The Culture Bar

Speed pod: Bulgaria

In our ​‘speed pod’ mini-series of quick insights into music and culture from around the world, we talk to music industry professionals about the music of their homeland, to give us a view into different music, composers, sounds and instruments which make music both unique and universal. 

This time, we will be talking to Polyarts Associate Manager: Artists & Projects Eva Pires to tell us more about the sounds of Bulgaria. Eva tells us about what influences there are on Bulgarian music and the importance of folk, stories and the landscape on creating these special musical compositions, the musical sounds associated with the country including unique musical instruments used by shepherds, in wedding bands and a unique style of ​‘throat’ singing, and introduces us to several Bulgarian composers and musicians and Ethno Jazz. 

Eva was interviewed by HarrisonParrott’s Fiona Livingston.

Eva’s Recommendations:
Instruments:
Traditional throat singing: The Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices: live session 
Flutes: Kaval and Duduk
Bagpipe: Gaida
Violin: Gadulka
Drum: Tapan

Composer: Pancho Vladigerov
​“Vardar” Op.16 for violin and piano 
​“Humoreske” Op.15 
​“Seven Bulgarian Symphonic Dances”, Op.23 

Other music:
Bulgarian Ethno Jazz is popular round the world. Two musicians that tour a lot:
Teodosii Spasov – kaval
​“Gypsy Dance”
Stefanovski, Tadic and Spassov: ​“Ne si go prodavaj…” 

Ivo Papazon ​“Ibryama” – clarinet
​“Fairground​”
Ivo Papazov & Trakia Band with Gadulka virtuoso Vasil Denev 
Improvisation session

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by music management company HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

Speedpod: France

In our ​‘speed pod’ mini-series of quick insights into music and culture from around the world, we talk to music industry professionals about the music of their homeland, to give us a view into different music, composers, sounds and instruments which make music both unique and universal. 

This time, we will be talking to HarrisonParrott Social Media Officer Lucie Rivet to tell us more about the sounds of France. Lucie tells us about what influences there are on French music, the musical sounds that are associated with the country, unique musical instruments which teach canaries how to sing, and introduces us to several French composers. As well as providing listeners with a wealth of musical insights, Lucie also gives us her personal recommendations for a French book, album and film, so we can dive deeper into understanding French culture and its contribution to the world.

Lucie was interviewed by HP’s Fiona Livingston.

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

Read the transcription here

How the music industry can get more involved in music education to broaden music career horizons

In this Culture Bar Podcast, we focus on collaborations between Higher Education and the Music Industry, the breadth and diversity of Career Pathways, and what could be improved to ensure that inclusive access to the music industry continues to be a priority for all involved.

Hosted by HP Foundation's Manager, Lissy Kelleher-Clarke, the panel includes Jay Picasso (Artist Relationship Manager at Abbey Road)⁠⁠, Dr. Oli Morris (Director of Education & Skills of UK Music⁠), Hannah Eakins (CEO of Production Futures⁠) and Ruth Minton (Lecturer at University of Liverpool & HP Foundation Trustee⁠).

This podcast is part of the HarrisonParrott Foundation's Music Access Awareness Week.

Read the transcription here

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by music management company HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

Speed Pod: HarrisonParrott Dance with Henry St Clair

In this episode of our speed podcast mini-series, we talk to Henry St Clair, the Senior Management of our Dance department. We discuss what it's like to manage our new and growing Dance department, Henry's own experiences in the professional dance world, and tips for those looking to experience dance for the first time. 

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by music management company HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

Creative Access: Securing internships in the creative sector

In this Culture Bar Podcast, we talk to current and past interns of HarrisonParrott who went through the Creative Access process, a company that enables people from communities under-represented in the creative industries to access careers, progress and reach leadership. We ask our panellists for advice on how to secure an internship, how they found the whole process and what they are hoping to achieve or have achieved following the internship.  

In this informative conversation, we are thrilled to be joined by five wonderful panellists:

Alisha Kaur is currently our Accounts Assistant but started at HarrisonParrott as an Accounts Assistant Intern.

Kaya Brown originally started as an intern for touring and artist management. Now she works in the HR department as HR and Operations Coordinator.

Mia Musa-Green is currently our Intern Artist Coordinator for the vocal team.

Matthew Law started working at HarrisonParrott as an Artist Coordinator Intern, then stayed as a permanent staff as an Artist Coordinator.

Lucy Madaras was also an Artist Coordinator Intern at HarrisonParrott.

This episode is hosted by HP’s Lauren O'Brien.

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases.

A special thank you to Robert Cochrane as the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.

Creative Iceland: Cultural activities for children at concert venues

Welcome to Creative Iceland – a special The Culture Bar mini-podcast series focusing on the creative scene in Iceland. This series is hosted by Icelander Arna Margrét Jónsdóttir from HarrisonParrott. Arna will be speaking with fellow Icelanders about various topics related to the creative scene in Iceland.

For this episode we will explore cultural activities for children at concert venues, focusing on Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre. We will go over the importance of children’s culture, look into recent policy changes around children’s cultural activities at subsidised concert venues, and learn about cultural activities for, with and by children taking place at Harpa.

