Send us a text Visit www.dearmaestro.org for bonus content, including letters read-out and discussed by their writers. Email us at hello@dearmaestro.org - we'd love to hear from you! Producers: Rowan Bishop and Kate Guthrie Hosts: Flora Willson and Kate Guthrie With thanks to: Cheryl Melody Baskin, Michael Ellison, Cassandra Fenton, Mark Keedwell, Melanie Shaffer, Karen Skinazi, Chuck Talley and Justin Williams. Funded by: the Arts and Humanities Research Council.

What do crockery and sweat have to do with the history of classical music? The answer lies with its fans. Meet hosts Dr. Kate Guthrie and Dr. Flora Willson as they discuss why we need to talk about classical music fandom. We share stories of fandom from our own lives. We tell the story of how Leonard Bernstein, the composer of West Side Story, became the most famous classical music star of his generation. And we reveal how the thousands of fan letters he received ended up in DC’s presti...

From ‘Swifties’ to ‘Trekkies’, ‘Potterheads’ to ‘Twihards’, fans of popular culture often proclaim their fandom with pride. But the idea of fandom still seems to make the classical music world uncomfortable. In this episode, we ask: what’s so bad about being a fan of classical music?! We take a deep dive into the history of the fandom to find out where the word ‘fan’ comes from. We explore how the popular music industry, Beatlemania and television made it controversial to be a fan...

For decades, critics have been slamming the classical music world for its elitism. Meanwhile, fans insist that classical music is for everyone. What’s all the fuss about? In this episode, we ask: why is classical music’s elitist reputation so contentious? We explore how in the 1950s and 1960s - when Bernstein was at the height of his celebrity - the USA’s rapidly expanding middle class embraced classical music as a cultural equivalent of the white picket fence. We discuss musicians from...

Ask any classical music boffin, and they’ll tell you that you can’t just listen to classical music. It’s a skill that you have to learn. But what about our gut response to music – where does that come into it? In this episode, we ask: is there a correct way to listen to classical music? We recount our own experiences of being taught how to listen at school and university. We discuss what Bernstein thought the Beatles had in common with Schumann – and why drawing this comparison wa...

Classical music usually conjures up images of civilised rather than raunchy behaviour. But many of Bernstein’s fans found him seriously sexy – and they were not afraid to tell him. In this episode, we ask: how did Bernstein’s body help to make him an icon of the classical music world? We reflect on how ideas about "acceptable conduct" constrained sexual expression in Bernstein’s America. We discuss the gaps between sexual values and sexual practice that were exposed by his contemporary Alfred...

The Beatles, Taylor Swift, Bob Dylan, the Sex Pistols … the soundtracks of teenage self-discovery are many. Rarely do we think to include classical music on such a list – but Bernstein’s young fans show that it should be. In this episode, we ask: how does being a fan of something help us build our identities? We share our memories of childhood books that enabled us to explore our sense of self. We consider what Swifties can teach us about becoming and being a fan. We explore what classi...

Autotune scandals, controversies about artists selling-out, disagreements over the “right” way to play Beethoven: if these tell you one thing, it’s that we expect artists to be authentic. But how do you judge authenticity? In this episode, we ask: what does it mean to be “for real” in the classical music world? We explore why, for more than a century, commercial success and artistic integrity have often been considered mutually exclusive. We ask if the kind of person someone is should a...

Anyone who’s ever been a real fan will know what it feels like to long for something – to meet a celebrity, for tickets to a gig, to own that rare collectible. In so many ways, fandom promises to make life better. But these promises can also draw attention to the shortcomings we feel in our lives. In this episode, we ask: what’s the deal with fandom and longing? We explore how celebrities can seem both like us and superhuman at the same time. We reflect on how classical music fandom cou...