The Classical Circuit

In Episode 29 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee talks to Jack Bazalgette, co-founder and Artistic Director of through the noise, and Artistic Director of the Cheltenham Music Festival. Jack talks about the appetite for classical music in intimate venues, and how there is a lot of crossover between the ‘noisenights’ demographic and that of conventional classical concerts. We talk about ‘classical music’ as an umbrella term, the future of classical music, and how through the noise initially got off the ground. Jack also shares his advice for others starting independent projects. -------------------through the noise:WebsiteInstagramTikTok-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).

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.-------------------Classics Explained-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).

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.-------------------Adam's links:FacebookX (formerly Twitter)Instagram-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).

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.-------------------Freya's links:WebsiteXInstagram-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).

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.-------------------John's links:Website-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).

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.-------------------Claire's links:WebsiteInstagram-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).

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.-------------------Kellen's links:WebsiteFacebookInstagram-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).

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...-------------------Alexandra's links:WebsiteInstagramYouTubeSpotify-------------------Follow The Classical Circuit on InstagramDid 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 MaillotinsPerformed 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).