Three In A Bar

141. Imogen Whitehead - Launching an album, shooting a video, pre show nausea and a six month wait for an anecdote!

Hello lovely listeners! It’s been a while eh? We are dropping in briefly with an episode spanning six months in the life of Trumpet soloist and principal of Britten Sinfonia, Imogen Whitehead.

Part one of this pod was recorded back in May when Imogen was launching her debut album Connection with a concert at St Martin in the Fields. We chatted about some of the tracks - including her work with renowned sports psychologist Dr. Pippa Grange and with friend of TIAB Charlotte Harding.

Imogen also discusses the hazardous filming of a music video and the level of work that goes into singlehandedly releasing and promoting an album…turns out it’s quite a lot! 

We leave this section with so many questions - How did the launch go? Would Imogen decide to enlist an agent? Any other major life events likely to happen in the following months? Oh and what was that anecdote involving Helena Bonham-Carter?…

Well worry not, Imogen kindly agreed to chat to us via the magic of Zencastr and all the above are answered! 

Hope you enjoy our chat(s) with Imogen, back again soon with more TIAB x

140. Jack Bazalgette - A Cheltenham Festival Special!

In this bonus episode of TIAB we speak to the new artistic director of Cheltenham Music Festival, Jack Bazalgette.

Jack is an inspired choice for Cheltenham - as cofounder and director of Through The Noise he has programmed more than 130 concerts with innovative ensembles and repertoire in an eclectic mix of venues. He brings this visionary approach to the festival whilst still appealing to it’s loyal audience.

We chatted to Jack about Cheltenham festival highlights, balancing the new with what has already been established and potential future plans. He tells us about some of the less conventional venues and performances he’s helped bring together over the years - nowhere is too much of a challenge to stage a concert if you put your mind to it!

Jack is an inspirational person and his can-do attitude will make for exciting seasons ahead at the Cheltenham Festival. 

Thanks to Dan Hartland for setting up this thoroughly enjoyable chat!

139. Baroness Thangam Debbonaire and the underrated value of joy

This week, Seb and Verity welcome the brilliant and utterly charming Baroness Thangam Debbonaire - cellist, former MP, and now fully-fledged member of the House of Lords. 

With such a huge understanding and love of the arts - Thangam was shadow secretary for culture, media and sport, this was a throughly enjoyable and insightful chat including;

• Swapping Parliament for the Lords
• Thangam’s memories of music school in the 1980’s - both the brilliant education and a much darker underside
• How the arts can keep pace with AI and harness the positive elements
• The importance of music as a way of processing grief 
• Crafting the perfect running playlist - this is next level curation! 
• How arts organisations can make a real noise in politic

Thangam brings a rare and beautiful mix of musical soul and political nous to this episode and we loved having her. She is an incredibly positive person with a clear vision on ways to support and maintain/grow the arts - what a huge asset she is to the House of Lords! 

You can find us on the socials here;

138. Aaron Akugbo X Seb Philpott

Aaron is back already! And this time Verity is nowhere to be seen. That's right, it's Seb's first solo interview. Well, it's not an interview really, more a chat, digging further into many aspects of being a trumpet player.

They discuss the following!

How important is equipment? They chat about trying out trumpets, mouthpieces, becoming (or not becoming) obsessed with gear. Or maybe it's better to actually work on own playing instead of just buying a new trumpet. Do some hard work or just buy a shiny new instrument?

Then a discussion on tonguing, articulation, and the POO ATTACK - which Seb can’t do, and it brings up some trauma for him from his time at RAM. Seb describes double tonguing everything he can rather than single tonguing because he’s lazy.

Playing the most difficult piece in the world AKA Brandenburg 2.

The first time they met on a gig in Poland where Aaron realised he knew Seb from watching a particular YouTube video.

Playing in symphony orchestras with minimal rehearsal.

Auditioning and doing trials.

The solitude of a soloist, and Seb gets a new gig as Aaron’s coach and mentor.

137. Jack Jones - Acid Brass @ EartH Hackney

Your eyes do not deceive you - it’s two episodes in two days!

Fresh off of zencastr we wanted to whip out this chat with trumpeter Jack Jones as he has a HUGE gig this Friday (13 June ‘25) at EartH Hackney entitled The Listening Project Presents Acid Brass…if you haven’t got your ticket yet, what are you waiting for?! It’s going to be epic and we’ve stuck a link below so you can snap up the few remaining spots.

We chatted to Jack all about the origins of Acid Brass - originally performed in the 1990s it consists of a full brass band playing acid house music.

This project was originally the brainchild of artist Jeremy Deller and Jack has been collaborating with him on this latest incarnation. He discusses what it was like to work with this creative icon, sartorial choices and what Friday night will offer for the lucky audience members.

To get more info and bag a ticket click this link;

136. Aaron Akugbo - high stakes Haydn, tactical programming, touring tales and the mystery of the International date line.

