Podcast
The Future of Classical Music Podcast, a show about big ideas and the people behind them. I talk to a diverse cast of people from all across the industry at the frontier of innovation about the biggest challenges the sector faces, how they navigate an ever-changing landscape, and where they see hope for the future of classical music.
Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms, on the future of the BBC Proms in an ever-changing world
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Today, I‘m talking with Sam Jackson, Controller, BBC Radio 3 and BBC Proms. The BBC Proms is the world’s largest and longest-running classical music festival, taking place over 8 weeks each summer. With concerts broadcast on the radio and on television around the world, and with international artists and orchestras performing, it is one of the most important, visible, and impactful parts of the classical music industry.
However, everyone has an opinion on the Proms and the BBC itself. For some, the festival is guilty of dumbing down, and for others of not doing enough to be more accessible. The BBC Proms is always an easy target for clickbait articles, and as a full confession, I’ve written a couple myself.
But with the digital world continuing to impact the world of broadcast, changing consumer trends, and real-term cuts at the BBC, there are some challenges that the BBC Proms faces that are worth looking at.
So, with the BBC Proms about to start on July 18th, I thought it would be great to dive into it all with the person in charge, Sam Jackson. We spoke about how the BBC works and making decisions as part of a large organisation, what impact for the proms looks like, and the challenge of programming a festival for a broad-church of audiences when what the Proms means to them and what they are looking for can sometimes be very different and even conflicting things.
We also dive into some more challenging areas, such as whether the BBC Proms has fulfilled its potential in the digital world, whether the broadcast of the Proms has kept up with advances elsewhere in the industry, and AI and innovation.
I’d like to thank Sam for being up for the challenging questions, and I certainly learnt a lot from the answers.
Alexandra Robinson, social media manager at the Minnesota Orchestra, on orchestras using social media to engage with a wider world
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Today, I‘m talking with Alexandra Robinson, Social Media and Content Manager for the Minnesota Orchestra. If you’re a follower of the blog, you already know just how much I love the Minnesota Orchestra. They are exceptional online, creating incredible and funny audience-centric content, and Alex is the driving force behind it and one of the leading social media and content managers in the industry.
In this conversation, we spoke a lot about how to build trust, with musicians, guest artists, and the organisation to be able to create and implement an audience-focussed strategy. We also spoke about balancing audience focussed content with the need to post about concert tickets, developing an organisational voice on socials when it can be so different to the corporate voice, some of the tools used to create, schedule, and manage content, and how to avoid being overwhelmed as a social media manager.
Honestly, this episode was a blast, and Alex drops some incredible thoughts and advice throughout, I can’t wait for you to listen.
Marios Papadopoulos on the joy of sharing music
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts
This chat was recorded at the Classic Violin Olympus in Dubai, talking with jury member Marios Papadopoulos. Marios is a conductor and pianist who founded the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra in 1998.
Founding an orchestra is no easy thing, so I was really interested to hear the journey from idea to an orchestra performing 40 concerts a year. With a lot changing since 1998, I was also fascinated to hear how the orchestra has adapted over the years.
We also talked about how the role of musicians has changed over the years, and Marios’ thoughts on the skills that soloists need to thrive.
Denis Kozhukhin on his hopes for humanity and how music plays a part in it
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Today’s episode is a little bit different. This is an impromptu in-person interview pianist Denis Kozhukhin that we managed to squeeze in at the InClassica festival in Dubai.
We talked about his hopes for humanity and how music plays a part in it, the role of competitions and advice for musicians in making the most of them even if they don’t win, reconnecting with audiences, and the challenge of being able to appreciate art when it is instantly accessible
Guest: Denis Kozhukhin
Stagecast CEO Matt Parkin on the power of embedding digital in your artistic vision
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Today, I‘m talking with Matt Parkin, CEO and co-founder of Stagecast, a digital media company that specialises in filming and broadcasting classical music concerts.
We talk about how the landscape of classical music broadcasting has changed over the last 10 years, the power of livestreaming, the process of taking a concert idea to broadcast, the future of broadcast, and the power of embedding digital in an organisations artistic vision.
Guest: Matt Parkin
Matilda Lloyd on embracing digital as a musician, and why greater transparency would help the industry
Listen on: Spotify, Apple Podcasts
Today I‘m talking with Matilda Lloyd, a soloist and trumpeter who is reshaping what it means to be an artist in the modern world. After bursting onto the scene winning the BBC Young Musician of the Year Brass Final in 2014, she’s performed all over the world, but has also focused on music education projects and building an audience online.
As well as talking about the digital world and what it means to be an artist today, we also dive into what musicians can learn from the world of sport, the importance of being more open about mental health, how to get an album from idea to launch, and why transparency would benefit everyone in the industry.
Guest: Matilda Lloyd