Music Works

Music therapist Marianne Rizkallah has worked with clients from ages 1 to 100. She describes how music can prove a powerful tool in helping people with a range of conditions from stress to dementia, and how she helped created guidance for therapy protocols under lockdown that have been adapted for use around the world. You can find information about Marianne and details of November’s “Music and Th...

Tom Appleton of the Come and Sing Company makes an impassioned plea on behalf of the country’s amateur choirs for the return of communal singing. You can find out more about Tom and the Come and Sing Company at www.comeandsingcompany.co.uk If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social media...

“As a young transgender opera singer, at the start of her career, I want to wear my transness on my sleeve and claim it a key part of my artistic identity.” Classical music, especially opera, is one of the last bastions of gender stereotypes. Patricia Yates, who is a trans singer performing as a tenor, makes the case for greater flexibility and willingness to embrace what trans performers bring to...

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where an imbalance of power was affecting your professional relationships? Katie looks at how to identify those toxic power structures and find the strength to stop them holding back your career. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social media...

Ruth Phillips, founder of The Breathing Bow and the InsideOut Musician, talks about self-care, compassion and how, by overcoming our obsession with control and letting go, we can find healing from the kinds of anxiety and physical stress that so often afflict us as musicians. You can find information about coaching with Ruth at www.thebreathingbow.com and her online course “From Café Zoom to the C...

Katie explores her three top tips to help you understand why networking matters, why you need to embrace it to develop your career right now, and how you can embrace your right to put your best foot forward with your fellow music professionals. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social m...

Music Works is generously supported by Allianz Musical Insurance, the UK’s No. 1 musical instrument insurer, and we are pleased to welcome Clarice Goff to talk about music insurance & share stories where Allianz has stepped in and saved the day for musicians and their beloved instruments. We also hear about the excellent work Allianz does supporting musicians and the music community. You can find...

Part of the challenge of being a professional musician is operating as a business, even if that business is just one person – you! Katie simplifies managing your cashflow and shows how this simple step can liberate your career. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social media and sign up...

Cristina Jones – the Blind Soprano - gives us a fascinating insight into her career as a performer and her work as a consultant, advising opera, theatre and film on how to present blind characters and accurately  represent that experience.  You can find information about Cristina at and her work at: theblindsoprano.com If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great epi...

Do many of your big ideas come to fruition? Or, do you feel you’re always having to make your ideas, and yourself, smaller to fit in? Katie looks at how big thinking can change your professional life and identifies some of the key elements of being successful at thinking and achieving big. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave u...

Mike Papapavlou left graduate school with no clear idea where he was going with his career. In 2018 he set out to be the best teacher he could be; two years later he was voted Guitar Teacher of the Year 2020. “Playing it safe doesn’t create the result. Not giving myself any other options made me think of just one thing: this is my only option; let me get to work!” - The Guitar Guru, Mike Papapaval...

Katie looks at what musicians may really need to facilitate that creative experience. Is a retreat away from family, friends and all those day to day disruptions the dream environment for everyone? Her findings may surprise you. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social media and sign up...

Roger Wilson, co-founder of Black Lives In Music, on his mission to make music truly inclusive and what needs to be done to ensure black musicians feel an equal sense of ownership in the classical music world. You can find information about BLIM and the survey at www.blim.org.uk. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review...

There are a hundred reasons why it’s hard to update your website right now, but Katie shows you why now is the perfect time to bite the bullet and spruce up your online showcase as well as some great tips on how to make the task easier so you can present your best musical self to a post-lockdown world. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even b...

Avagail Hulbert, Ryan Huang and Daniel Hughes, three prize-winners in the finals of the Sound Espressivo global competition, share their experiences of competing online, playing a contemporary repertoire, and how the influence of their teachers has shaped their musical lives. You can find information about the Sound Espressivo competition here: https://www.soundespressivocompetition.com and follow...

We open Season 3 with Guy Withers of Waterperry Opera Festival on how their 2021 will be even bigger, better and even more inclusive, whatever the coming summer may bring. You can find information about Waterperry Opera Festival at https://www.waterperryoperafestival.co.uk If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You c...

We look back on the impact the pandemic through three personal stories and consider how essential music is to a functioning society. With Lady Nade, Maya Kashif and Naomi Pohl. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social media and sign up to our mailing list at www.polyphonyarts.com/mailin...

This episode is a round-up of an online forum hosted by Rocket Opera, chaired by Music Works host Katie Beardsworth. If you need professional help with a safety issue, or you need to report something or talk to someone, you can find a list of organisations that can help you here: https://polyphonyarts.com/music-business/protecting-yourself-as-a-freelance-musician/ If you enjoy this conversation, p...

James Cardell-Oliver of the Grand Empirical label answers your questions about record labels and their role in your career. You can find out more about the Grand Empirical label & Mill Media at: Millmedia.co and grandempirical.co.uk Music Works is generously supported by Allianz Musical Insurance, the UK’s No. 1 musical instrument insurer.

In business it is critical to identify your unique selling point, your USP. Katie talks about how, as CEO of your own brand – you! – you need to identify what makes you special and be able to convey this simply and convincingly to promote your career. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on s...

Pianist, Rossina Grieco, talks about the importance to her of live recording, the challenges of the transition from the conservatoire to the concert stage, the intensity of the teacher/student relationship, and how to assert your identity as a performer. You can find out more about Rossina at www.rossinagrieco.com Music Works is generously supported by Allianz Musical Insurance, the UK’s No. 1 mus...

Following International Women’s Week, Katie looks at why it’s important to see your success and to celebrate it, but also why we all benefit from reaching out and celebrating the success of the people around us.  If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social media and sign up to our mailing...

Katie takes a look at the grief Covid has brought us, at accepting and understanding our shared trauma, and explains how you can use those reflections to improve your music career as live performance starts to open up. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also follow us on social media and sign up to our ma...

Ollie Mansfield set up Front Room Concerts in 2020 to help recitalists create more opportunities to perform using digital and online technology. If you’ve been struggling with tech and/or making your online performance stand out, join Ollie as he shares his top tips as a musician, educator, and online recital expert. You can find out more about Ollie, Front Room Concerts and sign up for the Digita...

The Riga Jurmala Music Festival launched in 2019, then the pandemic hit. Miguel Esteban, Associate Artistic Director, tells Music Works how Covid allowed them to step back and rethink what was possible for an even more diverse and engaging future. You can find out more about the Riga Jurmala Music Festival at https://riga-jurmala.com/ Follow Music Works on Twitter & Instagram @Music_Works_Pod & at...