In this podcast, we talk about her journey into music and classical singing, and what it was like training at the world-renowned conservatoire, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Kate was a very conscientious student at music college, so she also discusses having a fulfilling balance between singing and life post-conservatoire and later on in her career. Additionally, she highlights the skill and ability opera singers need in order to negotiate many different facets both in the profession and act of live performance. Kate now wants to inspire the younger generation of singers, so she is in the early stages of setting up a support network for singers of all ages in conjunction with her alma mater, the National Opera Studio. She talks about this network and, in that light, offers her advice to young singers and musicians during this current coronavirus pandemic. Many thanks to Kate for talking to me! Kate's bio: kateroyal.net/about. UPDATE - Kate is a mentor for the Singers Resound initiative, which launched this year. Singers Resound is an online mentoring scheme for professional opera singers to discuss various issues related to their lives and careers in a safe, supportive way. https://www.singersresound.co.uk. 

The PlayScore 2 giveaway is now closed. Music in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast.

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In this podcast, we'll be hearing from Canadian pianist Sandra Mogensen. To commemorate the bicentenary of Clara Schumann's birth, Sandra released an album in December 2019 entitled En Pleine Lumière (In Full Light), a collection of piano music by women composers from c.1840-1870. It is part of a multi-album and concert project, shedding light on women composers, of which En Pleine Lumière is the first album. In this podcast, Sandra discusses the research process of finding these often neglected gems, common perceptions and stereotypes surrounding the music of women composers, and what the classical music industry and people ― like Sandra ― can do to help alleviate these. This is a wonderfully enlightening discussion to end 2020 so I hope that you enjoy it and the album as much as I did! Links: Sandra's bio: https://www.sandramogensen.com/about. Sandra's album En Pleine Lumière: https://sandramogensen.bandcamp.com/album/en-pleine-lumi-re Sandra's Patreon: patreon.com/sandramogensen. "Piano Music, She Wrote" YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/34URsmv. Statistics quoted in the podcast are cited from this article. "Female composers largely ignored by concert line-ups' by Mark Brown, The Guardian (13 June 2018): https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jun/13/female-composers-largely-ignored-by-concert-line-ups. Music in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast. Gavotte by Helen Hopekirk Feuilles d'automne (Autumn Leaves). Both extracts performed by Sandra Mogensen and taken from her album En Pleine Lumière. Album released December 4, 2019, recorded in Wuppertal, Germany, June 2019, and produced and mastered by Kaling Hanke.

Questions re-recorded for the podcast due to sound quality.

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In this podcast, I'm delighted to be talking to Dr Nico de Villiers. Nico is a pianist, vocal coach and researcher, and launched an invaluable musicians' career development podcast during the lockdown earlier this year, called "What Would Mozart Do?". We talk about his podcast and Nico shares some very interested insights into careers with regards to music colleges and the recent governmental debates surrounding occupations in the arts and music industries. We also talk about his journey into music and his fascinating research into Richard Hageman. Nico has co-authored a critical biography on this lesser known composer, pianist, conductor and vocal coach that will be released soon. Many thanks to Nico for talking to me! Nico's bio: https://www.nicodevilliers.com/biography. Podcast released 18 December 2020; interview recorded 7 December 2020. *Due to a technical issue during recording, the sound quality does change slightly about seven minutes into the podcast but hopefully that should not affect your listening experience too much!* Music used in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast.

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Welcome back to another episode of the Talking Classical Podcast! We're slightly moving away from the classical music world and exploring the wonderful world of dance and ballet, as in today's podcast, we'll be "zooming in" with former Principal Dancer of The Royal Ballet, Zenaida Yanowsky. Zenaida enjoyed a distinguished career for over twenty years as a dancer with London's Royal Ballet Company. She performed iconic roles such as Odette/Odile (Swan Lake), Manon and her infamous, "viral" creation as the Queen of Hearts in Christopher Wheeldon's modern classic 'Alice in Wonderland' (Alice's Adventures in Wonderland), premiered at London's Royal Opera House in 2011. Retiring in 2017, Zenaida now teaches and coaches dancers around the world. During this summer, I had the pleasure of talking to her partner on the podcast, renowned British baritone Sir Simon Keenlyside (https://soundcloud.com/talkingclassicalpodcast/ep-35-sir-simon-keenlyside) so I thought that it would be interesting to hear from his other half, as two performers at the highest level in the classical arts. In this podcast, we talk about Zenaida’s journey into dance and ballet, her career highlights in The Royal Ballet, including the creation of new characters/works, the relationship between dancers, conductors and live musicians, and the situation of the arts in the current coronavirus pandemic. Many thanks to Zenaida for taking the time out of her busy schedule to talk to me! Interview recorded 8 September 2020; podcast published 7 December 2020. Zenaida's bio: http://www.roh.org.uk/people/zenaida-yanowsky. Music used in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake (Op. 20), Introduction to Act 1. Jules Massenet, Don Quichotte, Introduction to Act One. Both extracts sourced from the European Archive via Musopen (tracks licensed under the Creative Common License Public Domain Mark 1.0). Link to the discussion with Sir David Bintley I referred to in this podcast: Off Pointe (Birmingham Royal Ballet's podcast), Episode 1 - David Bintley and the Will Mossops of Hobson's Choice. https://pod.co/brb-off-pointe/episode-1-david-bintley-and-the-will-mossops-of-hobsons-choice.

