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Live from the 麻豆社鈥檚 studios at MediaCityUK in Salford, Woman鈥檚 Hour is joined by the 鈥� one of the UK鈥檚 leading orchestras. Their conductor for this special celebration of women and music is Jessica Cottis.听听

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The overture to Faure鈥檚 Masque et Bergamasque opens the programme. It was a Woman鈥檚 Hour sig tune in the 1950s and was suggested by former Woman鈥檚 Hour presenter Sue MacGregor.

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The second piece of music is Eliza鈥檚 Aria by Australian composer Elena Kats-Chernin from her ballet Wild Swans. It was originally scored for solo soprano and orchestra. For today鈥檚 performance, guest leader will be playing the soprano part on the violin.

According to the music press, conductor is 鈥榯he one to watch鈥� and 鈥� at the age of just 33 鈥� she already has an impressive CV. From 2009 to 2011 she was the first Fellow in Conducting at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and Assistant Conductor at the 麻豆社 Scottish Symphony Orchestra to Chief Conductor Donald Runnicles. She made her Proms debut in 2010 and last year, she became the Associate Conductor with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra working closely with Vladimir Ashkenazy, conducting concerts at the Sydney Opera House and taking the orchestra on their annual Australian tour. Once she has conducted the 麻豆社 Philharmonic on Woman鈥檚 Hour, she will be working with Scottish Opera on a production of Kurt Weill鈥檚 Seven Deadly Sins. In 2012, Jessica appeared on the 麻豆社2 series Maestro at the Opera as conducting mentor to DJ Trevor Nelson. She now takes on another demanding teaching role as she guides Jenni Murray through her attempt to conduct the 麻豆社 Philharmonic in a performance of Bizet鈥檚 Les Toreadors.

Just before the drama, Jenni Murray will be attempting to conduct the 麻豆社 Philharmonic in a performance of Les Toreadors from Bizet鈥檚 opera Carmen. Yesterday, Jenni had a conducting lesson with conductor Jessica Cottis and the orchestra itself.

The music of Alice Mary Smith has not been performed in a concert hall for over 120 years but Woman鈥檚 Hour has decided to put that right! Alice Mary Smith [1839 鈥� 1884] was one of the most prolific and frequently performed female composers of the nineteenth century. She was one of the first women to write large-scale compositions such as symphonies which was very pioneering at a time when women composers were confined to writing little parlour pieces [such as songs or solo piano pieces]. Her achievements are all the more remarkable because women were not allowed to learn an orchestral instrument until the 1870s, or play in an orchestra until the 1890s. Her music is 鈥楻omantic鈥� and has echoes of Beethoven and Mendelssohn. The piece that the 麻豆社 Philharmonic will be playing is the 2nd Intermezzo from Alice Mary Smith鈥檚 The Masque of Pandora. It was last performed in 1881 and receives only its third ever performance on Woman鈥檚 Hour.

is the Principal of the in Manchester - one of the World鈥檚 leading conservatoires. Linda has established an international profile as a clarinet soloist and recording artist and she talks to Jenni Murray about educating and preparing young people for the world of professional music making.

wrote Wound Up for the National Youth Orchestra in 2005. She says of the piece: 鈥淲hilst writing this short piece I had in mind a series of small wind-up toys which start with great energy and then peter out. I have tried to think of the whole orchestra as a huge mechanical instrument with different elements moving and turning at different speeds. I have always wanted to write a piece with three hi-hats so this was a great opportunity and in the back of my mind I had an image of those wind up animals which play cymbals.鈥�

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Jenni Murray conducts the 麻豆社 Philharmonic in a performance of Bizet鈥檚 Les Toreadors.

Vanity Fair by Anthony Collins. Another听 Sue MacGregor suggestion as it was the Woman鈥檚 Hour sig tune from 1958 to 59.