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.
29. Jack Bazalgette: defining the term 'classical music', getting projects off the ground, and bringing classical music to gig venues
The Classical Circuit
11/13/24 • 40 min
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 ‘classical music’ as an umbrella term, the future of classical music, and how through the noise initially got off the ground. Jack also shares his advice for others starting independent projects.
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through the noise:
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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.
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.
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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.
26. Freya Waley-Cohen: sustaining a career as a composer, setting creative parameters, and her song cycle 'Spell Book'
The Classical Circuit
10/22/24 • 35 min
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 music.
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Freya'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.
30. Rafael Payare on the importance of access to music, artistic programming as a Music Director, and his first time conducting the Vienna Philharmonic
The Classical Circuit
11/20/24 • 37 min
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 music director, and shared the touching story of how he came to conduct the Vienna Philharmonic for the very first time.
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Rafael'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
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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.
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.
--------------------
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.
18. David Skudlik: the importance of change, merging entrepreneurship with the arts, and learning to manage a team
The Classical Circuit
06/25/24 • 41 min
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 pick of his own cultural recommendations.
Born into a musical family, David grew up playing the violin, but later ended up following his entrepreneurial instincts instead. In this episode, David talks about setting up his company, then relaunching it one successful decade later; what he’s learned along the way in terms of managing people and making decisions; and the valuable friendships that have grown from initially professional relations. He also spoke about starting out with his first fashion accessory business at 17, and was very honest about how much he disliked practising...
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David'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.
17. Chris O'Reilly: the classical recording industry, paying musicians fairly for streaming, and getting rejected from conducting programmes
The Classical Circuit
06/18/24 • 38 min
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 well as Presto's own streaming service, launched in 2023, which pays musicians fairly. (!!!) Chris also reflected on the time he wasn't accepted onto any postgraduate conducting programmes, his positive outlook on everything that has happened since then, and the importance of resilience.
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Presto 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.
--------------------
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.
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.
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 31 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 39 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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