The Classical Circuit
Ella Lee
A deep-dive into the intricate world of classical music and all that comes with working in it. Host Ella Lee chats to a bunch of brilliant guests from across the profession, discussing their best career high, their worst career low, and other things that show you a different side to the one you might see on their website.
Instagram: @theclassicalcircuit
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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Top 10 The Classical Circuit Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best The Classical Circuit episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to The Classical Circuit for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite The Classical Circuit episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
The Classical Circuit: Trailer
The Classical Circuit
01/14/24 • 1 min
Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
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Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (radio music producer by trade, pianist at heart).
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Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
22. Kellen Gray: how folk music shaped him, why diverse programming is more than ticking boxes, and how beekeeping restored him after burnout
The Classical Circuit
09/24/24 • 51 min
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 Indiana where he is Conductor and Artistic Director.
One of the foremost experts and interpreters of the music of African-diasporic composers, Kellen is Assistant Editor and Conductor Liaison for the African Diasporic Music Project. He is also known for being an incredibly versatile artist, crediting the wealth of folk-music styles of the south-eastern United States as some of his earliest influences, which have led to a deep understanding and mastery of not just music that incorporates American folk idioms, but also other composers for whom folk music was important, such as Bartok, de Falla and Vaughan Williams.
In this episode, Kellen takes us on his journey from violinist to beekeeper(!) to conductor, including the role that burnout played along the way. He also talks about the importance of diverse programming that is art-led; how despite having many supportive people around him there were times that, as a black conductor, he wasn’t taken seriously; and how much the process of recording his two African American Voices albums with the RSNO meant to him.
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Kellen's links:
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
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Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
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This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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 Essex Court Chambers in London. Paul performs around his professional commitments as a barrister, both in London and internationally, and will be making his Wigmore Hall debut in June 2024.
In this episode, Paul discusses fitting the piano around life as a barrister, and his reasons for recording the repertoire he has so far. He also talks about wondering whether the success of his earlier recordings were due to the 'novelty' factors, and shares just how difficult it was to adjust to the sudden change of path from music to law.
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Pre-order Paul's new album, Henselt & Bronsart: Piano Concertos (out May 31st)
Tickets for Paul's Wigmore Hall debut (June 15th)
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Paul's links:
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
8. Matthew Johnson: the parallels between music and photography, working with dyslexia, and accepting he wasn't going to be a professional cellist
The Classical Circuit
03/20/24 • 32 min
Matthew Johnson is a London-based photographer, best known for his work in classical music and portraiture. Having originally trained as a cellist, his approach to his work is shaped by the knowledge and perspective gained from his musical experiences. His impressive client list includes Platoon, the London Symphony Orchestra, the Estonian Embassy, and Britten-Pears Arts – as well as huge numbers of musicians, ensembles, festivals and concert series. Outside the world of music, his vast portraiture portfolio is underpinned by themes of community and well-being, and his work has taken him all over Europe and the UK.
In this episode, Matthew talks about how his musical background helps him to photograph live music in a very human way, the parallels between being a musician and being a photographer, working with dyslexia, and how he bounced back after being told he would never be a professional cellist.
This episode was recorded in August 2023.
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
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Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
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The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
21. Alexandra Whittingham: online authenticity, classical guitar's growing popularity, and finding joy in informal concerts
The Classical Circuit
09/17/24 • 37 min
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 the Decca Classics label, and a member of the guitar faculty at Chetham’s School of Music (where she first started her own musical journey at the age of 11).
In this episode, Alexandra talks about how she manages her online presence with such a large following, and how her approach there hasn’t changed much over the years, despite the internet and social media being a very different place to when she first started out. We discuss how the guitar is still a relatively new instrument in the classical realm, though fast-growing in popularity, and Alexandra talks about the enjoyment she's found in playing to intimate venues. She also recounts the repressed memory of the time she didn’t have a visa the day before she was due to set off on tour...
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Alexandra's links:
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
19. Hattie Butterworth: performance anxiety, OCD, and psychological abuse in conservatoires
The Classical Circuit
07/02/24 • 51 min
*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 wellbeing, TMDTA platforms very honest discussions about stigmatised topics including mental health, injuries, and discrimination in the industry. Hattie is also the editor of two magazines, Opera Now and Choir and Organ.
In this episode, Hattie spoke about performance anxiety, her complicated relationship with the cello, and her long-lasting struggles with OCD. She also talks about a piece she wrote for the Evening Standard on psychological abuse in conservatoires, burnout and balancing being present in the everyday with the constant reflection on past experiences that her TMDTA work requires of her.