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Hershey has been renowned all over the world for his unique one-man shows, in which he portrays a range of iconic composers including Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Gershwin, Irving Berlin and Rachmaninoff. He both acts and performs extracts from works by the different composers. During this lockdown period, he has adapted these plays for film and are available to stream as part of his "Live From Florence" series. A Paris Love Story is the latest play available for streaming and has a semi-biographical narrative, in which he plays Debussy looking at Hershey's life. Earlier this week, I talked to Hershey about the play, what the music of Debussy means to him, the creative process behind his plays and adapting them for the camera. To purchase A Paris Love Story and the other films in Hershey's "Live From Florence" series, go to https://www.hersheyfelder.net. Interview with Hershey recorded 24th November 2020; podcast released 26th November 2020. Music used in the podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast. Claude Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (L. 86). Performed by the Columbia University Orchestra. Sourced from Musopen (track licensed under the Creative Common License Public Domain Mark 1.0).

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This week is Anti-Bullying Week. It’s a week that aims to raise awareness of bullying among children and young people and to emphasise ways we can tackle it and respond to it positively. Over the last few years on Talking Classical, we’ve explored a range of issues that are affected by bullying such as mental health and racism. I felt that it was important to address these issues with regards to the classical music industry so last month, I spoke to distinguished British conductor, broadcaster and TV presenter Charles Hazlewood. In May 2020, Charles appeared as a castaway on the iconic Radio 4 programme Desert Island Discs, where he took the opportunity to talk openly about his childhood experiences. Following an unprecedented response, he'll be hosting a special commission entitled Beethoven and Me, which will be shown on Sky Arts in December. This programme not only celebrates the 250th anniversary of the birth of Beethoven but is a deeply personal look at the life of this composer through the lens of one of his signature works, the 5th symphony, exploring how this famous work reveals Beethoven’s experiences such as child abuse, deafness and potential autism. Charles will be talking to us about this documentary, his appearance on Desert Island Discs and recovering from childhood trauma. He talks about his experiences of the lockdown period and recent governmental debates and perceptions surrounding the creative industries and the viability of freelance musicians' work. He discusses the act of being vulnerable and open, and shares some encouraging and motivating advice for anyone who’s been through similar experiences. This podcast discusses themes that may be of a sensitive nature so if you are affected by any of the issues, please seek help or talk to someone - there are some links below for advice and support. Thanks so much to Charles for taking the time to talk to me amidst his busy schedule. 

anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk. Charles' bio: charleshazlewood.com/about Interview with Charles recorded 22 Oct 2020; released 18 Nov 2020. Resources: Anti-Bullying Alliance anti-bullyingalliance.org.uk/tools-information/if-youre-being-bullied/find-help-and-support National Bullying Helpline nationalbullyinghelpline.co.uk 03003230169 (children's helpline) or 08452255787 Open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday YoungMinds youngminds.org.uk/find-help/feelings-and-symptoms/bullying YoungMinds Crisis Messenger 24/7 text support; free from EE, O2, Vodafone, 3, Virgin Mobile, BT Mobile, GiffGaff, Tesco Mobile and Telecom Plus. Text: YM to 85258 Bullying UK (Family Lives) [email protected] Online chat open 1:30pm to 5:30pm public.mc.hostedcc.com/familylives/forms/Chat/Family%20Lives%20Chat 08088002222 NAPAC napac.org.uk 08088010331 10am until 9pm Mondays to Thursdays, 10am until 6pm on Fridays [email protected] Article mentioned in the podcast: Ashley Fetters, Clara Chan and Nicholas Wu, "Classical Music Has A 'God Status' Problem," theatlantic.com/education/archive/2020/01/conservatories-sexual-harassment-abuse/604351 Music in this podcast: Ludwig van Beethoven, 1st movement "Allegro con brio" from Symphony no. 5 in C minor, op. 67. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, "Ach, ich fuhls" from The Magic Flute, K. 620, Act 2. Both extracts sourced from the European Archive via Musopen (tracks licensed under the Creative Common License Public Domain Mark 1.0).