This week, Seb and Verity are joined by trumpet sensation Aaron Akugbo. From unwittingly making it to the finals of a trumpet competition to playing the Haydn Concerto from memory and then smashing out Jolivet’s Second Concerto with basically zero prep, Aaron embodies an entirely admirable cool, can do attitude!

We also chat about:

✈️ Touring the US with Chineke! (hello, business class)

🧠 Performing from memory and tactical programming to save the chops.

🥴 Time zones and why the International Date Line is chaos

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿 From Edinburgh to London – compare and contrast.

🥂 Going sober and feeling good

Plus, keeping in shape on the road and what it’s like to start at the Royal Academy of Music at just 17.

Hilarious, humble, and full of trumpet gold – you’ll love this one.

Petit Trois - Dame Sarah Connolly

An extra slice of Dame Sarah Connolly who graciously and patiently answered a few vaguely daft quickfire questions!

135. Dame Sarah Connolly - Positive thinking, evolving roles, fat suits and every singer’s nemesis…the common cold.

Sound the klaxon - it’s a national treasure alert!

This week we are honoured to be joined by internationally celebrated Mezzo-soprano Dame Sarah Connolly.

Dame Sarah has had an incredible career to date with standout performances including Giulio Cesare at Glyndebourne , multiple roles at the Met, the Royal Opera House, La Scala, Paris Opera and, of course Admiral Nelson in full naval regalia at the Last Night of the Proms.

Dame Sarah’s 24/25 season includes playing Auntie in WNO’s new production of Peter Grimes and Dido in Dido and Aeneas at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw.

We are hugely grateful to Dan Hartland at the Cheltenham Festival for setting up this chat - Sarah will be performing Brahms’ Alto Rhapsody at the festival on 5 July (ticket link below)

With such a stellar career and a vast list of honours to her name, Dame Sarah remains incredibly warm and down-to-earth. We chat about controlling performance anxiety, how to avoid being pigeon holed, dealing with colds, auditioning, the power of positive thinking and how to wear a fatsuit…Enjoy!

Petit Trois - James Flannery

Want a bit more James Flannery in yer life? Who wouldn’t we say! So here’s an extra serving where we discover who he’d choose as his ideal co-pilot and what went on when he toured with an ‘interesting’ artist…..Enjoy!

134. James Flannery - the missing link between Easy Jet, Worzel Gummidge and the viola

This week’s guest is Viola player, Negroni specialist and potential pilot of the future, James Flannery.

You may well recognise James’ dulcet tones as he has previously guest hosted the podcast for an Ivor Novello Awards special. This was a baptism of fire due to some speed guerilla reporting and Verity’s technical inabilities. It felt only right that we get James back for a full episode to banish the memories of his chaotic first appearance and restore his faith in podcasting! 

We chat to James about some of the extraordinary, weird and wonderful gigs he has experienced already in his career - think wedding on a runway, tours with a questionable vocalist, a BBC Christmas special and countless other scrapes along the way.

James also reveals a childhood passion for planes which got him into hot water with his family and airport security. And to think James was concerned he wouldn’t have enough to talk about!

You can find us on the socials here;

Petit Trois - Stephanie Cummins

It’s round two of our new feature where we throw extra questions at our poor, unsuspecting guests!

This week it’s our guest from the main episode, cellist Stephanie Cummins sitting in the hot seat.

If you would like to send over any questions for future guests either DM us on Instagram (@threeinabarpod) or email us at hello@threeinabar.com. Thanks!

133. Stephanie Cummins - Transatlantic ‘cello relations

In this week’s episode we chat to cellist Stephanie Cummins.

Having spent many years working as a freelance cellist in New York Stephanie relocated to London and has since been working in the West End on shows including Aspects of Love and Hello Dolly as well as various solo and chamber projects.

We spent a lovely morning with Stephanie discussing growing up in a musical family, highs and lows in her cello studies and how things don’t always work out the way we expect them to.

Stephanie talks about working on Broadway and the similarities/contrasts with the West End. We discuss audiences in 2025, shows that have been particularly special to her and what drew her back to theatre after swearing off it!

We also chat about exciting future projects and falling back in love with music.

You can find us on the socials here;

Petit Trois - Ian Wilson

Road testing our ‘Petit Trois’ bonus feature is our guest from this week’s main episode, Ian Wilson.

We throw some quick fire questions at Ian and he responds appropriately…

If you would like to send over any questions for future guests either DM us on Instagram (@threeinabarpod) or email us at hello@threeinabar.com. Thanks!

132. Ian Wilson - a plethora of recorders, birdsong, panels, pedagogy and the Mexican Hat Dance.

We are joined for episode 132 by recorder player supremo Ian Wilson.

Ian is the principal recorder professor at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, the Head of Woodwind at Eton College and is the visiting recorder specialist at the North East of Scotland Music School in his hometown of Aberdeen. 

