By Ella Lee
A deep-dive into the intricate world of classical music and all that comes with working in it. Host Ella Lee chats to a bunch of brilliant guests from across the profession, discussing their best c
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The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.
In Episode 28 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee talks to Benjamin Levy, creator of Classics Explained: a team of young content creators making animated videos that explain the stories and creative processes behind famous works of classical music. In this episode, Ben shares his reasons for starting the series and how those goals have developed over the years; his observations around what his audience wants to see, the resistance the series has faced on the internet, and why the human elements of the stories remain at the centre of each video.
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Classics Explained
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
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Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
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This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In Episode 27 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee chats to pianist Adam Heron about lacking a sense of belonging as a ‘third-culture kid’; how working outside the music world transformed his relationship with it; his long recovery from repetitive strain injury, which involved deconstructing and reconstructing his entire approach to the piano; and what conservatoires might be missing in the realm of injury prevention and support.
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Adam's links:
X (formerly Twitter)
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
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Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
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This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
In Episode 26 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee is joined by composer Freya Waley-Cohen to talk about building and sustaining a composing career in today’s world, her song cycle ‘Spell Book’ (the focal work and title of her debut album, out this Friday on NMC Recordings), being humiliated by a professor, her creative process, and what it is about the occult that has inspired so much of her music.
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Freya's links:
Website
X
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
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This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
John Suchet OBE is a well-loved radio and TV presenter, author, and journalist. For thirty years he was known primarily as a reporter and newscaster for ITN, covering major world events including the Philippines Revolution and the fall of the Berlin Wall. In 2008, the Royal Television Society awarded him with their highest accolade, the Lifetime Achievement Award. After leaving TV news John fell headfirst into a second career, in which he has been able to indulge his lifelong passion for music (Beethoven in particular). He presented Classic FM’s flagship morning show for around a decade, later moving to The Classic FM Concert, and he still returns to present special series to this day.
John’s eighth book on Beethoven is out tomorrow via Elliot and Thompson. Titled In Search of Beethoven: A Personal Journey, it is quite unlike his others so far in that it combines the lives of both Beethoven and John himself; in a book that is part biography, part memoir, and part travelogue.
In this episode, John talks about… well, Beethoven, but also why the process of writing this book was different to his others; and the nature of evolving scholarship meaning that things we’ve known to be true for years can suddenly turn out to be incorrect. John also talks about the tricky juxtaposition of his love and admiration for Beethoven ‘the artist’ with his difficult feelings about Beethoven ‘the man’. Away from Beethoven, John shares how the pinnacle of his news career happened due to – in his words – sheer luck, and also the story of the time that same high-flying news career imploded on him.
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John's links:
Website
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
British Conductor Tess Jackson is the Associate Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra. Originally a violinist, Tess was inspired to take up conducting aged just fourteen, eventually going on to study music at Cambridge University and then a Masters in Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music. Some highlights of the upcoming season include her symphonic debut with the Philharmonia, West Side Story at Volksoper Vienna, and she has recently been assisting Enrique Mazzola at the Lyric Opera Chicago.
In this episode, Tess gives us an insight - through the eyes of an artist in the early days of her career - into the various roles a conductor can play; and how she had to challenge her own self-perception in order to find confidence as a very young conductor. She also talks about her recent debut at this year’s Proms with the National Youth Orchestra, and the incredible role that the orchestra played in her own development when she herself was a member.
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Tess's links:
Website
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Soprano Claire Booth is internationally renowned for her dedication to a vast repertoire, as well as the vitality and musicianship that she brings to the stage. Opera highlights include the title roles in Handel's Berenice for the Royal Opera and Janacek's Cunning Little Vixen for Garsington Opera, and her concert appearances have resulted in close associations with the BBC orchestras, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra. Claire has also collaborated with Pierre Boulez, Gustavo Dudamel and Yannick Nezet-Seguin, to name a few, and has premiered nearly 100 works over the course of her career so far.
Claire's 2024 activity has focused on celebrating Schoenberg in his 150th anniversary year, with performances of a whole range of his works, and two albums centred around his music: 'Expressionist Music' with Christopher Glynn, released in May, and 'Pierrot Portraits' with Ensemble 360, released last Friday, with Pierrot Lunaire at its heart.
