Toks Dada, Head of Classical Music at Southbank Centre, reflects on his four years running one of Europe's largest classical music series, drawing on his own lifelong vision. That vision balances continuity, tradition and innovation. The conversation touches on a shift in ticket buying post-pandemic and the opportunities this behavioural changes presents the classical music industry. It also suggests some of the ethical considerations wider classical music management need to grapple with when considering working with controversial figures.

Soprano Claire Booth discusses two new albums she's released in 2024 to mark 150th anniversary of Arnold Schoenberg's birth.

This episode spotlights a new release from cellist Tim Posner. Recorded weeks ago, this episode has I'm sorry to say been subject to all manner of technical challenges. Publication has been delayed as a result. But all good things come to those who wait. And this is GOOD. Tim Posner's debut album includes music by Bloch, Bruch and Dohnanyi is a case in point. The music speaks for itself (especially the rarely heard Konzertstucke by Dohnanyi) Posner's playing is full bodied, heartfelt and huggable, if you know what I mean. A Thoroughly Good highlight of 2024.

Principal horn at Shanghai Symphony Orchestra Peter Solomon has managed to do the unthinkable: fly home to New York for a holiday just as COVID19 broke out in China, then fly back from New York just as the virus broke out in the US. In this episode he brings the music of Bach, Brahms, Shostakovich and Strauss. 

Ruth Rogers is a violinist with the London Mozart Players contributing to the orchestra's LMP at Home series - a regularly updated collection of videos and playlists created for audiences and musicians alike in isolation. In this episode, she introduces three works that have supported her during the initial stages of the Coronavirus outbreak including Tchaikovsky's Souvenir de Florence, Mendelssohn's youthfully optimistic Octet, and Schoenberg's Verklarte Nacht. 

In this exclusive podcast hear BAFTA-award winning composer Paul Leonard-Morgan talk about his work with Philip Glass composing music for the new hotly-anticipated Amazon Prime series ‘Tales from the Loop’. A charming soundtrack, simply scored but deployed with devastating effect. Hear Paul discuss how he works in isolation from his glass-walled studio in LA. Watch the trailer on YouTube. Tales of the Loop is available on Amazon Prime from 3 April. 

Writer and 'punter' Adrian Ainsworth (@Adrian_Specs on Twitter) brings his musical selection to the Thoroughly Good Emergency Classical Music Podcast including Carolyn Sampson's latest release, Schubert's Ausflosung from Ian Bostridge, Kate Arnold's 'For Barely One In A Thousand' and Jo Quail's 'Mandrel Cantus'.

Adrian has a new blog set up to supporting artists impacted by the Coronavirus Crisis - Support Action. 

Marta Gardolińska shares classical music works which have supported her during isolation and lockdown in Austria: Vaughan Williams' Lark Ascending, Strauss' Four Last Songs, and the symphonies of Bruckner - music that evokes a sense of freedom, acceptance, peace, and consolation.

There's a nasty bug about. A nasty economy-threatening bug that challenging all of us. At times like these we need to draw on the things that matter most: music. Fran Wilson and Jon Jacob talk about their reaction to events and the music that has supported them. 

Jules Buckley and the Heritage Orchestra appear as part of the 2020 Cheltenham Music Festival (3-12 July) of which Buckley is guest curator this year. In this podcast hear Buckley discuss his musical roots, why he thought the Ibiza Prom might bomb minutes before he went on stage, and how the club classics which made up that concert weren't necessarily his go-to music when he sat down to arrange them. 

A special series of podcasts commissioned by the lovely people at Spitalfields Music celebrating the 2020 Festival. Edited highlights from the @SpitsMusic Festival Launch 2020 including CEO Sarah Gee, and composers Errollyn Wallen and Edmund Finnis. Plus, exclusive live performances from the Dunedin Consort. 

Recorded at Ham Yard Hotel in February 2020, Susan Bullock discusses her career playing Elektra, ahead of the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra performances of Strauss' revenge-ridden opera of the same name in Poole Lighthouse and Birmingham Symphony Hall. 

Hailstones, frogs and sexy trills. Monteverdi Choir's director Peter Whelan joins Amy Wood and Nick Pritchard to introduce the detail and the colour in Handel's oratorio Israel in Egypt.

