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What does it mean to “be a fan” of something? We usually associate the phrase with raucous sports enthusiasts or wild popular music devotees – the likes of Swifties and Stans, Beatlemaniacs or the Beyhive. With its silent audiences and erudite atmosphere, classical music probably doesn’t spring immediately to mind.

But classical music fandom totally exists, and we’ve got the receipts to prove it!

Join hosts Dr. Kate Guthrie and Dr. Flora Willson on a journey through the untold story of classical music fandom. In Series 1, we uncover a historic collection of fan mail sent to none other than the Leonard Bernstein – composer of West Side Story, celebrity conductor, and pin-up for a generation of classical music lovers. We also interrogate some of the original fan mail writers, asking what motivated them to put pen to paper over a half a century ago.

Always entertaining, at times deeply moving, and sometimes rather raunchy, Dear Maestro gives a glimpse into the feverish desires and heart-felt longing that drive people’s passion for classical music.

THE HOSTS

Dr Kate Guthrie is a multi-award-winning cultural historian and Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol. Her current research project The Everyday Listeners inspired this podcast.

Dr Flora Willson is a musicologist, writer and broadcaster. She is one of the Guardian’s classical music critics, appears regularly on BBC Radio 3 and 4 and is a Senior Lecturer in Music at King’s College London.

THE PRODUCER

Rowan Bishop is an award winning podcast producer, sound designer and composer. He regularly contributes to programs for BBC Radio 4 and the World Service, as well as producing podcasts for Audible, Global and Wondery.