We were so pleased Ian agreed to come back to chat to us again having originally joined us last April. Due to various Three In A Bar style holdups we never managed to release that episode so have a brand shiny new chat with Ian for you!

We talk to Ian about his extensive recorder selection, how the sound of a great recorder ensemble is definitely not what you remember from Primary School days but also a harrowing experience involving  hundreds of renditions of the Mexican Hat dance - something surely no one should ever have to experience? 

Ian demonstrates his quite astounding knowledge of bird song with a starting resemblance to a British countryside stalwart. 

We chat about the use of recorders in various film and TV scores and its renewed popularity. 

Anyone preparing for auditions listen up! Ian gives some excellent advice on preparations for scholarship or Music college auditions. He gives insightful information from a panelist’s point of view - what they are looking for might not be what you’d think…

Bonus Episode - What’s in yer bag & murdering a mermaid

What, another one?! Yep…it’s mid week bonus time!

In the first of our new bonus episodes we are basically road testing quickfire/emergency questions on each other to see if this hastily planned format will work.

Over the coming weeks the guests from our main podcast with feature in the bonus episode answering some intellectual and insightful questions such as ‘what is your karaoke song of choice’ and ‘what’s in yer bag’.

Hard.Hitting.Journalism.

Warning: there is some excruciating singing at the end of this episode for which Verity would like to offer a full apology.

131. Jordan Li-Smith - Child star to composition king with a big dose of Dolly!

Our guest for episode 131 is composer, arranger and musical director Jordan Li-Smith. On a music theatre bingo card we are looking at an impressive full house for Jordan - as a child he performed in West End productions of Oliver and Les Miserables, He's MD'd a huge number of shows including an international tour of Titanic and he's written a couple of shows to boot! Oh, and the crowning glory...Jordan was a finalist on the Andrew Lloyd-Webber/BBC talent show, I'd Do Anything. What a blinkin' legend.

We chatted to Jordan back in 2024 as he was about to embark on a national tour of Here We Come Again, a show crammed with Dolly Parton hits. We talk about the wonders of Dolly and the resurgence in popularity of Country music. We also cover touring in China, click issues, meeting Angela Lansbury and the mammoth role of an MD.

Jordan talks about his (brilliant) first full length musical The Boy Who Sailed an Ocean in an Armchair and the many stages he's been through to get to a fully staged production. He has some excellent advice for budding young musical composers and very kindly recorded a little catch up segment to make up for our tardiness in releasing this wonderful episode!

You can find us on the socials here;

130. Emma Bassett - Bass trumpets, Cornish carols, ultimate stress situations and embodying Norma Desmond

We’re back again with a string of great guests to get in yer lugholes! Kicking off this season it’s trombone titan, singing sensation and all round good egg Emma Bassett.

Emma has performed and toured with a vast number of orchestras including LSO, LPO, RPO and Aurora. She can currently be found performing on MJ the Musical in the West End - in the depths of the theatre in a bijoux brass box!

We were so delighted to finally get Emma round for a chat as she’s a joyous person with many a tale to tell…amongst other things we covered ultimate stress situations, the pitfalls of holding up a bass trumpet for an unreasonable amount of time, becoming Norma Desmond every night on Sunset Boulevard and some serious musical theatre appreciation.

As a proud Cornish woman, Emma talks about her roots in brass banding, the prestige involved in the Helston Floral dance and teaching her English husband how to carol Kernow style!

You can find us on the socials here;

Resolutions, Running, Wigs and Linda - a Quintessential January Chat

Hello dear listener! Welcome to our first episode of 2025, in which you find us having a much needed catch up in the foyer of the National Theatre. We really had not chatted for ages, so before we get going with interviews again, we had a lot to get through. And we basically covered every topic, from Verity's current job playing in Natasha, Pierre and The Great Comet of 1812 at the Donmar Warehouse, to Seb's Christmas gig with Rob Brydon, to New Year's resolutions, both of their marathon journeys, and plans for the podcast this year.

You can find us on the socials here;

129. Ivor’s Classical Awards special featuring James Flannery - composers, capers and canapés at the BFI

Welcome to a special episode recorded guerilla style at the Ivors Classical Awards 2024! You may have heard our previous two pods with Ivors Special Award winners, Roxanna Panufnik and Gavin Bryars - this is a very different beast…

Featuring special guest presenter James Flannery who steps into Seb’s shoes and makes his podcasting debut, this is a rampage around the BFI with odd snippets of chat and composers a plenty.

You might catch journalist Stephen Pritchard, composers Duncan McLeod and Roxanna Panufnik, violinist Tasmin Little and friends of the pod Lizzie Ball and Hattie Butterworth amongst others. Brace yourselves, buckle up and enjoy this weird and wonderful evening at the Ivors!

128. Roxanna Panufnik - Composing by Royal appointment, building bridges between faiths through music and creating an outstanding body of work.

