The Full Score
Radio 3’s new line-up; plus Midori plays for the Pope
Jess Gillam is set to become the youngest ever presenter on BBC Radio 3. As part of a wave of new programmes, the saxophonist and former BBC Young Musician finalist, 20, will present a new weekly Saturday show entitled This Classical Life. On it, she’ll be joined by other young musicians to discuss their favourite works and new musical discoveries, as well as their views on the music industry as performers.
Confirmed guests include pianist Isata Kanneh-mason, pianist and sound artist Belle Chen and film and TV composer Ollie ★owell, as well as double bassist Sam Becker, with whom Gillam presented the BBC Young Musician podcast last year. The first episode of This Classical Life will air on Radio 3 on 6 April, and will also be available in podcast form on BBC Sounds.
Another new programme will be Opera Fix, presented by soprano Danielle de Niese, whose first four-part series will run on Monday evenings in March and April. It will follow the same format as Classical Fix, the hugely successful podcast presented by Clemency Burton-hill, in which classical music newcomers are given a personalised playlist of music to listen to and discuss.
Sunday evenings, meanwhile, will now be le open for runs of short series, two of which will be helmed by former BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists: harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani and guitarist Sean Shibe. Esfahani’s three-part series The Alternative Bach, which fills the final three weeks of March, delves into the world of the German composer, challenging mainstream theories of how his music ‘should’ be played. Later in the year, Shibe will host the six-part Guitar Zone, exploring the myriad capabilities of the guitar across the centuries.
Other changes to Radio 3’s programming include a second slot for
The Listening Service, presented by Tom Service (see p20) on Friday a ernoons, while the station’s regular contemporary music programme, Hear and Now, which is presented by Service and Kate Molleson, has been renamed New Music Show.
‘What I want audiences to know is that when you come to Radio 3, you can get beneath the skin of the music, and hear insights that will change your perspective on the world in a way that is both entertaining and informative,’ says Radio 3 controller Alan Davey. ‘These new presenting names and programming… will do just that.’