Svanhildur Konráðsdóttir is the Director of Harpa – Concert Hall and Conference Center in Reykjavík, Iceland. Svanhildur has over twenty years of successful experience in the cultural sector in Iceland and abroad. Since 2004, she served as a board member of the company that oversaw the construction and preparation of Harpa’s operations, then served on the board of directors from 2011 – 2016. She became the director of Harpa in 2017. In recent years, Svanhildur was the Director of Culture and Tourism of Reykjavík responsible for Reykjavík City’s cultural, artistic and tourism activities. This included the overseeing of operation of numerous cultural institutions and Visit Reykjavik — events and marketing office which she started. She headed the bid leading up to Reykjavík becoming a UNESCO City of Literature and also the Reykjavík Music City Program. Svanhildur’s background is in culture, journalism and media and she is the author of two books. She has worked for Reykjavík Arts Festival, Reykjavík European City of Culture 2000 and the National Broadcasting Service. She was the chairperson of UNICEF in Iceland for six years and has served on various other boards — now on the board of The Red Cross in Reykjavík. Among international art projects is the collaboration with Yoko Ono on IMAGINE PEACE TOWER in Videy island and the international promotion of Icelandic arts and culture through various channels and partners.

Ingibjörg Fríða Helgadóttir is a musician, creative workshop leader and children’s culture project manager at Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Centre. She has diverse education and experience in various fields of music and a degree in Creative Music Communication from the Iceland University of the Arts. In the last years, she has focused on children’s culture, creating, and hosting cultural podcasts for children and families at the Icelandic National Television and Radio (RÚV), teaching and performing music to and for children and leading music improv and composition workshops in various settings, for example in art festivals, music schools and concert venues such as Harpa. As a project manager, she supervises the children and family program in Harpa (which includes concerts, workshops, and other events) as well as the musical experimentation space in Harpa, Hljóðhimnar. The aim is to make Harpa familiar to every child, support culture for children, with children but most importantly culture by children.

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by music management company HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

Speed pod: A guide to running a digital event with Virtual Circle

Welcome to this special Virtual Circle episode of The Culture Bar. In this speed pod series, we explore online streaming and digital content for classical music and the arts, thinking about what the future might look like. We also give tips and insights into the digital space and how it is developing for classical music, as well as to share our experiences of holding online events.

In this episode, we give you a practical guide to running a digital event, and the questions you should ask yourself before setting up an event. 

Photo ©Apple & Biscuit Recordings, taken at Sean Shibe's Virtual Circle concert recording at St Martin-in-the-Fields Church, London.

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

How to support the development of young artists: journey from conservatoire to concert hall

In this episode of The Culture Bar podcast series, we explore what the career paths of young artists look like and how we can support up-and-coming artists. We will unpick barriers to entry for young musicians and understand what skills are required, what success looks like, and what talent managers look for when signing a new artist.

Our incredible panel includes:

• Lydia Connolly – Head of Artist Management, HarrisonParrott
• Randall Goosby – American violinist, Decca Classics recording artist, and former Winner of Young Concert Artists International Auditions, amongst many other accolades
• Benjamin Woodroffe – President, Global Foundation for the Performing Arts

Hosted by HP’s Henry Southern

This episode is part of our ​‘Under the Spotlight’ podcast series where we shine a light on ​‘challenging’ topics in the arts, and focus on guests living these experiences and who are working to create change in the sector.

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases.

A special thank you to Robert Cochrane, the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas, our editor.

After Hours: Mark Pemberton ABO

HarrisonParrott’s Henry Southern talks with Mark Pemberton OBE, CEO of the Association of British Orchestras, about the current landscape in the UK orchestral sector and classical music more broadly.

Mark provides an insightful snapshot of the challenges facing UK orchestra managers today covering a broad range of topics including COVID, Brexit, sustainability, inclusion and diversity, relevance, and funding structures. We also reflect on the resilience and entrepreneurship of colleagues within the industry.

Resources:

William J. Baumol and William G. Bowen: On the Performing Arts: The Anatomy of their Economic Problems 
ABO Green Guide
Scottish Classical Music Green Guide
I’M IN – Music Masters

After Hours chats are a spin-off series from The Culture Bar, discussing issues relating more broadly to the arts and culture sector.

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer, Stitcher, Pocket Casts and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases.

A special thank you to Robert Cochrane the composer of our theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.

Disability and Access in the Arts

In this episode of The Culture Bar podcast, we cover the important topic of disability and access in the arts. We discuss what does inclusivity really mean, how do we move EDI statements/​policies into meaningful action, the dangers of​‘tokenism’, and guests share inspiring examples of projects where disability and access to the arts were successfully implemented.

We are joined by three expert panellists from across the arts sector:

• Kimberley Harvey – Director of Youth Dance Programme, Candoco Dance Company 
• Kira Grunenberg – Arts professional and music journalist based in New York
• Dougie Scarfe – CEO, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra

Hosted by HP’s Henry Southern

This episode is part of our ​‘Under the Spotlight’ podcast series where we shine a light on ​‘challenging’ topics in the arts, and focus on guests living these experiences and who are working to create change in the sector.

The Culture Bar is a podcast series created by HarrisonParrott focussing on conversations in culture and the arts.

Find us on Spotify, iTunes, Google Podcasts, YouTube, Podbean, Deezer and all good podcatcher sites.

Use #theculturebar or follow us on Twitter @_TheCultureBar to keep up with our latest releases

A special thank you to Robert Cochrane the composer of the theme tune music, and Merlyn Thomas our editor.