In the second of our Ivors classical awards special episodes we chat to world renowned and celebrated composer Roxanna Panufnik.

As we air this interview, Roxanna has just been presented with the Ivors special award for ‘outstanding works collection’…And outstanding it truly is! She is particularly recognized for her choral works, including Faithful Journey - A Mass for Poland, Four Choral Seasons, and Coronation Sanctus for the coronation of King Charles the Third.

Roxanna has a great passion for world music and her Four World Seasons was written for violinist Tasmin Little - who also happened to present her with her award this week.

Roxanna has done much groundbreaking work in writing music that builds bridges between faiths. Her violin concerto Abraham incorporates Christian, Islamic and Jewish chant.

We chatted to Roxanna about collecting her first Ivor (unbelievably!), composing for the King, the emotions of reworking some of her father‘s Polish folk songs, and the sensitivity required in composing interfaith music.

Roxanna also talks about how she accidentally discovered Catholicism and gives us an insight into her compositional process.

We are hugely grateful to Roxanna for sparing some time on an extremely busy week and for being such a joyous guest!

127. Gavin Bryars - Innovation, pencils, stand up and a glittering career

In the first of two special episodes with esteemed and newly decorated composers, we sit down with Gavin Bryars, a composer who has led the way in innovation over a long and distinguished career. On Tuesday 12th November he received the Innovation Award in association with the Musicians Union at the Ivors Composers Awards, and we were lucky to get a chance to talk to him about this just a few days before.

We discuss his early days of art college, double bass and free jazz, his early iconic pieces The Sinking Of The Titanic and Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet and his creative relationship with Brian Eno. Over his career he has written five operas, twenty ballets and a long list of instrumental, orchestral and vocal works.

He has collaborated with many non-classical musicians over the years, including Tom Waits, Father John Misty, Charlie Haden, Bill Frisell, Natalie Merchant, Iarla O'Lionaird, Gavin Friday, Bertrand Belin and Mocke, and with many visual artists such as Bruce McLean, David Ward, Tim Head, James Hugonin, Bill Woodrow, Will Alsop, the Quay brothers, Juan Muñoz and Massimo Bartolini.

He divides his time between a Leicestershire village and Vancouver Island, and we discuss his approach to writing in various locations, and in particular the importance of just the right pencil for the job. There really is a lot of time spent talking about this particular pencil.

126. Thomas Lubitz - The future of the trumpet with Yamaha Atelier Hamburg‘s finest

Episode 126 features Senior technician at Yamaha Atelier Hamburg Thomas Lubitz. What Thomas doesn’t know about the trumpet isn’t worth knowing as we discover when Verity and Seb meet him at Legendary brass shop Phil Parker.

Thomas talks through various models of trumpet and what they can bring to different musical settings and genres. They discuss changes that have occurred over the years and how small adaptations can make big differences. Seb offers up some modification ideas of his own…We aren’t 100% certain Thomas was that keen on them so the offer is out there to any budding entrepreneurs!

We are hugely grateful to Yamaha for sponsoring this episode and to Thomas for entertaining some daft questions (Verity) and hair-brained schemes (Seb).

125. Steve Pretty - King of the Conches

This week on TIAB we’re thrilled to have the multi-talented Steve Pretty join us for a chat that’s as eclectic as his musical life to date!

Steve, the mastermind behind the Hackney Colliery Band, takes us on a whimsical ride through his creative world. From the bustling streets of Hackney to the intimate corners of his studio, he shares tales of setting up the band that’s been blowing audiences away with their infectious energy.

Steve also dives into his adventures in podcasting, reflects on his early years working in a music shop and shares his experience of doing a show at the National Theatre - revealing how he got lured into the world of showbiz.

So grab your headphones and join us for a light-hearted yet insightful conversation with Steve Pretty—where music, theatre, and a sprinkle of nostalgia collide in the most entertaining way!

124. Ellie Consta - breaking boundaries with Her Ensemble, style advice, delegation and the TIAB merch saga continues…

Hello lovely listener, here we are again. We promised you an episode by the end of the week, and by jove, here it is.

This episode we sit down with the brilliant Ellie Consta, violinist, composer, and founder of the groundbreaking Her Ensemble—the UK's first women and non-binary string orchestra. Ellie’s visionary work is pushing boundaries in classical music, aiming to reshape an industry that has historically lacked diversity and inclusivity.

We dive into her journey, from her early days as a classical violinist to the founding of Her Ensemble, and how the group is creating space for women and non-binary musicians to thrive. Ellie shares how Her Ensemble is not only changing who’s represented on stage, but also reimagining the music itself—blending classical with pop and electronic influences, commissioning new works, and challenging traditional concert formats.