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Hattie's links:
Things Musicians Don't Talk About
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
10. Julian Lloyd Webber: music education in schools, working with Yehudi Menuhin, and the injury that ended his cello career
The Classical Circuit
04/03/24 • 35 min
Julian Lloyd Webber's musical life is remarkably varied. As a solo cellist, he has performed with many of the world’s finest orchestras and conductors, as well as every leading symphony and chamber orchestra in the UK. His discography includes his BRIT Award-winning Elgar Cello Concerto, conducted by Yehudi Menuhin, and ‘Variations’, a collaboration between him and his brother Andrew, which has sold over a million copies. Julian has premiered more than fifty works over his career and inspired composers such as Malcolm Arnold, Joaquín Rodrigo, and Eric Whitacre to write new music for the cello. He was also the London Underground’s first official busker, and he was also the only classical musician to perform at the Closing Ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.
Julian is a leading advocate for accessible music education, and has been throughout his whole career. Founded by Julian in 2007, the In Harmony programme has introduced the power of music to more than sixty thousand school children from the least privileged parts of England. He was also Principal of the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire for five years, a place at which he still holds the position of Emeritus Professor.
In this episode, we dig into the topic of music education, along with various issues the industry is facing at the moment. Julian also talks about working with Yehudi Menuhin, and the injury that forced him to retire from his cello career.
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Julian's links:
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
16. Florence Lockheart: her role as an editor, how to conduct an interview, and having difficult conversations
The Classical Circuit
06/11/24 • 43 min
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 both the artform and the industry is palpable, and she continues to develop CM's role as a trusted resource for the classical music world.
In this episode, Florence spoke about what her role as an editor entails, and shared some insightful tips on how to conduct an interview (duly noted by yours truly). She also spoke about the joy she found in working on a cover feature about Maestro, the 2023 Bernstein biopic, and having difficult conversations involving the breaking of bad news to fellow creatives during the pandemic.
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Classical Music:
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
6. Jamie Walton: building trust with an audience, the art of programming, and what he gained from stepping back from his solo career
The Classical Circuit
03/06/24 • 32 min
Jamie Walton is a cellist, cultural entrepreneur, and Artistic Director of the North York Moors Chamber Music Festival and Ayriel Studios. As a soloist, he has appeared and recorded with the UK’s finest orchestras, including recording three concerti with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and no less than ten concerti with the Philharmonia Orchestra (including the Dvorak and Schumann concerti under Vladimir Ashkenazy). Turning his focus to chamber music, he launched his festival in 2009, which has sold to capacity audiences ever since and was shortlisted twice for a Royal Philharmonic Society award. It was also one of the only organisations that went ahead as planned during the Covid pandemic (in both 2020 and 2021), adapting quickly to house concerts in a five thousand square foot acoustically-adapted marquee.
Jamie was also the Patron and lead campaigner for Cedar’s Hall, a brand new concert hall at Wells Cathedral School, which he helped officially open in 2016. And, more recently, he initiated the building of a new state-of-the-art recording studio in the heart of the North York Moors - Ayriel Studios - which opened in 2022.
In this episode, Jamie talks about what drives him and his creative process, the parallels he finds between music and food, why he doesn’t miss the conventional concert circuit and why he’s so passionate about showing young musicians a world outside of the conservatoire bubble.
This episode was recorded in August 2023.
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
24. Tess Jackson: challenging her self-perception, her Proms debut, and how the National Youth Orchestra shaped her
The Classical Circuit
10/08/24 • 38 min
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 Story at Volksoper Vienna, and she has recently been assisting Enrique Mazzola at the Lyric Opera Chicago.
In this episode, Tess gives us an insight - through the eyes of an artist in the early days of her career - into the various roles a conductor can play; and how she had to challenge her own self-perception in order to find confidence as a very young conductor. She also talks about her recent debut at this year’s Proms with the National Youth Orchestra, and the incredible role that the orchestra played in her own development when she herself was a member.
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Tess's links:
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Follow The Classical Circuit on Instagram
Did you enjoy this episode? If so, ratings and follows help a lot with visibility, if you have a spare moment... *bats eyelashes*
No offence taken if not.
--------------------
Music: François Couperin - Le Tic-Toc-Choc ou Les Maillotins
Performed by Daniel Lebhardt
--------------------
This podcast is also available to listen to via The Violin Channel
--------------------
The Classical Circuit is made by Ella Lee (producer by trade, pianist at heart).
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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FAQ
How many episodes does The Classical Circuit have?
The Classical Circuit currently has 32 episodes available.
What topics does The Classical Circuit cover?
The podcast is about Conversation, Career, Interview, Classical, Music, Chat, Music Industry, Podcasts, Classical Music, Chatty, Business, Industry, Music Interviews and Careers.
What is the most popular episode on The Classical Circuit?
The episode title '19. Hattie Butterworth: performance anxiety, OCD, and psychological abuse in conservatoires' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on The Classical Circuit?
The average episode length on The Classical Circuit is 40 minutes.
How often are episodes of The Classical Circuit released?
Episodes of The Classical Circuit are typically released every 6 days, 23 hours.
When was the first episode of The Classical Circuit?
The first episode of The Classical Circuit was released on Jan 14, 2024.
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