Podcasts

MusicPlus: Ben Levy

Chris Gunness speaks to musician and cultural historian Ben Levy from the team of Classics Explained, whose animations about classical masterworks have become an internet sensation over lockdown.

MusicPlus: James Clutton

James Clutton, director of Opera at Opera Holland Park, speaks to Chris Gunness about making performances work in the ‘new normal’.

MusicPlus: Kirill Karabits

Kirill Karabits, chief conductor of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, speaks to Chris Gunness from lockdown in Paris about the impact of Covid-19.

MusicPlus: John Gilhooly

Chris Gunness speaks to John Gilhooly, executive and artistic director of Wigmore Hall, about the challenges posed by coronavirus and how the hall is staying in touch with its audiences.

MusicPlus: Alexander van Ingen

Chris Gunness speaks to Alexander van Ingen, chief executive of the Academy of Ancient Music, about staying connected with audiences during the coronavirus pandemic.

MusicPlus: Matan Porat

Chris Gunness speaks to Israeli pianist and composer Matan Porat about how he’s adapting to making music in the Covid-19 pandemic.

MusicPlus: Stephen Langridge

Stephen Langridge is artistic director of Glyndebourne and former director of Gothenburg Opera.

He speaks to Chris Gunness about directing the first ever environmentally sustainable Ring Cycle, his extensive work in learning and participation, and his move to Glyndebourne.

MusicPlus: Errollyn Wallen

Chris Gunness speaks to one of the country’s most exciting composers, Errollyn Wallen, who has worked with women affected by conflict and with people with disabilities.

MusicPlus: Allyson Devenish

Allyson Devenish is the artistic director of a capella group NitroVoX, which tells stories of the African diaspora through song.

She speaks to Chris Gunness about decolonising the musical curriculum, and the importance of race and identity in her career so far.

MusicPlus: Raphael Wallfisch

Raphael Wallfisch is an internationally renowned cellist, and a man on a mission to bring to world attention to music of little-known Jewish composers, some of whose work was partly destroyed by the Nazis.

He speaks to Chris Gunness about the rise of antisemitism, the legacy of his mother who was a Holocaust survivor, and his Jewish composers project.

MusicPlus: Clare Hammond

Aside from her work on the concert platform, pianist Clare Hammond is engaging in outreach to schools and prisons and immigration removal centres. She has also written movingly about her experiences of postnatal depression.

She talks to Chris Gunness about managing mental health while sustaining a career, and healing through music-making.

MusicPlus: Jonathan Darbourne

Composer and countertenor Jonathan Darbourne is on a mission to spread the message of environmentalism through music. His new choir, Nature’s Voice, launches this autumn.

Chris Gunness speaks to Jonathan, as well as environmental campaigner and scientific adviser to the choir, Scarlett Benson, about how music can be used to spread the message of climate change.

MusicPlus: Charles Hazlewood

Charles Hazlewood is conductor and co-founder of the British Paraorchestra, a group whose mission is to perform music that captivates any audience, proving beyond doubt that disability is no barrier to talent.

He talks to Chris Gunness about the importance of diversity in classical music, the influence of pop music on classical, and breaking down the barriers between musicians and audience.

MusicPlus: Evelyn Glennie

Evelyn Glennie is the world’s first musician to create a full-time career as a solo percussionist. Her mission, in her words, is to teach the world to listen, thereby enhancing communication and social cohesion.

MusicPlus: Ralph Allwood MBE

Ralph Allwood MBE was for 26 years director of music at Eton College where he set up the Eton Choral Courses. He conducts Inner Voices, a choir for state school children in London.

He speaks to Chris Gunness about the joys of working with young people and of keeping alive the English choral tradition.

MusicPlus: John Lubbock

Conductor John Lubbock is founder of the Orchestra of St John’s, a group with a social mission to serve the community.

He talks to Chris Gunness about playing music for people with conditions such as autism and dementia.

MusicPlus: Cayenna Ponchione

Cayenna Ponchione is the associate conductor of the Orchestra of St John’s and is committed to the promotion of gender and ethnic equality in conducting and composition.

She speaks to Chris Gunness about promoting social justice through music, and her experience of hosting the Afghan Women’s Orchestra in Oxford.

MusicPlus: Nicholas McCarthy

Despite being born with one hand, Nicholas McCarthy told his mother at an early age he wanted to become a concert pianist. He talks to Chris Gunness about his journey towards realising this dream.

MusicPlus: Frank Horvat

Composer and pianist Frank Horvat talks to Chris Gunness about working with depression in the music industry, and his campaigning for causes ranging from human rights to environmentalism.

MusicPlus: Julian Lloyd Webber

Julian Lloyd Webber is principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and one of the leading musicians of his generation. He speaks to Chris Gunness about the power of music education and the importance of a broad curriculum for all young people.

MusicPlus: James Rose

Chris Gunness talks to conductor James Rose about working in the music world with a disability, and the challenges he has overcome along the way.

MusicPlus: Gabriela Montero

As the Venezuelan political crisis continues to unfold, Gabriela Montero speaks to Chris Gunness about how music can respond to these challenging times, and about breaking down the barriers between herself and her audiences.

MusicPlus: Mark Wigglesworth

Mark Wigglesworth speaks to Chris Gunness about Brexit, the challenges of a career in the music industry, and the qualities that make a good leader.

MusicPlus: Chi-chi Nwanoku

Chi-chi Nwanoku speaks to Chris Gunness about diversity in the industry, the government’s ‘criminal’ assault on musical education, and about how classical music is retreating from society.