Highlights include:

• The inspiration behind Her Ensemble and how it’s changing the landscape of classical music.
• Ellie’s thoughts on the challenges faced by women and non-binary musicians in classical spaces.
• The creative process behind some of their most exciting performances and collaborations.
• The importance of representation and diversity in music.
• Her Ensemble’s future projects and vision for the next generation of musicians.
• Possible future plans for fashion collaborations, but which way to go with it - Cath Kidston, or Ultimate Hun??

Tune in to hear Ellie’s insightful perspective on transforming classical music and the empowering stories behind her mission to create a more inclusive industry.

🎧 **Listen now!**

You can find us on the socials here;

123. Arsha Kaviani - bringing piano virtuosity into the 2020s

This week’s guest is virtuoso pianist, composer and improviser Arsha Kaviani.

Arsha joined Seb and Verity for a chat ahead of the release of his debut studio album Accents and Echoes (see link below). He talks about the eclectic mix of influences featured on the album

but also in shaping his musical life…we’re talking Bach to Massive Attack via Rachmaninov and Led Zeppelin.

Conversation includes Arsha’s journey from growing up in Dubai to studying in Manchester and ending up in London. He talks about his ‘Musical Portraiture’, bringing a centuries old form of patronage into the 21st Century…it’s a darned good idea!

Thanks to Premier Classical for setting up this fascinating and joyful chat with Arsha.

122. Hoosiers, Bears, fighting and Shackleton with Paul Frith

This week, Seb and Verity are joined by composer, arranger, keyboard player with the Hoosiers, long time Bear’s Den collaborator and old mate Paul Frith.

In true Three In A Bar style this episode is full of twists and turns - we find out whether Paul has ever been in a fight, how he came to write a symphony about Shackleton and some super niche mouthpiece chat.

We also find out why Paul and his Hoosier band mates had to be speedily escorted from a gig venue somewhere in the north of England.

Paul is the first guest we’ve had who has set us a mathematical challenge - Do we think this is something that will catch on? That is yet to be seen!

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121. Monique Clare - extreme cello, teaching the unteachable and tales of rap royalty

This week’s episode was a total pleasure to record as we are joined by Australian cellist, singer and songwriter Monique Clare.

Monique is currently on a European tour and will be appearing at the Cambridge folk festival this month. Aside from festivals, she can frequently be found with her cello up mountains, on cliff tops and more conventionally in concert halls and jazz clubs across the world.

Monique chats to Seb and Verity about some of her recent performances as well as recording her latest album Sight, performing with rap legend Eminem, her musical roots and how the heck she manages to so successfully sing and play at the same time! 

In fact, Monique goes one step further and tries to teach Verity how to do the same. You’ll be delighted to hear the results are all recorded for your listening pleasure?!

Better than this, Monique gives us an extraordinary performance at the end of this episode which is not to be missed! 

This podcast is released in association with D'Addario. D'Addario is the world's largest musical instrument accessories manufacturer and is committed to sustainably providing musicians with the most innovative musical accessories in the world. 

120a: Seb's mediocre guitar, Verity's face acting and planning for the big PTA Winter Disco

120. Prepared piano problems, an acting debut and Cheltenham chat with Clare Hammond

This week we headed back online to chat to internationally acclaimed concert pianist and film star Clare Hammond (ok, ok, maybe it was one film but she was playing a young Dame Maggie Smith so come on!)

We chatted to Clare ahead of her concerts at this year’s Cheltenham Festival - thanks to the wonderful Dan Hartland for setting up this conversation. Clare talks about the exciting programme for her solo concert, centering around a new commission by Sun Keting.

She talks about the dos and don’ts of prepared pianos, top venues, music for left hand piano and the joys in discovering some great yet little known composers - have you heard of Hélène de Montgeroult? We certainly hadn’t but Clare tells us about her unbelievable background…

We also discuss recent Clare’s foray into acting - and try to talk her into a Netflix series. We were definitely more into this idea than she was!

119. Oliver Zeffman - Classical Pride ‘24

We’re back!!! We’ve missed you all….but what a way to kick off this season of TIAB than with none other than Artistic director and founder of Classical Pride Uk Oliver Zeffman.

Oliver is an internationally renowned conductor, working frequently with orchestras including the CBSO, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre national du Capitole de Toulouse, Orchestre national d'Île-de-France and Ulster Orchestra.

Oliver founded Classical Pride in 2023 with an inaugural concert by the CBSO at the Barbican. This year it has been extended to 5 concerts starting with Classical Drag and culminating with Oliver making his LSO debut at the Barbican in a concert celebrating LBGTQ+ artists and composers hosted by Nick Grimshaw (find ticket links below).

We took Oliver on a walk around central London to chat all things Pride plus future plans, lockdown films, TV recommendations and where he gets his batons from!!

In true TIAB fashion this trip was littered with complications including technical issues, reversing forklifts and a bird poo incident…What other way would we want to make our comeback?!

118. Q&A: Would we ever move out of London? Do we own our instruments? And will Seb ever get a round in again?

More questions from you and answers from us. Could we live anywhere other than London? Do we own our instruments? And what have we each started deoing recently that has changed our lives?

