Hattie Butterworth and Rebecca Toal host a podcast of insight and change in the classical music and arts professions. Delving into the often stigmatised worlds of mental health, injury, discrimination and productivity, classical music issues are spoken and revived. Join Hattie, Rebecca and guests for important conversations, inspiring moments of wisdom and poignant vulnerability. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
We couldn't be more pleased to be releasing this interview with legendary journalist Jessica Duchen. Hosted in her beautiful home, we speak about her path into writing, how personal challenges have affected her outlook on life and journalism, and her decision to no longer be "muzzled". Her commitment to uncovering classical music's uncomfortable truths has resulted in some iconic articles,…
This was never going to be a fun episode to make. After some months of sitting on this decision, we are sharing with you the news that TMDTA will come to an end in June after six years of beautiful conversations. In this episode, Becca and I discuss the reasons why and look back over the six years. Thank you thank you for all your incredible love and support – we are so grateful for this community…
What REALLY goes on in the world of ballet and specialist ballet schools? And how different is it to the world of classical music and what can we learn from ballet dancers as musicians? Louise Bennett is a former ballet dancer and Artistic Director of the London Vocational Ballet School. She Hattie and Becca about the current climate within ballet, experience at the Royal Ballet School, as well as…
Hattie has "trouble in everything", Becca has been living the Lady of Leisure lifestyle. They look back at 2016, forwards to 2026, and reply to an email from a reader/listener who reached out about feeling gaslit by their music college professor. ------------------------------------------------------------- Things Musicians Don't Talk About is supported by the Royal Society of Musicians ! Follow…
What role do musicians play in the political landscape? And how safe do they feel about speaking out without damaging their career prospects? In this episode, live from the Royal Society of Musicians, Hattie and Rebecca are joined by cellist and former Labour MP Thangam Debbonaire and harpist and activist Eleanor Turner. They explore the barriers musicians face to championing their political…
We bring you a special filmed episode from Ronnie Scott's legendary London jazz club where we speak with the fabulous Lizzie Ball. Alongside pianist James Pearson, Lizzie will be curating the much-anticipated classical series Upstairs at Ronnie’s. We chat about the series, and then onto Lizzie's backstory of becoming an improvising violinist, coaching musicians with performance anxiety, and what…
Dr. Anna Bull is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice, Co-director of The 1752 Group and a former professional pianist and cellist. We return to Zoom to speak with her about class and socioeconomic issues in the classical music industry, and pick her brains about what, if anything, can be done. She also tells us about her work on sexual harassment in music conservatoires, and why the…
Trigger Warning: suicidal ideation from 13:50 to 18:00 Is it ethical that musicians feels 'owned' or controlled by their donors? Today in The Break Down, we are discussing philanthropy in classical music and opera, Hattie's recent experience of depression and the strife of misogyny, sadly still in some of Rebecca's orchestral experiences Watch this episode on Youtube here.…
Welcome to our rebranded 'chatty episodes' - now, with middling irony and an exaggerated sense of self-awareness, called The Break Down. Hattie brings our Classical Strife newsletter segment to the podcast, we chat about The Met x Saudi Arabia's hot new #collab, we dis/agree on activism, and come to the usual conclusion that mental health is difficult. Like, subscribe, review (if it's nice), and…
Words hold huge power, and for a long time the word 'anorexia' felt dirty to pianist Ophelia Gordon. First experiencing its wrath while studying at the BRIT School and watching her parents' divorce unravel her life, anorexia would return two years ago when Ophelia separated from her husband. She joins Hattie and Rebecca to uncover the story of her eating disorder, the trauma of divorce and the…