Music Works

As the arts are opening up again, the team at Polyphony Arts share their dos and don’ts for how to make your job application stand out from the rest. 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 https://polyphonyarts.com/mailing-list for updates and...

While Bezos and Branson are putting their millions into flying themselves into space, Dolly Parton is using her fortune to send children free books through her Imagination Library. Katie looks at why it’s ok to make money in music, but also at how high-earning artists can use their financial power in positive ways. If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episode...

Singer Eleanor McCain’s latest album offers hope after the difficult weeks and months of the Covid pandemic in a celebration of Canadian music featuring seven symphony orchestras from across the country. You can find information about Eleanor and her music here: https://www.eleanormccain.ca/ If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave...

When everything before the “but” is bullshit. This week Katie and composer Ella Jarman-Pinto discuss negotiating from a position of respect on both sides, and offer their top tips on how to value your work and the work of others in those tricky professional conversations. You can find out more about Ella and her work at : https://www.ellajarmanpinto.com/ If you enjoy this conversation, please subs...

Lucy Walker, Head of Public Engagement at Britten-Pears Arts and the voice behind their podcast - From The Red House - unpacks why The Maltings at Snape and the Red House offer a sense of place that is crucial to fully understanding Benjamin Britten’s work and his musical legacy. You can find out more about Lucy’s work for Britten Pears Arts and her dedicated podcast “From The Red House” at: https...

This week Katie tackles the knotty issue of the right to true freedom of expression in an industry which offers constant comment on our dress, appearance, and what is expected of our gender. 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 https://polyph...

Acclaimed composer and accordionist, Amy Thatcher, talks about her amazing new EP ‘Let What’s In, Out’  in which she explores her experience of giving birth to premature twins while on tour in Berlin. Find out more about Amy and her music at https://amythatcher.co.uk/ Amy’s album “Solo” and her upcoming release are both available on Bandcamp. To date to Amy's World Prematurity Day 2021 fundraiser...

Recorded against the backdrop of the Cop-26 climate summit, the composer shares his thoughts on this new release on eco-vinyl, and considers ways the music business can work to be both environmentally responsible and equitable towards the people who work within it. You can find information about The Angry Garden and where to source this important recording along with information about Michael’s ot...

When picturing the audience naked doesn't work... Therapist Olivia James specialises in treating stage fright, public speaking anxiety and confidence issues. In this episode she explains the mechanics of performance anxiety, and how past trauma and the human nervous system can combine to interpret certain situations as dangerous, and how to overcome your fears. Find out more about Olivia and her p...

This week Katie explores the Japanese concept of ikigai and asks four key questions to help you find your fulfilment as a professional musician. 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/mailing-list   for updates and news ab...

Pianist, Lana Bode, and soprano, Samantha Crawford discuss their exciting new project examining how women and their lived experience are portrayed in music, and describe how their innovative approach to programming brings a new song cycle to this year’s Oxford Lieder Festival in a world premiere exploring mentorship, discrimination, and female ambition. To find out more about the dream.risk.sing c...

This week Katie looks at how to make composing a financially and musically rewarding 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 to our mailing list at www.polyphonyarts.com/mailing-list   for updates and news about Music Works and Polyphony Arts. Music Works is g...

William Saunders, Director of Media and Creatives at Mediatracks, talks about the vision he and his father share for the company and its artists, and offers us a tantalising glimpse into his life as a professional organist. You can find information about William and Mediatracks at william-saunders.info and mediatracks.co.uk If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other grea...

This week Katie talks about competitive music making, focussing on the difficulty artists face in striving to shine within tightly defined parameters. 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/mailing-list   for updates and n...

Co-artistic directors and international pianists, Katya Apekisheva and Charles Owen, share their thinking behind another action-packed weekend celebrating the diverse world of the classical piano, drawing on film, poetry and the rarefied world of mathematics. Find more information at: londonpianofestival.com katyaapekisheva.com and charlesowen.net If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe,...

Today Katie casts a critical eye over the range of work that is considered integral to classical music, and presents her ideas on how and why, as individual musicians, we can expand our repertoire to include hitherto marginalised composers. 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...

Violin virtouso, Matthew Trusler, describes the inner journey that eventually brought him to lay down his beloved instrument to focus full time on his record label: Orchid Classics. You can find information about Matthew and Orchid Classics at orchidclassics.com If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also fol...

Katie continues the Music Works business and mindset microcast with a look at where we are as an industry as we begin to emerge from the restrictions of the pandemic and live music is opening again up for musicians and audiences alike. 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...

Soprano and singing consultant, Elenor Bowers-Jolley, on the importance of proper preparation for those vital auditions and how to perfectly showcase yourself and your skills. You can find more information about Ellie at elenorbowers-jolley.com and about the Come and Sing Company at comeandsingcompany.co.uk If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and,...

In the final episode of another great season the Polyphony Arts team takes a look at where we are as an industry, along with a review of our own experiences, and some thoughts on where we are headed as live music starts to happen again at last. 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...

Katie looks at how, post-pandemic, we need collectively as an industry to embrace an abundance mindset and encourage a positive approach to financial, creative, and personal wellbeing and growth. 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.polyp...

James Hardie, Music Programmer for May’s Norfolk and Norwich live festival, on how their bold economic model for 2021 encouraged a new audience sector to engage with two weeks of diverse arts events. You can find information about the festival at: nnfestival.org.uk If you enjoy this conversation, please subscribe, check out our other great episodes, and even better leave us a review. You can also...

Katie gives her top five tips for identifying your ideal project and how to see it through to fruition. 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/mailing-list   for updates and news about Music Works and Polyphony Arts. Music...

Camilla King, Head of Programming at Cheltenham Music Festival talks about their spectacular varied programme, and why she believes this year’s festival conference theme – “Failure” – is so important for how we grow as musicians, and for the wider industry. You can find out more about the festival at: www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/music where you can also sign up to receive programme news. If you en...

Katie confronts the insecurity musicians have endured under Covid, identifies cancellation trauma as a major factor in undermining our mental health, and explains why it needs to end for us all to thrive. 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...