117. Q&A: Least favourite instruments, booking holidays and one of the more exciting discussions you're likely to hear today about pensions

What is our least favourite orchestral instrument? And why is it the oboe?

How do you plan anything as a freelancer? What happens if you book a holiday and then a load of nice work comes in - what do you do?

Should you start a pension? Or just keep working until you die.

116. Time efficiency, grumbling stomachs, ghosts and Happy Valley With Ben Foster

Quiz question for you - what links Torchwood, Thunderbirds, Happy Valley & Mog? We’ll tell you what…some seriously great scores courtesy of this week’s guest Ben Foster.

Ben is a BAFTA winning composer, but also a well renowned and much in demand conductor, orchestrator and arranger with a string of TV and film credits to his name.

We met up with Ben in his writing room, tucked away at the top of Air Studios for a chat about just a fraction of his incredible musical output. (N.B there is a glaring error in the fact we didn’t get round to chatting about his work on last year’s Beatles single Now and Then - maybe next time?)

Ben talks about important relationships he has formed with musicians over the years, how he found himself with a room at Air and composing themes for the brilliant BBC drama series Happy Valley.

He discusses the importance of time efficiency and knowing when to switch off, as well as realising when a job Isn’t working out and how to get out of it.

We discover whether the much mentioned ‘Toby’ Ben speaks of is man or myth!

115. How do you run an arts centre? With Artistic Director of Les Arts Valencia, Jésus Iglesias Noriega

Join us this week for a zencast to sunnier climes as we chat to Artistic Director of Les Arts, Valencia Jésus Iglesias Noriega.

Jésus has been doing brilliant work at Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía - the incredible building in Valencia which is home to Les Arts, with a huge focus on social responsibility. There are productions specifically for Under 29s, prison performances, opera in a truck heading to remote villages, performances in homes for the elderly and so much more.

It is a breath of fresh air hearing from Jésus about his exciting plans and programming for the coming season. Opera is at the heart of Les Arts but there are frequent Flamenco, Folk, Pop and solo performances bringing new crowds and creating a centre for everyone.

Jésus chats about changing audience habits, what he’s excited about in the 2024 season and beyond, how you go about programming for upcoming season and some of his favourite community projects.

There is talk of Panini style sticker albums for opera stars - very much not Jésus’ idea but have a listen to see if he goes for it! 

Check out Les Arts and take a look at the amazing Palau de Les Arts Reina Sofia here; 

114. Seb goes through his packing list for tour

You join your two hosts on a car journey between Plymouth and Bath, just over a week into the Rob Brydon tour 2024. What better time than now to discuss in detail Seb's list of items he has packed for this trip?

How many pants is too many? Can you re-use socks for multiple gigs? Can he maintain his rigorous skincare regime while away from home? All these questions are answered, and deep-rooted memories unearthed in this week’s episode of Three In A Bar (or Two In A Car).

With a supply of Devon-themed, carbohydrate-based snacks, and a hell of a list to get through, you may just learn a few tips for a touring musician, or at least get just a sense of how their brains work. 

113a. PART 2: Playing with Foals, sampled instruments and Gypsy tarts with Kentish badman Jeremy Pritchard, bassist from Everything Everything

What? Another podcast with the thoroughly excellent Jeremy Pritchard? Oh yes….we couldn’t pack it all into one episode so here’s an extra slice where we chat to Jeremy about his time on tour with Foals, some Kent conversation and comparing notes on small venues across the UK.

If you are one of our excellent Patreons and you are listening to this early, thank you and well done! If you aren’t a Patreon and are listening on Thursday also thanks (but maybe just smidgen less!)

113. PART 1: Everything Everything bassist Jeremy Pritchard on hair bleaching, AI and weird waistcoat phases

In this week’s episode we are joined by bass behemoth (yep, it’s been too long since we used that word) and Everything Everything band member, Jeremy Pritchard.

Jeremy dropped in for a chat ahead of the band’s UK tour and release of their new album Mountainhead - it’s an absolute belter btw, check it out if you haven’t already! 

We discuss early performances, making music videos, sartorial choices, hair bleaching and how the heck you put together a set list with 17 yrs and 7 albums worth of music to choose from.

112. Embarrassing Moustaches, Tears and Greyfriars Bobby

Greetings from sunny Edinburgh! This week’s episode finds Seb & Verity on the Scottish leg of the Rob Brydon tour enjoying the delights of Edinburgh…

Join them on a walking tour - not necessarily one that’ll make the Rough Guide any time soon as they reminisce about past Edinburgh festival experiences, answer more listener questions and take in the sights and sounds of the city.

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111. Rachael Lander: Life as a musician with ADHD

In this week’s episode we welcome back the brilliant Rachael Lander to chat about her recent ADHD diagnosis.

