Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

International Women's Day 2025 was pretty much all about the special episode of Harmonious World featuring pianist and composer Claire Cope , followed by the launch of Claire's album 'Every Journey' with her Ensemble C . Every Journey  is a truly stunning album and the launch event at Jazz Cafe Posk gave a packed audience the chance to enjoy a few of the tracks. Beginning the evening with the album's title track allowed Ensemble C to show the dynamic range and instrument combinations that make Every Journey  such a special collection of work. Cope has a unique ability in grouping instruments in this 11-piece ensemble to create a vast array of colour. Dynamically, there were some very impressive passages that built imperceptibly from a relative silence to filling the whole venue. Creating such an exceptional sound from these 11 instruments has taken skill, with Cope acknowledging the inspiration from musical forebears such as Kenny Wheeler and Maria Schneider. When ...

One of my top gigs of 2024 - an extraordinary evening with Emma Rawicz (sax), Laura Jurd (trumpet), Conor Chaplin (bass), Jason Rebello (piano) and Anton Eger (drums).  Read my review on The Riff . 

There is a wonderful programme that allows cinemas across the UK to screen productions from London as part of NTLive from the National Theatre. This week, I was entranced by Present Laughter by Noel Coward, originally performed at the Old Vic, another of our fine theatres. We're particularly fortunate in Hitchin to have several theatre spaces, including The Richard Whitmore studio (named after one of the UK's most esteemed newsreaders and journalists, who lives in Hitchin). Twice a month, it is taken over by Hitchin Films for screenings of some real treasures and often for NTLive events. Present Laughter is a delightful, farcical comedy with some very deep messages, hidden beneath the hilarity. The play revolves around the indiscretions and career of Garry Essendine (played here by Andrew Scott), an actor who is somewhat self-obsessed - his surname is an anagram of 'neediness'. I love Coward's play on words. Apparently, the ideas behind Present Laughter  were for...

A day of meetings and interviews once more brought inspiration. There is something inherently freeing in entering a new coffee shop for drinking tea and working either online or in the old-fashioned way with pen and paper. I'm fortunate when I find podcast guests who know the best coffee shop near where they live or work.  

The British Library's latest exhibition (on until 26 August) is ' Beyond the Bassline: 500 years of Black British Music ' and it's an extraordinary collection of artefacts and art that celebrates this vital contribution to our collective culture. I would argue that the influence of black British music extends far beyond our shores, with music and artists from this island spreading their influence and their output around the world. For many years, we seemed to believe that the best music (especially popular music) came from the United States, but this exhibition proves the falsehood of that assertion. Divided into clear sections, the exhibition is curated to take the visitor from Tudor musician John Blanke (the earliest recorded black musician in Britain) through to the present. Ending with the five-channel film and sound installation  iwoyi: within the echo , the exhibition includes photographs and music clips (most of which comes through headphones). If you're blac...

Charles Dickens led much of his writer's life in central London, based at his home on Doughty Street. It now serves as a museum and an evening spent there was hugely inspirational.     For Christmas, the team at the museum have laid the house out as if it was a scene from one of Dickens's novels. From the dining room to the servants' quarters, it's a beautiful sight.     For anyone who studies Dickens's work or enjoys his stories, this place is a delight. For anyone who wishes to be a better writer, it's a pilgrimage.

Despite the intense heat, the Matchwomen's Festival in London's East End was a fascinating feminist experience.     The day started with a walking tour of Bow, taking in the - now renovated as a residential area - match factory where women stood up for their rights in the late 19th century.     Those women were prepared to take a stand and the rest of the day was dominated by others who are doing the same today. An inspiring day, if extraordinarily hot.

I thoroughly enjoyed hearing Science Fiction themes played by the London Concert Orchestra at the Royal Festival Hall. I've never been a massive fan of the genre, but there's no denying the beauty of some of the music involved. The LCO did a fantastic job with music from Strauss to Elfman, with lasers and pyrotechnics to add spice to the mix. The brass and wind sections throughout performed beautifully and it was good to hear piccolo, bass clarinet and contra bassoon used to great effect.