Daniel Levitin is a psychologist and neuroscientist who is fascinated by the way our brains respond to music. He first worked as a musician, playing in bands, and then became a record producer and engineer. He’s worked with some of best-known names in the world, including Stevie Wonder, Joni Mitchell, Paul Simon, Sting and The Grateful Dead. In his 30s he went back to university to study psychology. He’s now Professor Emeritus at McGill University and has written several best-sellers investigating why music has such a powerful effect on us as a species. His most recent, Music as Medicine, is about the healing power of music, and how it might be used to help treat PTSD, slow the spread of neurodegenerative diseases and even help combat multiple sclerosis. Daniel's music choices include Debussy, Dvorak, Thelonious Monk and Beethoven.
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Ursula Jones
Ursula Jones is “nothing short of a musical icon” – at least according to the Royal Philharmonic Society, who made her an honorary member last year at the age of 92. She has devoted her life to music, and has long championed the work of young performers – she gave Daniel Barenboim his first break as a conductor in London, when he was just 23. Ursula was born in Lucerne in 1932, where her father was one of the founders of the Lucerne Festival, so famous musicians, including the likes of Richard Strauss, were never far away. She came to London in 1954 and worked as a secretary for the Philharmonia Orchestra, moving on to co-found the English Chamber Orchestra in 1960. She married the eminent trumpet player Philip Jones, and later managed his Brass Ensemble. Music isn’t her only fascination: she completed a doctorate in archaeology at the age of 60, and in 2021 she cycled 100km to raise money for the charity Brass for Africa.
Ursula's choices include music by Britten, Mozart and Handel.
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Professor Anthony Kessel
Professor Anthony Kessel has a double life – or at least two very different roles. As the National Deputy Medical Director of NHS England, he’s one of the senior leaders responsible for improving the quality of our health services and patient care. He’s an international authority on public health and played a key role in the NHS’s response to the Covid pandemic.
He’s also a writer, with a prize-winning series of detective novels for young adults called Don’t Doubt the Rainbow – the most recent is American Mystery. The books are adventure stories and also aim to give young readers insights into how the mind works, and to improve their psychological well-being.
Anthony's music choices include Brahms, Dvořák, Astor Piazzolla and Chilly Gonzales.
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Raymond Blanc
Raymond Blanc is one of the finest chefs in the world and he is completely self-taught. He grew up in post-war France in Besancon in the Comte region of eastern France between Burgundy and the Jura Mountains with his four brothers and sisters. Raymond’s mother – Maman Blanc - was his culinary inspiration. She would whip up delicious fresh, seasonal, local dishes, which became his guiding principal when he opened his first restaurant in Oxford, Les Quat’ Saisons, in September 1977. Within two years it had been awarded a Michelin star and Restaurant of the Year by food critic Egon Ronay. Often working 18 hour days, he launched a bakery chain Maison Blanc in 1981 and then renovated and opened Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons a country house hotel which was awarded two Michelin stars and is celebrating its 40th anniversary this year. He’s also appeared on numerous TV shows including The Restaurant on BBC and the cookery series Simply Raymond on ITV. Raymond's musical choices include Vivaldi, Verdi, Beethoven and Leonard Cohen.
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Sir Paul Collier
The economist Sir Paul Collier has spent much of his career thinking about some of the biggest challenges we face around the world – and then trying to find solutions for them. He’s focused on low-income countries, particularly in Africa, looking at why they haven’t benefitted from the forces of globalisation. He’s examined the causes and the consequences of civil war, and the role of foreign aid. He received a knighthood in 2014 for his work on Africa.
His most recent book is called Left Behind and it offers a vision for how neglected places – from South Yorkshire to South America – can start to catch up.
His music choices include Bach, William Lawes, Schubert and medieval composer Martin Codax.
UK