Rachael is cellist on the West End production of Frozen and is a busy freelancer & session player as well as being a mother of two…..Chuck ADHD into the mix and her journey as a recovering alcoholic and life isn’t always straightforward.

Rachael speaks about getting her diagnosis and how this has enabled her to make sense of elements in her life that have previously caused difficulty and anxiety. She talks about how being armed with knowledge and connected to other people with ADHD has helped her understand herself better and approach life differently.

This conversation is set to a backdrop of the imminent arrival of Seb’s new baby, adding another layer of jeopardy to proceedings!

If you haven’t heard Rachael’s previous episode (no.15) it’s well worth a listen as she discusses alcoholism and how it’s affected her life as well as the wider impact on the music industry.

ENO in crisis: what on earth is going on? With Coco Azoitei

In light of the recent announcements of redundancies in the Orchestra and Chorus at ENO and the extraordinary circumstances surrounding them we felt compelled to record an episode to chat through what on earth is going on. On 15 February orchestra & chorus members started receiving formal redundancy notices - some reporting they’d heard in the interval of their final performance of Handmaid’s Tail, having to then go on and complete the show. This comes in light of the MU recently calling off scheduled strikes as an agreement with ENO had been reached.

We collar violinist Coco Azoitei on the train to Edinburgh to discuss ENO, Northern Ballet and the state of the music industry in general. Not currently the cheeriest of subjects but a very necessary conversation musicians need to be having to support our friends and colleagues.

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110. Q&A: How much vomit, favourite interviews and what we would say to our 20 year old selves

In this, the first of our regular Q&A episodes, we asked listeners to send in their questions, to which we gave answers. You know how it works, we don't need to explain the concept to you, do we? Just how do we both balance being parents of two whilst being busy freelance musicians, when our other halves are also busy freelance musicians? What do we wish we could say to our 20 year old selves? What's the best way to approacvh working with people when you're starting out in the music world? And just how much baby vomit does Seb have on his clothes right now?

109. Carly Anderson

We're back at long last for Series 2 (can we call it that after 108 episodes?!) and what a fabulous guest to kick off 2024 - It's none other than West End leading lady Carly Anderson.

Carly recently starred as Polly Baker in Crazy For You at the Gillian Lynne Theatre and her extensive list of credits include Glinda in the International tour of Wicked and Betty Schaefer in Sunset Boulevard at the London Coliseum.

Seb and Verity caught up with Carly pre show at the Gillian Lynne in late 2023. Conversation includes audition nightmares, CFY's intense rehearsal process, corpsing on stage and ghostly experiences in theatres!

Carly gets an insight into what was going on in the orchestral 'penthouse' at the Gillian Lynne - both musically and some loosely termed choreography. She talks about the cast's appearance on This Morning and the importance of having a great relationship with her fellow leads, Charlie Stamp and Tom Edden.

We discover Carly's quiz specialisms and what her preshow routines entail....largely caffeine based it seems!

Merry Xmas!!

Merry Christmas podfriends!

Verity & Seb make a brief return for some seasons greetings, 2023 reflections and plans for 2024….

Thanks for listening to TIAB this year and for your continued support. Back with much more in ‘24!

108. Duncan Ward

This week's episode features prolific artistic rollerskater - possibly better known for being one of the most prolific conductors of his generation, Duncan Ward.

Duncan is Chief conductor of Philharmonie Zuidnederland and Music Director of the Mediterranean Youth Orchestra. This November he makes his Barbican debut conducting the LSO in two exciting concerts featuring Abel Selaocoe and Isabelle Faust (ticket link in show notes).

Seb and Verity meet up with Duncan in a very lovely room in the depths of the Barbican centre to chat about his upcoming concerts, how he was hand picked by Sir Simon Rattle to work alongside him at the Berlin Phil and his passion for music theatre....I feel another campaign coming on.

107. Neoteric Ensemble

Welcome harmonious hooligans to episode 107 of Three In a Bar! (Thanks for that chat GPT)

In this week’s episode Seb and Verity chat to founding members of the Neoteric Ensemble Toby Street and Adrian Miotti.

It’s exciting times for Neoteric as their debut Album ‘Volume 1’ has its launch night on 8 November at The Pheasantry (link to tickets below). With entirely new compositions written for the group by composers including TIAB pal Charlotte Harding and Misha Mullov Abbado, this album is an absolute belter and the gig will be one not to miss! 

In this chat they discuss the manifold possibilities that come with the unusual and original line up of the group…and the slight pitfalls of having to find entirely new music! 

Toby and Adrian talk about setting up the group, first rehearsals, the beauty of timetabling with their already jam packed careers and trying to keep laser focus when there are so many exciting possibilities.

We predict big things for Neoteric so catch them on 8 Nov in London so you too can say ‘I was there when those fresh faced whipper snappers first performed together publicly…’ 

106. Darren Beckett

In Episode 106, Seb and Verity are joined for a chat (and some top grade pastry based products) by drumming titan, Darren Beckett.

