Thoroughly Good Classical Music Podcast

Sheffield Chamber Music Festival 2026 curator Claire Booth was asked a blunt question when she was invited her to put together this year's programme: why is selling a song recital so difficult? This year's Sheffield is the answer — or rather, her answer, or the argument. Or maybe its her case for it.
Across a week of concerts, she pulls in Ravel's Scheherazade into the orbit of folk tales, positions Judith Weir's King Harald's Saga alongside a repeat performance of Gavin Higgins's Speak of the North, and premieres Julian Philipps's multilingual children's opera Henny Penny. Song sells itself because song tells a story.
Recorded in the Royal Opera House café after a day of rehearsals, Claire talks about the Festival, a planned collaboration with Rufus Norris on Beckett, her 2025 RPS Singer Award, and — briefly, and with more disappointment than heat — Timothy Chalamet.

Sheffield Chamber Music Festival's outgoing artistic director Edwin Paul asked Claire Booth a blunt question when he invited her to curate this year's programme: why can't you sell a song recital? Across a week of concerts that pull Scheherazade into the orbit of folk tales, set Judith Weir's King Harald's Saga against Gavin Higgins's Speak of the North, and premiere Julian Philipps's multilingual children's opera Henny Penny, her festival is the answer — or rather, the argument.
Recorded in the Royal Opera House café after a day of rehearsals, we talk about the Festival, a planned collaboration with Rufus Norris on Beckett, her 2025 RPS Singer Award, and — briefly, and with more disappointment than heat — Timothy Chalamet.
More information on Sheffield Chamber Festival: https://musicintheround.co.uk/explore-at-home/in-the-round/sheffield-chamber-music-festival-2026/

Composer and pianist Huw Watkins explores his work, his musical language, his collaborations with musicians including Tamsin Waley-Cohen with whom he has released a new album on Signum, Reflection.

When branding gets louder than the art.

A conversation with violinist and singer Lizzie Ball that begins with “big announcement week” energy and opens into a thoughtful exploration of intimacy, collaboration, and how classical music can be presented with integrity, warmth, and curiosity — from Ronnie Scott’s new series to life on and off the stage..