Miloš latest album of guitar music features Katherine Tinker and Jess Gillam on a variety of classical interpretations of iconic pop tunes. And it works well. Miloš shared his thoughts on playing, the industry, and the supposed shame of admitting to burnout in this podcast recorded at The Treehouse Hotel in London. 

Soprano Elizabeth Llewellyn appears in the title role in Verdi's Luisa Miller at English National Opera in London. Book tickets on the ENO website. https://www.eno.org/whats-on/luisa-miller/

Carlos Cipa visited London in September 2019 for a one-off concert and to promo his new album of experimental soundscapes Retronyms. Since then he's also released Retronyms B-Side Collection - three tracks reworking the improvisation-driven compositions from the August release. 

Maxim Vengerov celebrates 40 years performing on stages across the world with a special one-off concert at the Royal Albert Hall on 12 June 2019 with Martha Argerich and Mischa Maisky. He's also teaming up with streaming service IDAGIO to release exclusive recordings on their label (listen to the podcast to get a discount code for signing up to IDAGIO). He plays the Brahms Violin Concerto with the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra on 30 April.

Violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen and pianist James Baillieu discuss their latest collaboration on Signum Classics: the complete works for violin and keyboard by CPE Bach. Available on all streaming sites and for purchase via Signum Classics. 

Gabriela's latest album on Orchid Classics is available on Spotify. She performs with the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra on 26 February 2020. https://bsolive.com/events/artist-in-residence-recital/

Violinist Nicola Benedetti is one of the world's leading advocates for quality music education - an ambassador whose passion for her role is evident in what she says and what she does. This podcast features an interview with her about the Benedetti Foundation, plus excerpts from sessions for primary school children run in London. 

Tom Hammond conducts the Orchestra of the Swan on 21 January 2020 in a programme featuring music by Sibelius. In this podcast he discusses how he discovered Sibelius' music. He also previews some of the events in the 2020 Hertfordshire Music Festival. 

Conductor and harpsichordist Christophe Rousset discusses the writing of composer Lully following a performance of 'Isis' given at Opera Royal in the Palace of Versailles on Tuesday 10 December.

Read a synopsis of the opera on the Les Talens Lyriques website. A recording of the opera made by Les Talens Lyriques is available on Spotify or to purchase. 

LPO Principal Concductor Edward Gardner, and LPO Conducting Fellows Charlotte Politi and Luis Castillo-Briceño reflecting on their roles as conductors and the process of developing their conducting presence.

Ahead of Tafelmusik's European tour this week, music director Elissa Citterio talks about how she came to work with the Canadian Baroque orchestra, and her love of the Italian orchestral sound. 

Easy well-matched conversation with someone who thrives on self-deprecation, draws on NLP tools and techniques when she talks, and whose approach to digital storytelling chimes with my own. Earlier this week a new colleague reinforced a perspective I’ve held (but not really articulated much) he learned by being in a lift with a broadcaster. Joyful content comes when those doing the storytelling are at their ease, when there’s spontaneity, and when there’s the lightest-touch of plans. There’s a need too to be at ease sharing the reality of life - the antidote to the habit we all have of planning all the spontaneity out of a moment. Tessa and I talked about composer Michael Torke, perfectionism, sound production, and Schubert’s C major Fantasie.

Overlook the mis-pronunciation of the marvellous Roxanna Panufnik's name in the recorded introduction to this podcast. 

The important stuff is what follows. Roxanna is warm, open, and generous in her contributions, at ease recalling her formative years as she is responding to my frequent 'ums' and 'ahs'. 

Thanks for supporting the podcast. You really are special people. 

Annelien Van Wauwe's new album on Pentatone features music from the late 19th century Belle Epoque - the 'beautiful era' - and includes works by Debussy, Brahms, Widor and Pierne. In this podcast Annelien discusses her relationship with the music and her approach to playing, practicing and teaching.  

Voces 8 founder and participation manager provides a guided tour of the singing group's residential course for amateur singers at Milton Abbey in Dorset. Music includes Bruch's Violin Concerto from Thomas Gould and Haydn's Creation. Also featuring one proud mum. 

Recorded at the beginning of September at Snape Maltings Concert Hall in the run up to the second annual Festival of New, podcast 59 features  pianist Sarah Nicholls, cellist Maja Bugge and singer-songwriter Fran Lobo discussing some of the thinking behind their work at the week-long residency. 

