The Classical Circuit

In Episode 35 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee talks to violinist Charlotte Scott. Charlotte talks about the process of cultivating a solid mindset that allows her to not only cope with the pressures of performing, but also find real joy in it. She also discusses balancing motherhood with her career, the guilt of messing up in a quartet competition, and her passion for Mozart clicking into...

In Episode 34 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee talks to Scottish percussionist Calum Huggan about supporting and engaging the next generation of young musicians in his role as Head of the Benedetti Foundation's Youth Ambassador Programme. He also discusses the idea of the word 'classical' pertaining primarily to a training, his passion for creative learning, and the time a critic compared h...

In Episode 33 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee talks to Jane Mitchell, Creative Director of the Aurora Orchestra (and also their Principal Flautist), about the ensemble’s fresh approach to performance. Jane talks about the evolution of the Aurora ‘orchestral theatre’ format, which involves the orchestra playing from memory, and their upcoming project 'Carnival', part of their 20th anniversa...

In Episode 32 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee talks to award-winning producer and legend of the classical music recording industry, Andrew Keener. Andrew discusses the responsibilities of a producer, of both the musical and interpersonal kind, and his initally-bumpy venture into producing, which began with a disastrous first session. He also reflects on the lengths to which he was able to...

In Episode 31 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee talks to conductor (and software engineer!) Holly Mathieson about her decision to take an open-ended sabbatical from performing: the various factors that played a role, the mixed reactions from those around her, and the unexpected community found in those that came forward to share their stories with her in the wake of her announcement. She als...

In Episode 30 of The Classical Circuit, host Ella Lee chats to conductor Rafael Payare: his rapid introduction to the music world at the age of 14; and how strongly he feels that amidst huge unrest in his home country of Venezuela, today’s children should have the same musical opportunities and the chance to ‘dream big’, as he did. He also spoke about his approach to artistic programming as a musi...

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 ‘class...

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...

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 rea...

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 m...

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 h...

British Conductor Tess Jackson is the Associate Conductor of the National Youth Orchestra. Originally a violinist, Tess was inspired to take up conducting aged just fourteen, eventually going on to study music at Cambridge University and then a Masters in Conducting at the Royal Academy of Music. Some highlights of the upcoming season include her symphonic debut with the Philharmonia, West Side St...

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 Ci...

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 Indian...

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...

British cellist Guy Johnston has had an exciting and varied career since winning the BBC Young Musician competition in the year 2000. He has performed with many leading orchestras worldwide, and collaborated with a host of illustrious conductors including the late Sir Andrew Davis, Sakari Oramo and Yuri Simonov. A passionate chamber musician, Guy is the founding Artistic Director of the Hatfield H...

*This discussion touches on intrusive thoughts around death and suicide - please skip through if you need to* Hattie Butterworth is a journalist, cellist and founder of Things Musicians Don’t Talk About: a podcast, blog and online platform born in 2020 out of Hattie’s own struggles with her mental health. Subsequently growing into a space that raises awareness for musicians’ health and wellbe...

David Skudlik is the co-founder and CEO of digital agency Sforzato, a company that provides a variety of digital marketing services to the classical music and wider performing arts sector. Their impressive client list to date has included the likes of Nicola Benedetti, Barbara Hannigan, Ray Chen and Alice Sara Ott. David is also known for his weekly newsletter, David’s Dearest, a neatly curated pi...

Chris O'Reilly is the CEO of Presto Music, the UK's leading ecommerce site for classical and jazz recordings, sheet music, music books and musical instruments. With a background in music and musicology, Chris has run Presto Music since 2001. In this episode, he shared his observations of the changing tides of the classical recording industry, and musings on where things might head in future; as we...

Florence Lockheart is the editor of Classical Music Magazine, the only magazine and website dedicated to the classical music industry in the UK. A Classics graduate from Durham University, Florence has always had a strong interest in classical music, which she nurtured over the years through both choral singing and training as a solo singer. Editor of the magazine since late 2021, her passion for...

Raffaello Morales is the founder and music director of the Fidelio Cafe in London, known and well-loved for their 'classical dinner-concert' series, comprising a one-hour concert by an established musician or ensemble, followed by a three-course menu specially curated for that evening's programme. Within the wider Fidelio project, Raffaello also conducts the Fidelio Orchestra, run as a charity wit...

French pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard is widely known as an authority figure in contemporary music, and also for shedding new light on music of the past. His international concert career has already spanned several decades, with an enormous discography to boot, all of which he has carried out alongside a dedicated commitment to teaching. In 1973, at the age of 16, he won first prize in the Messiaen...

Alexandra Knight is the founder and CEO of classical music agency Knight Classical. After reading Music and then Law at Oxford University, Alexandra joined the artist management world, working first at Harrison Parrott, then at International Classical Artists - where she later became a Director at the age of 28 - before launching Knight Classical in January 2020. In her career so far, Alexandra ha...

Paul Wee is an internationally-acclaimed pianist with a love for celebrating the hidden gems of the piano repertoire. His recordings for BIS have been met with great critical acclaim, including being shortlisted for multiple Gramophone Awards. Not your average pianist, Paul also happens to be a very successful barrister; he was called to the bar by Gray's Inn in 2010, and currently practises from...

Timothy Ridout is one of today’s most sought-after violists, being a former BBC New Generation Artist, a Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship recipient and winner of the Royal Philharmonic Society Young Artist Award. As well as having performed with many major orchestras and conductors worldwide, Tim is a celebrated chamber musician, bringing programmes regularly to the likes of Wigmore Hall and the Concer...