Classical Music Podcast Recommendations
I often get asked to recommend classical music-themed podcasts and now seems like the ideal time to share this information to keep you entertained while you can’t leave the house. Here are five UK-based podcasts that I like, and at the bottom you’ll find some extra podcast recommendations that are nothing to do with classical music. This barely scratches the surface of the many podcasts being made around the world, so I’m sure there’ll be another article coming your way in due course. Sign up for the mailing list and follow @alterclassical on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to hear more. Hit play on…
I’m a big fan of this BBC Radio 3 show, which introduces public figures – comedians, novelists and TV presenters – to the world of classical music. Jules Buckley (who I interviewed) mixes each guest a bespoke playlist and we hear their first impressions. An accessible way to discover new tracks, and interesting to hear music you know through someone else’s ears. Past guests include Rob Delaney, Deborah Frances-White and Davina McCall.
🎧 Interesting for all listeners
🐦 @BBCRadio3 on Twitter
They sell themselves as ‘the best classical music podcast produced in a Brixton bedroom’ and I’m happy to award them this accolade. Tune in for a whizz through classical news from around the world, reviews, concert recommendations and music analysis (🤓). There are usually several lol moments from the hosts Timmy Fisher and Sam Poppleton. Shout-out to their Twitter ‘guess the composer’ games and excellent jingles.
🎧 Best for people with some classical knowledge
🐦 @ClassicalPod on Twitter
Dubbed as “the 20-somethings making classical music hilarious” by The Guardian, this is an upbeat pod to get on if you want to learn something (especially wacky composer facts) without feeling like you’re at school. Kelly and Sascha, who met while working at Classic FM, talk to you about classical music whilst making you laugh. Job’s a good ‘un!
🎧 Interesting for all listeners
🐦 @thatclassical on Twitter, 📸 @theclassicalinsta on Instagram & @thatclassicalpodcast on Facebook
Another fun one on BBC Radio 3: saxophonist Jess Gillam chats to 20-something musicians about the music they listen to (with clips of each piece) and about how they got into classical music in the first place. A light-hearted, informative way of hearing new tracks, both classical and non.
🎧 Interesting for all listeners
📸 @jessgillamsax on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter
This podcast explores life from a musician’s point of view: the peaks, troughs and downright unexpected. The host is London-based Kiwi cellist Davina Shum, who interviews a different musician each episode with the aim of demystifying their lives by asking them to speak openly and honestly about their lives and careers, including the weird things that music college didn’t prepare them for.
🎧 Interesting for all listeners
📸 @asitcomespod on Instagram & Facebook
Other podcasts worth tuning into that aren’t related to classical music are: How To Fail With Elizabeth Day (celebrating the things that haven’t gone right), Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster (comedians talking about their dream meal) and Man In The Window (the story of one of California’s most deadly serial killers). And you must have listened to Serial and My Dad Wrote A Porno…?
Hannah Fiddy is a creative entrepreneur, developing new audiences for classical music. She has created and promoted numerous concerts outside of traditional spaces, including warehouses, pubs, clubs, museums, hospitals, prisons and even in Primark. Hannah is also an interviewer, writer and guest lecturer, and runs the Avon Chamber Choir in Bristol. In a past life she founded London Flashmob, producing quirky events from wedding proposals to cultural pranks for up to 1,000 people.
Follow Hannah on Twitter @Hannah_Fiddy.
Photo credits: Clemency Burton-Hill by Henry Iddon