Support Sarah Nicholls Standing Grand Piano Kickstarter Campaign here: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/futurepiano/the-standing-grand-a-new-light-portable-acoustic-piano.

Sarah also appears in this year's London Piano Festival next week. Tickets:  https://www.kingsplace.co.uk/whats-on/family/the-inside-out-piano-with-sarah-nicolls/

Patreon supporters get early access to the Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast for as little as $5 in addition to other benefits. Support the podcast here: https://patreon.com/thoroughlygood. 

Ahead of Raphael Wallfisch's new season of concerts, Jon Jacob speaks to the cellist about his formative classical music experiences, cellist Zara Nelsova, Jacqueline du Pre, and the music of Ernest Bloch. For regular updates, concert previews, and recording recommendations, support the podcast via http://patreon.com/thoroughlygood.

Ahead of the Aurora Orchestra's much-anticipated appearance performing Berlioz's Symphonie fantastique at the BBC Proms 2019, conductor Nicholas Collon discusses his career to date and looks ahead to his new role as Chief Conductor at the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra. 

Lovely people from across the classical music industry share their reflections on the year gone by, and look forward to the year ahead. Hear thoughts and recommendations from violinist Fenella Humphreys, pianist Charles Owen, Roger Wright, London Chamber Orchestra's Jocelyn Lightfoot, Manchester Camerata's Bob Riley and Manchester Collective's Rakhi Singh.

Marci introduces her new crowdfunded CD - The Wild Song. A combination of folk songs set to music by Benjamin Britten interspersed with poetry by Yeats read by Simon Russell-Beale and sound interludes by Mychael Danner. All of it produced at the Britten Studio at Snape Maltings in Suffolk in 2016.  Buy the album here >> http://smarturl.it/modern-poetics

Conductor Elim Chan discusses the conductor’s experience, Valery Gergiev and working with Errolyn Wallen. NB The agency Elim is signed to is Harrison Parrott, not Harold Holt (which doesn’t actually exist by the way).  Maybe it’s time for a new podcast host.  

Give the listening audience the chance to reflect on what they’ve just heard and what it means to them, instead of resorting to hype, sycophancy, or post-performance reviews

A new training orchestra for conservatoire musicians from Russia and the UK starts rehearsing for a month of concerts in September 2019. Novaya Opera Artistic Director explains the thinking behind the bi-lateral project, what he discovered during auditions for the orchestra, and reveals some of the differences between UK and Russian orchestral musicians. More information at www.bsfo.org.

What marked Martin out for leadership? What mindset helped him be successful. What does he look for in artists? The former VP of Deutsche Grammophon - Artists and Repertoire - shared insights into how the record industry works, why he moved from artist management to artistic directorship. And, his connection with the Aldeburgh Festival. 

Russian violinist Alexander Sitkovetsky discusses Menuhin, the Soviet music education system, and nerves in this podcast recorded at the Verbier Festival on Sunday 28 July 2019. 

Nicolas Hodges appears at the BBC Proms 2019 in a performance of Messiaen's Des Canyon aux étoiles. Here he discusses the different ways birdsong sounds across the world, how eight weeks when he was a teenager made contemporary music inescapable, and what happens in the moment between the final note of a piece of music and the applause beginning. 

Principal clarinettist of the Philharmonia Mark van de Wiel discuss the Mozart and Phibbs recordings just released Signum, plus explain his development as a musician with teachers Dame Thea King and Colin Bradbury. Buy via the Signum website >> https://signumrecords.com/product/phibbs-and-mozart/SIGCD578/

Matthew Barley's recording of John Tavener's The Protecting Veil was released on the Signum label in June 2019. It's available via Spotify. 

Schubert's epic and much-revered song cycle Die Schoene Mullerin is given a folksy feel with a new recording released by Rubicon Classics featuring Barokksolistene and Thomas Guthrie (who you'll hear in this podcast episode). If you're pro-deference this one probably isn't for you, but if you're open, curious or in need of a fresh approach then come on in and make yourself comfortable. Find yourself a bale of straw and sit yourself down. It's a treat.

BBC Proms management bod introduces what's in store during the 2019 season.

Maths prodigy and now composer. Alexey Shor is the composer in residence at the Malta International Festival. In this podcast he discusses why he writes and how he writes, and challenges a whole load of assumptions about the classical music world as he does so. Read the accompanying blog post on the Thoroughly Good Blog.