YolanDa Brown uncovers some of the mysteries of buying an orchestral instrument with cellist David Lale and horn player Mark Vines. From commissioning a brand new cello, to finding that ‘perfectly cooked risotto’ sound of Mark’s perfect horn, to leaving horns on trains and cellos outside pubs, YolanDa hears about the highs and lows of searching for (and holding onto!) that dream instrument.  

Produced by Tandem Productions for the London Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Twitter: @LPOrchestra
Instagram: @londonphilharmonicorchestra
Facebook: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

33. Tools of the Trade

We’ve dug into the archives to share one of our favourite episodes of LPO Offstage - Keeping in Shape.

Facing the fear of fear, admitting you might not always want to go to those after concert drinks, and searching for the best strengthening exercises to avoid injury as a musician and a conductor are just a few of the tips and topics discussed by YolanDa Brown, cellist Elisabeth Wiklander and conductor Karina Canellakis. They discover that being in top shape for your job as a musician is a very personal journey. And how do you find that ‘lake stillness’ before a performance?


Produced by Tandem Productions for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Twitter: @LPOrchestra

Instagram: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

Facebook: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

74. From the Archive: Keeping in Shape

YolanDa Brown joins trumpet player Anne McAneney, cellist Francis Bucknall and harpist Rachel Masters to discuss Gustav Holst’s most famous work, The Planets.

Space, the solar system and intergalactic travel have been depicted in music and films for decades, but Gustav Holst was there early, trying to communicate the vastness of the planets (and their mythical links) with music.


In this episode of LPO Offstage the players reveal what the piece is really like to play, the techniques Holst uses in his music which make it sound so ‘space like’ and why he was so ahead of his time.


Plus, musical extracts weave through the conversation…

If you would like to get in touch with your own question about anything to do with classical music, please email offstage@lpo.org.uk and you could feature on a future podcast…

Produced by Tandem Productions for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Twitter: @LPOrchestra

Instagram: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

Facebook: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

75. Holst's The Planets

YolanDa Brown joins cor anglais player Sue Böhling and double bass player Hugh Kluger to find out the reality of life as an orchestral musician, from finding the best bakeries in South East London to having a whole additional career as an interior designer.

In this episode of LPO Offstage YolanDa sits down to chat with Sue and Hugh about their must have items on tour, what they listen to outside their job, and some surprising facts about where their careers might have gone if they didn’t choose the route of a professional musician.


Plus, listener questions ask about favourite venues, the best thing about their instruments, and one very famous cor anglais solo…


If you would like to get in touch with your own question about anything to do with classical music, please email offstage@lpo.org.uk and you could feature on a future podcast…

Produced by Tandem Productions for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Twitter: @LPOrchestra

Instagram: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

Facebook: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

76. Sue and Hugh

YolanDa Brown takes us through some of the best bits of Series 6, from alternative career paths, to romance in the orchestra, and a deep dive into Holst’s Planets.

There’s also advice from Anna Lapwood about how to get into classical music, and Ben Gernon gives us a tour of the orchestra pit at Glyndebourne opera house.


Plus, Lee and Dave’s must have tour items…

Produced by Tandem Productions for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

Twitter: @LPOrchestra

Instagram: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

Facebook: @londonphilharmonicorchestra

77. Best of LPO Offstage: Series 6

If you’re playing and listening to music all day for your job, what do you listen to the rest of the time? In this final episode of Series 6, YolanDa Brown sits down with Simon Carrington (principal timpanist) and Alice Ivy-Pemberton (violinist and co-leader of the LPO) to talk about their personal relationship with music…

They discuss music that imbues every day walking with meaning and purpose, getting in the zone while listening to music on the train, and sometimes just needing silence (‘nature’s music’!).


They also share experiences of being forced to listen to the music that’s constantly playing in their heads, hearing melody in everyday sounds, and music that sparks very specific memories…


Plus, the best playlist for a dinner party, and the one recording they would take with them to a desert island.


If you have any questions you’d like to put to the musicians, please email offstage@lpo.org.uk, and you might be featured in Series 7!


Produced by Tandem Productions for the London Philharmonic Orchestra.

78. What are you listening to?

Live recording of the US Premiere with Wavefield Ensemble on Saturday 25 March 2023 at Cary Hall, DiMenna Center, New York.

"Even sweetness can scratch the throat, so stir the sugar well."  – Ocean Vuong 

This piece is a companion of sorts to shouting forever into the receiver (2022), which was commissioned by SWR/Donaueschinger Musiktage for Ensemble Modern and Vimbayi Kaziboni. Its title is also taken from Ocean Vuong’s writings, but whilst “shouting forever” considers the repeating feedback system of the Plantation Machine, in this instance, I was reminded of one of the substances that initially fuelled it: sugar.

Even sweetness can scratch the throat

On 15 September 2023, the Southbank Centre hosted a cross-cultural takeover by the fashion designer Nicholas Daley.

Renowned for his intricate, colourful knitwork and interplay with music and culture, Daley has used fashion as a means to explore ideas around identity, heritage, and memory, intertwined with wider Black British and diasporic themes.

Nicholas Daley Presents Woven Rhythms saw a number of events curated by Daley take place across the Southbank Centre, beginning with this panel discussion. Intersecting reggae, punk and alternative soundscapes, four trailblazing and rule-breaking musicians from two generations came together for a conversation about music, DIY culture, politics and identity.

In conversation were Pauline Black, lead singer of iconic two-tone band The Selecter, DJ and dub master Dennis Bovell, South London musician and producer Wu Lu, and Delilah Holliday of alternative punk band Skinny Girl Diet.

The conversation is introduced, and hosted, by BBC broadcaster and NTS Radio host, Zakia Sewell.

Woven Rhythms: a discussion

Commissioned by the Australian National Academy of Music for Marmen Quartet, who perform here. First performed, as part of ANAM Quartetthaus, Melbourne in May 2023.

Don’t laugh. Just tell me the story / again, / of the sparrows who flew from falling Rome, / their blazed wings. / How ruin nested inside each thimbled throat / & made it sing
                                                      — Ocean Vuong

How ruin nested inside each thimbled throat / & made it sing [EXTRACT]

The London Philharmonic Orchestra is one of the world's leading symphony orchestras.  Our home is at the Royal Festival Hall on London's Southbank Centre and at Glyndebourne Festival Opera in the summer.  We travel a lot too - both in the UK and around the world.  We hope you enjoy getting to know us.

33. Tools of the Trade

London Philharmonic Orchestra

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