In this episode, Claire talks more about her longstanding relationship with Pierrot Lunaire, and how the new album came to be; plus the eclectic career she’s forged for herself, and how her recent Masters in Cultural Policy and Management has given her an even broader perspective on the industry as a whole. Claire also talks about the time she underwent surgery for pre-nodules, not being able to speak for a month, and wondering whether she would be able to sing again.
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Claire's links:
Website
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
American conductor Kellen Gray currently holds the position of Associate Artist with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the first of its kind, but leads a vibrant professional life on both sides of the Atlantic. Recent engagements include the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Minnesota Orchestra, the English National Opera and the Philharmonia, and the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra in Indiana where he is Conductor and Artistic Director.
One of the foremost experts and interpreters of the music of African-diasporic composers, Kellen is Assistant Editor and Conductor Liaison for the African Diasporic Music Project. He is also known for being an incredibly versatile artist, crediting the wealth of folk-music styles of the south-eastern United States as some of his earliest influences, which have led to a deep understanding and mastery of not just music that incorporates American folk idioms, but also other composers for whom folk music was important, such as Bartok, de Falla and Vaughan Williams.
In this episode, Kellen takes us on his journey from violinist to beekeeper(!) to conductor, including the role that burnout played along the way. He also talks about the importance of diverse programming that is art-led; how despite having many supportive people around him there were times that, as a black conductor, he wasn’t taken seriously; and how much the process of recording his two African American Voices albums with the RSNO meant to him.
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Kellen's links:
Website
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Alexandra Whittingham is a prominent figure in the guitar world. At the age of 16, she began filming and editing videos of herself playing popular guitar repertoire and posting them online, rapidly catching the attention of viewers all over the world. Since then Alexandra’s online community continues to grow, and her videos have amassed over 50 million views since. She's also a recording artist on the Decca Classics label, and a member of the guitar faculty at Chetham’s School of Music (where she first started her own musical journey at the age of 11).
In this episode, Alexandra talks about how she manages her online presence with such a large following, and how her approach there hasn’t changed much over the years, despite the internet and social media being a very different place to when she first started out. We discuss how the guitar is still a relatively new instrument in the classical realm, though fast-growing in popularity, and Alexandra talks about the enjoyment she's found in playing to intimate venues. She also recounts the repressed memory of the time she didn’t have a visa the day before she was due to set off on tour...
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Alexandra's links:
Website
YouTube
Spotify
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
British cellist Guy Johnston has had an exciting and varied career since winning the BBC Young Musician competition in the year 2000. He has performed with many leading orchestras worldwide, and collaborated with a host of illustrious conductors including the late Sir Andrew Davis, Sakari Oramo and Yuri Simonov. A passionate chamber musician, Guy is the founding Artistic Director of the Hatfield House Music Festival, which takes place annually, and performs regularly at prestigious venues and festivals across Europe; he is also a prolific recording artist, with much of his discography championing contemporary British composers. Alongside his work as a performer, Guy is an inspiring teacher: he is a visiting Professor of Cello at the Royal Academy of Music, and recently moved back to the UK after six years at New York's Eastman School of Music as Associate Professor of Cello.
In this episode, we talk about nature versus nurture in the context of developing musicians, and how since becoming a father Guy has discovered certain parallels with teaching. He also reflects very honestly on his BBC Young Musician win aged just 18 (and the whirlwind aftermath) and tells the heartwarming story of taking his Tecchler cello on a journey from Cambridge to Rome.
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Guy's links:
Website
YouTube
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
*This discussion touches on intrusive thoughts around death and suicide - please skip through if you need to*
Hattie Butterworth is a journalist, cellist and founder of Things Musicians Don’t Talk About: a podcast, blog and online platform born in 2020 out of Hattie’s own struggles with her mental health. Subsequently growing into a space that raises awareness for musicians’ health and wellbeing, TMDTA platforms very honest discussions about stigmatised topics including mental health, injuries, and discrimination in the industry. Hattie is also the editor of two magazines, Opera Now and Choir and Organ.
In this episode, Hattie spoke about performance anxiety, her complicated relationship with the cello, and her long-lasting struggles with OCD. She also talks about a piece she wrote for the Evening Standard on psychological abuse in conservatoires, burnout and balancing being present in the everyday with the constant reflection on past experiences that her TMDTA work requires of her.
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Hattie's links:
Website
Twitter/X
Things Musicians Don't Talk About
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
The podcast currently has 29 episodes available.