Darren has worked with countless artists including Brandon Flowers, Madeleine Peyroux, Van Morrison and Lauryn Hill and was a member of the band Ambulance LTD. Equally at home across a multitude of styles and genres, recently Darren was the drummer for The National Theatre’s multi award winning show Standing At The Sky’s Edge.

Seb and Verity shared a highly enjoyable afternoon with Darren and after some extensive editing of slander and swears - well, most of them, conversation ranges from his studies in Germany & NYC to being chased by crackheads and meeting Taylor Hawkins.

Darren talks about moving away from the pure blood jazz scene in New York into an eclectic range of career choices. Some sterling work is done on behalf of the Eastbourne tourist board and there is a slightly embarrassing and enlightening round of ‘guess the BPM’…..why on earth get into that when your guest is a hugely successful drummer?! 

105. Jill Andrews

In this week's episode Verity teams up with another guest presenter, well more of a TIAB regular in fact...it's old pal of the podcast Phil Donnelly.

Phil has worked his magic and fixed up a chat with Nashville based singer/songwriter Jill Andrews. As luck would have it, he will be joining her on tour in just a few weeks time when she heads over for the UK leg. (Tour dates in link below)

Jill chats about writing her new album Modern Age and some of the themes and inspirations behind it. We discover the many ways Jill is rejecting the modern age....think paper diaries and not having WhatsApp (yep, you read that correctly, can you imagine such a thing?!)

Jill discusses her stunning vintage Gibson guitar, the importance of collaboration and her excitement at playing with a band again. She talks about having her music used in TV and film - her song Tell That Devil is the title track for US show Wynonna Earp and was also performed in the show Nashville.

It's fair to say Verity ruins this otherwise enjoyable experience for Phil when she suggests Jill employs choreography and lycra in her upcoming tour as a must for her supporting band...you are welcome.

Towards the end of their conversation, Jill gives a stunning performance of the song Wrong Place, Wrong Time from her new album so make sure you listen through as you won't want to miss it.

Thanks to Phil and to Robert Simmons for stitching this convo together.

104. JFAbraham, the sequel

Look who’s back for round two! It’s the sickeningly talented singer, songwriter, composer, trumpeter, arranger, member of PSB (the list goes on!) and friend of the pod JFAbraham (Jonny Abraham).

He first appeared way back in Episode 5 when he was in the process of recording and finalising 10 tracks he’d written…it was proving tricky for him to unlock them and he was struggling to work out a way to get them from his head into the world.

Fast forward three years and the album A Different Kind of Light - which is a masterpiece, is ready to go. Jonny is currently releasing the tracks as singles and the first live performance of the album is happening on 7 Sept 2023 at Stanley Arts Centre - link below so grab your tickets now!

Seb and Verity chat to Jonny all about the album and upcoming show….as well as a healthy slice of food related chat. At the end there is a special performance of Jonny’s track Home which he arranged especially for this episode.

103. Jools Owen

In episode 103 we join Verity on a day trip to the seaside to meet Bear’s Den’s drummer and multi instrumentalist - proud Brighton resident Jools Owen. As luck would have it, Journalist, author and broadcaster Rachael Taylor is a fellow local and kindly agreed to guest co-host this episode…don’t you love it when a plan comes together?! 

Verity and Rachael chat to Jools about all things Bear’s Den, touring & festivals….they touch a raw nerve when Rachel brings up the ‘Highlands & Islands Tour’ which Jools may or may not have been on.

They talk about Jools’ silver banding experiences, how he came to double on drums & horns - quite literally at times, and an idyllic recording experience with another TIAB favourite Christof Van Der Ven.

Verity gets some excellent tourist information from Jools & Rachael who plot her a perfect Brighton day - best of all is the alternative sports element which Jools gives a thorough account of!

Thanks to the thoroughly excellent Robert Simmons for editing this episode. 

100. A century not out feat. Hannah Lawrance

Who’d have thought it? Back in 2019 when two fresh(ish) faced, young(ish) podcasters headed off to South London for their first recording, armed with all the gear and little to no idea, that they’d be hitting the 100th episode mark and still be going!! No one? Thanks a bunch….

So here it is, episode 100 and for this special edition Seb and Verity are joined by multi-instrumentalist legend and dear friend Hannah Lawrance. Hannah stipulated from early days that she would only come onto the pod if she was asking the questions…..with that in mind, we’ve collected various former TIAB guests to put questions to Seb and Verity via Hannah, whilst they have sneakily turned the tables back on her too, mwah ha ha!

Warning; this episode features some serious belting along with reminiscences of early meetings, past episodes and cringe worthy experiences. There are contributions from loads of TIAB favourites and a message from some guy who’s profile was significantly raised by appearing on this podcast….You are welcome Mr Brydon.

Thank you dear listeners for your continued support and bring on the next 100 eps, woo hoo!