1. News Piece – Fact. The Guardian.
Yuja Wang calls out music commentator and Radio 3 presenter Norman Lebrecht.
Chinese-born American pianist publicly accuses the presenter of misogynistic bullying.
Pianist Yuja Wang publicly accused Radio 3 presenter Norman Lebrecht of “misogynistic bullying”. On 26 February 2026, Wang leaked a screenshot of an email sent to her by the Radio 3 presenter, writer, critic, and founder of the classical music forum ‘Slipped Disc’. Wang called out Lebrecht for his use of “derogatory misogynistic bullying”, asking him to stop, and stating that “We are human beings who grow with nourishing energy, not characters for you to abuse.”.
This came after Wang had reportedly withdrawn from the potential of doing a BBC Lebrecht interview. Lebrecht wrote to the pianist regarding the withdrawal from the interview stating: “I thought you were a serious person who stood by her commitments. I may have to revise that opinion.”.
Sam Jackson, controller for BBC Radio 3 and the BBC Proms released the statement “When we saw the social media post we took action – we have spoken to Norman Lebrecht and we will no longer be working with him at BBC Radio 3.” This marks the end of over 25 years working with the presenter. Lebrecht had only recently begun working with the BBC again in July 2024, following a nine-year hiatus.
In response to the event, Lebrecht released a statement saying: “Yuja Wang had agreed with me a year ago to do a Lebrecht Interview for Radio 3. She kept putting it off until I lost patience and sent her an email that was perhaps a tad sharp. There was nothing bullying in telling her that I thought less of her than before, nor was it misogynistic: I would say the same to a male artist. She published the email, the BBC took a view and pulled my next series. I apologised to Sam Jackson and the BBC for any unintended embarrassment,”.
Various communities in the classical world have been discussing whether Lebrecht’s leave from the BBC was predictable. Referring to previous articles of his aimed at Wang. For example, his 2021 article “Spare us the skintight sonata”, which raised controversy in the past over comments such as “If that is all there is to Yuja Wang, she won’t be around for long. She is 34 and there’s a sell-by date to consider”.
2. News Piece – Opinion. The I Paper.
No more Lebrecht.
Radio 3 presenter faces consequences of his derogatory comments.
The controversial BBC Radio 3 presenter Norman Lebrecht, known as a writer and critic who runs the popular classical music forum ‘Slipped Disc’, has been divorced from the BBC after the superstar pianist Yuja Wang publicly called him out for “derogatory misogynistic bullying”.
Lebrecht had recently returned to BBC Radio 3 in July 2024 to present a new series of “Lebrecht Interviews”. On 26 February 2026, Wang posted a screenshot of a patronising email sent to her by Lebrecht that reads “I hear from Phillipa Cole that you have withdrawn from any possible opportunity for a BBC Lebrecht interview between March and June this year. I am surprised and disappointed. I thought you were a serious person who stood by her commitments. I may have to revise that opinion.”
In his response to the event, Lebrecht claimed that “There was nothing bullying in telling her that I thought less of her than before, nor was it misogynistic”, which may hold on the surface. But a brief search online reveals a long history of misogynistic and derogatory comments towards Wang, including remarks like “She is 34 and there’s a sell-by date to consider.”, and “The Chinese-born American pianist turns 39 today. An onset of gravitas and cover-up clothes? Dream on. Happy day, Yuja.”. It is clear that Lebrecht has some kind of vendetta against Wang. And it is clear that he has a history of misogyny.
“When we saw the social media post we took action – we have spoken to Norman Lebrecht and we will no longer be working with him at BBC Radio 3.” said Sam Jackson, controller for BBC Radio 3 and the BBC Proms. But if the social media post is in which Lebrecht claims not to be bullying or misogynistic is enough to cut ties with him. Why wasn’t the publishing of his works like “Spare us the skintight sonata” enough. It is unlikely that Jackson and his colleagues were unaware of this part of Lebrecht’s portfolio. So why did they invite him back to the BBC?
The fact is that there is an ongoing problem of misogyny in the classical world. The fact that the events leading up to this public dispute have gone on for so long highlights this. Lebrecht is just one part of an ongoing problem that needs to be addressed. Whether its conservative reporters making sexually charged comments on a performer’s wardrobe choices, or the fact that fewer than 23% of career pianists are women, despite it being 50:50 in conservatoire. The removal of Lebrecht from the BBC is a good start, but the process shouldn’t require the victims of this behaviour publicly calling these abusive figures out for them to be removed for their behaviour.
3. Interview Feature. The Guardian.
“When the internet explodes, there will still be all those vinyls that we made.”: Scarlet Bishop, Leeds Saxophonist on the importance of physical media – and the opposition of AI.
The solo brass section of the up-and-coming band Flat Moon takes some time to reflect on the importance of physical media for grassroots bands and talks about the importance of rejecting the use of Artificial Intelligence in music.
