Things Musicians Don't Talk About

We couldn't be more pleased to be releasing this interview with legendary journalist Jessica Duchen. Hosted in her beautiful home, we speak about her path into writing, how personal challenges have affected her outlook on life and journalism, and her decision to no longer be "muzzled". Her commitment to uncovering classical music's uncomfortable truths has resulted in some iconic articles, including her coverage of Ilan Volkov's 2025 Proms pro-Palestinian statement, the Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra and El-Sistema, and sexism in classical music. A true TMDTA hero.-------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Emma WernerMusic: Katy Ehrlich

This was never going to be a fun episode to make. After some months of sitting on this decision, we are sharing with you the news that TMDTA will come to an end in June after six years of beautiful conversations. In this episode, Becca and I discuss the reasons why and look back over the six years. Thank you thank you for all your incredible love and support – we are so grateful for this community and always will be.

What REALLY goes on in the world of ballet and specialist ballet schools? And how different is it to the world of classical music and what can we learn from ballet dancers as musicians?Louise Bennett is a former ballet dancer and Artistic Director of the London Vocational Ballet School. She Hattie and Becca about the current climate within ballet, experience at the Royal Ballet School, as well as taking us through her struggles with injury and leaving the industry.More about Louise: https://www.louisebennett.info/aboutThe London Vocational Ballet School-------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Hattie ButterworthMusic: Katy Ehrlich

Hattie has "trouble in everything", Becca has been living the Lady of Leisure lifestyle. They look back at 2016, forwards to 2026, and reply to an email from a reader/listener who reached out about feeling gaslit by their music college professor. -------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Rebecca ToalMusic: Katy Ehrlich

What role do musicians play in the political landscape? And how safe do they feel about speaking out without damaging their career prospects? In this episode, live from the Royal Society of Musicians, Hattie and Rebecca are joined by cellist and former Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire and harpist and activist Eleanor Turner. They explore the barriers musicians face to championing their political causes as we become increasingly aware of war, genocide, and climate change. -------------------------------------------------------------Thank you to the Royal Society of Musicians for its ongoing support. Become a member and donate today: https://www.rsmgb.org/Explore the UK Opera Association: https://www.ukoa.net/Explore Eleanor Turner's work: https://www.eleanorturner.biz/-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTADonate to our ongoing costs: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta-------------------------------------------------------------Edited by Oscar Gormley

We bring you a special filmed episode from Ronnie Scott's legendary London jazz club where we speak with the fabulous Lizzie Ball. Alongside pianist James Pearson, Lizzie will be curating the much-anticipated classical series Upstairs at Ronnie’s. We chat about the series, and then onto Lizzie's backstory of becoming an improvising violinist, coaching musicians with performance anxiety, and what classical musicians could learn from jazz.Lizzie Ball:Lizzie Ball is a violinist, vocalist, producer, and founder of Classical Kicks Productions, dedicated to bringing classical music to new audiences in diverse settings. A Cambridge graduate and Royal College of Music alumna, she has performed internationally for over two decades. In 2018, she received an Honorary Masters from the University of Derby for her innovative contributions to music and was named one of the UK’s most inspirational females in a list of 50 outstanding UK women making an impact, in a feature run by Daily Mail. Classical Kicks, her flagship project, has staged eclectic collaborations at Ronnie Scott’s and beyond, featuring everything from string quartets to rappers. Lizzie also co-created Corrido: A Ballad for the Brave, an immersive audio-visual production inspired by Frida Kahlo, premiered with the V&A Museum. Other projects include reimagined productions of Verklärte Nacht and shows blending music with visual art and storytelling. Alongside her productions, Lizzie enjoys a thriving freelance career. She has been featured soloist with Jeff Beck (US arena tour), Brian Wilson, and Grammy-award winning choir New York Polyphony, and worked with Hugh Jackman, Ariana Grande, and Liam Gallagher. She was concertmaster of Nigel Kennedy’s Orchestra of Life for eight years, including BBC Proms appearances. Her recording credits include film scores (Captain Marvel, Terminator Genisys) and major pop albums. Passionate about outreach, Lizzie has led workshops worldwide and collaborates with the Sheffield Music Hub and PRISMA charity in Mexico. Her latest venture, Set Your Stage, combines her performing career with mentoring, helping young people and professionals develop confidence, creativity, and leadership skills.Lizzie's websiteFollow Lizzie on InstagramHosts: Rebecca Toal & Hattie ButterworthEdited by: Oscar Gormley & Rebecca ToalThank you to ABRSM for sponsoring this episode. Go to www.ABRSM.org/sfmt to check out their Musical Theatre syllabus. -------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTADonate to our ongoing costs: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta

Dr. Anna Bull is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice, Co-director of The 1752 Group and a former professional pianist and cellist. We return to Zoom to speak with her about class and socioeconomic issues in the classical music industry, and pick her brains about what, if anything, can be done. She also tells us about her work on sexual harassment in music conservatoires, and why the master-apprentice model has created a particularly risky environment.Anna’s monograph Class, control, and classical music was published in 2019 with Oxford University Press and in 2020 was joint winner of the British Sociological Association Philip Abrams Award.She has recently co-edited a volume calledVoices for Change in the Classical Music Profession: New Ideas for Tackling Inequalities and Exclusions, and Anna was lead author on the report Slow Train Coming: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in UK conservatoires. Her research published in 2022 for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies network.Anna is speaking at the Class Ceiling conference on 9th December 2025. Free and discounted tickets are available.Read more of Anna's work:Bull, A., & Prince, K. (2025). Addressing harassment and sexual misconduct experienced by postgraduate researchers. The 1752 Group.https://1752group.wordpress.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/harassment_pgrs.pdfRead an interview about the toolkit for addressing harassment and sexual misconduct among postgraduate researchers, and read Anna's comment piece in Nature about the toolkit.-------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdta

Trigger Warning: suicidal ideation from 13:50 to 18:00Is it ethical that musicians feels 'owned' or controlled by their donors? Today in The Break Down, we are discussing philanthropy in classical music and opera, Hattie's recent experience of depression and the strife of misogyny, sadly still in some of Rebecca's orchestral experiencesWatch this episode on Youtube here.-------------------------------------------------------------Thank you to ABRSM for sponsoring this episode. Explore the drum kit exams and syllabus here-------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Hattie ButterworthMusic: Katy Ehrlich

Welcome to our rebranded 'chatty episodes' - now, with middling irony and an exaggerated sense of self-awareness, called The Break Down.Hattie brings our Classical Strife newsletter segment to the podcast, we chat about The Met x Saudi Arabia's hot new #collab, we dis/agree on activism, and come to the usual conclusion that mental health is difficult.Like, subscribe, review (if it's nice), and share with both friends and enemies.Watch this episode on Youtube here.-------------------------------------------------------------A big thank you to our sponsors for this episode, ABRSM. Check out their new woodwind syllabus here.-------------------------------------------------------------Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians! Follow RSM on Instagram, X and Facebook.-------------------------------------------------------------Support TMDTAWant to support us on a regular basis? Consider joining our Patreon from £1 a month: https://www.patreon.com/tmdtaFeeling generous? Help us raise funds for the podcast: https://www.gofundme.com/f/v9jgf-things-musicians-dont-talk-aboutFind TMDTA on all the socials at @tmdtapodcast-------------------------------------------------------------Hosts: Hattie Butterworth & Rebecca ToalEditor: Rebecca ToalMusic: Katy Ehrlich