105. Dr Anna Bull: class and classical music

About this episode

Dr. Anna Bull discusses class and socioeconomic issues in the classical music industry and her research on sexual harassment in music conservatoires.

Dr. Anna Bull is a Senior Lecturer in Education and Social Justice, Co-director of The 1752 Group and a former professional pianist and cellist. We return to Zoom to speak with her about class and socioeconomic issues in the classical music industry, and pick her brains about what, if anything, can be done. She also tells us about her work on sexual harassment in music conservatoires, and why the master-apprentice model has created a particularly risky environment. Anna’s monograph  Class, control, and classical music  was published in 2019 with Oxford University Press and in 2020 was joint winner of the British Sociological Association Philip Abrams Award. She has recently co-edited a volume called Voices for Change in the Classical Music Profession: New Ideas for Tackling Inequalities and Exclusions , and Anna was lead author on the report  Slow Train Coming: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in UK conservatoires . Her research published in 2022 for the Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies network. Anna is speaking at the Class Ceiling conference on 9th December 2025. Free and discounted tickets are available. Read more of Anna's work: Bull, A…

People in this episode

Hosts: Hattie Butterworth, Rebecca Toal

Guest: Dr. Anna Bull

Topics covered

• class issues
• classical music
• socioeconomic issues
• sexual harassment
• music conservatoires
• inequalities
• education and social justice

Keywords

• classical music
• socioeconomic issues
• sexual harassment
• music conservatoires
• inequalities
• education
• Dr. Anna Bull

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: The 1752 Group, British Sociological Association, Oxford University Press

Books & works: Class, control, and classical music, Voices for Change in the Classical Music Profession: New Ideas for Tackling Inequalities and Exclusions, Slow Train Coming: Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in UK conservatoires

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