In early April, I met with Scarlet Bishop to sit down and discuss her experience during her most recent tour, among other things. We met shortly after she had finished a shift at her day job in a listening bar/café and together we walked to her house to sit down and talk. On the way she talked to me about her trousers that she made herself, which were a combination of camouflage and black fabric. With the tour of Flat Moon’s the debut album ‘Cooking up a Groove’ coming to a close, we sat in her living room, which was decorated with various pieces of band memorabilia, and began to talk about her various experiences during the tour. With the energetic psychedelic funk band playing across the UK, from London to Edinburgh to Birmingham and more, Bishop noted that “merch is the only reliable way that we make money”. Despite this, she was pleased with the amount of sell-out gigs, as she mentions “we were going into it, like, sort of apprehensive on how well we’d sell.”
Bishop’s stance on physical media is strongly “influenced by streaming platforms not paying anywhere near enough” as well as the fact that “there’s AI music on them”. She says that “currently no one ever makes enough from generic fees that venues offer” and argues that selling merch, such as clothing (which she designs) or vinyl and CDs is the main way for smaller bands to get “big time income”. “I didn’t expect CDs to be our top seller. I didn’t know that people would still have CD players. I think far less have cassette players” she says
She also talks about the benefits that physical media has for fans, pointing out that you “get to keep it forever” and that you will always have the music that way, joking that “when the internet explodes there will still be all those vinyls that we made.”
When asked about the inspiration for the album, Bishop looks to the artwork commissioned for the album by the artist “Dom Sellers”, she says “when we got the artwork back it was too good for the songs that we wanted to put on it” explaining that they “went away and wrote better more funky more elaborate ones to suit the artwork.” This respect for art, and music, appears to be a running theme within the band, especially when thinking about the stance Bishop takes on AI and the importance of human contribution within the arts.
During their performances, Flat Moon have made very open statements regarding their disproval of the use of AI. At the end of the release gig for their debut album ‘Cooking up a Groove’, a pre-recorded anti-AI advert played, featuring the phrase: “Don’t be a fuck-head, use your own fucking human brain”. When asked about this, Bishop notes that “it [generative AI] just plagiarises things that already exist, regurgitates a worse version and then people get credit when everyone else is putting in real effort and they’ve learnt stuff.” She expresses that “even if you’re not like amazingly proficient at an art, I think your contribution is far more worthy and valid by putting in effort”, an important stance to take for independent artists, especially considering the recent emergence of problems like ‘AI psychosis’ and plagiarism in AI music, as Bishop acknowledges.
This emphasis on human creativity is likely what gives Flat Moon their distinct, alluring sound. Having the confidence to just be themselves. When discussing the creation of a sync music album that Bishop and her band created for Channel 4, she noted that “it’s nice that they’re reaching out and commissioning like a grassroot band” because “they could so easily go AI”.
Bishop argues that the use of AI in the industry is “stupid” and “Depressing”. But also, she agrees that “live music is safe”, as “AI can’t jump not in time, so I think we win there” (referring to stagecraft and choreography used withing the band’s live performances).
4. Live Concert Review. The Guardian.
Tomora live review – Aurora and Tom Rowlands’ new dance music duo make their debut in Manchester.
New Century, Manchester.
Aurora and Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers take to the stage for the first time as their new dance music duo Tomora in front of a sold-out New Century Hall in Manchester. Rolands takes his place centre stage behind a collection of synths, samplers, and programmers reminiscent of the setup used in previous live shows with Ed Simons as The Chemical Brothers. Aurora stands out front alongside her backup singer and dancer, in matching outfits made up of fluffy boots, hot pink dresses, and grey overcoats.
The duo is met with screams and cheers as they begin with their debut single ‘Ring the Alarm’. The performance is matched with a psychedelic blend of visuals made by combining the music video associated with the song, with an overlay of live footage of Rowlands doing his thing. Throughout the performance, the duo effortlessly transition between works from their upcoming debut album ‘Come Closer’ as well as works from previous collaborations and works from their separate careers.
Fans of The Chemical Brothers in the crowed felt especially at home as tracks from the duo’s first collaborations ‘Eve of Destruction’, and ‘The Universe Sent Me’ featured in the live set. The fans of Aurora were of course not left out, as the tracks ‘Starvation’, and ‘My Body is Not Mine’ (which Rowlands produced on) from the Norwegian singer’s 2024 album ‘What Happened to the Heart’ featured in the set.
The combination of the alt-pop singer’s vocals and the seasoned producer’s mind-bending dance music is one that clearly works well. Fans of The Chemical Brothers will be familiar with Rowland’s previous collaborations with vocalists from all kinds of genres, featuring names such as Beck, and Beth Orton.
In a break between songs, Aurora addresses the crowd with the message “Thank you for coming to our first gig ever”, shortly before announcing that the next song (‘I Drink the Light’) is her “favourite song from Tomora” which we “haven’t heard yet”. The audience is then met with an energetic emotional dance track composed of familiar sounds from The Chemical Brother’s 2011 album ‘Further’, with visuals that seemed to be a homage to those used in live performances of the track ‘Escape Velocity’.
Despite a few setbacks, for example Aurora’s microphone cutting out near the end of the set, the duo’s debut performance overall went smoothly. This serves as a testament to the level of professionalism, presented by the superstar duo. Many excited fans are eager to see where the duo’s work takes them next.