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I'm pleased to introduce British pianist and composer Daniel Johnson, whose debut album "Faith" is released on Friday 6th November. Daniel enjoys a career as a concert pianist, performing on cruise ships and as the Classical Artistic Associate of the Harwich Festival. Daniel's new album "Faith" is an album of compositions, inspired by biographical experiences and the passing of time. Daniel's website: https://www.danieljohnsonmusic.co.uk Podcast published 3rd November 2020; interview with Daniel recorded on 14th September 2020. Music used in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast. "Faith della vita" and "Waterfall" by Daniel Johnson. Composed, performed, mixed and mastered by Daniel Johnson. Taken from his debut album "Faith." Available to purchase via online music stores and streaming services.

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In this podcast, I'll be talking to Dr Maiko Kawabata, Lecturer at the world-famous Royal College of Music. This podcast discussion was recorded earlier this month, in the wake of the tragic events surrounding the murdering of George Floyd. It was also recorded just a year after the pioneering symposium "Cultural Imperialism and the New 'Yellow Peril' in Western Classical Music," which took place in June 2019 at Senate House, London. The aim of this study way to encourage open discussions about "yellowness" and race within the classical music industry and to pave the way for further discussions such as those. You can read the fascinating report from this event here, which I helped to minute: https://bit.ly/2JmeCKx. We also talk about Dr Kawabata's background as a professional violinist and how she combines this with her work in academia to explore in her research notions of virtuosity, particularly, in the violin tradition of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. We discuss what virtuosity means today and some preconceptions around this construct. She has published a book that dispels common ideas around virtuosity, with specific reference to Paganini, who was, of course, one of the great violin virtuosi of his day. Many thanks to Dr Kawabata for talking to me! Interview recorded 4 July 2020; podcast published 30 October 2020. Maiko's bio: https://www.rcm.ac.uk/research/people/details/?id=04456. Music used in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast.

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An interview with Thomas Kemp, Artistic Director of the At Home with Music@Malling Festival 2020. Book your tickets for this festival here! https://musicatmalling.com Music used in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast.

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This episode of Talking Classical is presented in collaboration with Wigmore Hall. Nestled in the heart of London, just off Oxford Street, Wigmore Hall has established itself as the world’s leading chamber music venue. Its new concert series commences on Sunday 13th September and will be presented in line with government guidelines surrounding the coronavirus pandemic. Earlier this week, I was delighted to talked to John Gilhooly, the Director of Wigmore Hall, to learn more about how he and his team have been responding to the current crisis in terms of its artistic programming and financially. Of course, many concert halls all over the world have been capitalising on new media and social networks in this current time. Wigmore Hall has been a pioneer in digital media so we talked about the importance of the venue's "digital infrastructure" on its musical activities, promotions and outreach such as live streaming and bringing in a younger audience that may be experiencing chamber music for the first time. In addition, we discussed the Hall’s learning and participation strand and the pledge the venue has made to ensuring good mental health among its staff, artists and the wider Wigmore Hall community. What's more, John mentioned that within the programme, he's been able to respond to some issues that cause mental health problems such as racism and isolation. This, too, has been a response to the tragic events that took place over the summer. We also talked about what it takes to perform on stage at this iconic venue and some of the memorable performances that have taken place there over the years. This is an especially difficult time for the classical music business and the arts so if you're able to, please consider making a donation to Wigmore Hall, by going to wigmore-hall.org.uk/donate. You can also donate while watching Wigmore Hall’s Autumn Series concerts, which will all be live streamed on the Hall's website. All donations will be going directly to the Hall, its staff and artists. Many thanks to: John for taking the time out of his very busy schedule to talk to me. We actually recorded this interview on the day after the government reinstated some new guidelines in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jon Carvell and Tara Savile for kindly arranging and offering this wonderful opportunity. Podcast issued 12th September 2020; interview with John recorded 9th September 2020 via Zoom. John Gilhooly - Final Note Magazine article: finalnotemagazine.com/articles/john-gilhooly. Music used in this podcast: Music by audionautix.com. "Alla What (parody)," Creative Commons Music by Jason Shaw on Audionautix.com. Used in full and edited forms for the podcast.