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There's no 'I' in 'Team'

With the help of cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent and soprano Elin Manahan Thomas, sports journalist Eleanor Oldroyd explores the connections between classical music and sport.

With the help of virtuoso soloists, charismatic conductors, world champions and famous athletes, presenter Eleanor Oldroyd invites sporting stars and big names in the classical world to share their experiences and draw comparisons between their professions on the stage or in a stadium. The guests introduce music that inspires them, and Eleanor chooses pieces with a sporting theme which have meant something to her in her in her time covering 13 Summer and Winter Olympic Games for the ѿý.

What makes the perfect blend in the cricket/rugby/football team or orchestra/choir? How do you cope with differences of opinion and character, and what are the strains of being on tour? Before becoming a star soloist, soprano Elin Manahan Thomas was a member of The Sixteen. She explains how being part of a choir - which has different pressures and challenges from solo singing - helped prepare her to sing under the gaze of millions worldwide at the Royal Wedding of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle in 2018. World Cup winning cricketer Ebony Rainford-Brent recalls the joy of singing in her state school choir, and also playing piano, and describes how performing music individually and collectively helped her in her sporting career. They talk together about how sporting and musical teams need to blend their personalities to get the best results, despite differences of opinion and character. Elin describes the different challenges of being at the centre of attention, and working with her fellow singers as part of a larger ensemble, particularly when being together for long periods of time in rehearsals and on tours. There's also the thrill of a collective team effort in winning a match or giving an outstanding performance as a group.

Producer: Ben Collingwood.

11 days left to listen

56 minutes

Last on

Sat 7 Jun 2025 13:00

Music Played

  • Booker T. & The M.G.'s

    Soul Limbo

    Performer: Booker T. & The M.G.'s.
  • Giacomo Puccini

    Nessun dorma

    Performer: Luciano Pavarotti.
  • John Williams

    Olympic Fanfare and Theme

    Orchestra: Boston Pops Orchestra. Conductor: John Williams.
  • George Frideric Handel

    Eternal Source of light divine

    Performer: David Blackadder. Singer: Elin Manahan Thomas. Conductor: Christopher Warren‐Green.
  • Billie Holiday

    God bless the child

    Composer: Arthur Herzog, Jr.. Performer: Billie Holiday.
  • Franz Schubert

    Trout Quintet (Andante)

    Performer: Paul Lewis. Performer: Graham Mitchell. Ensemble: Leopold String Trio.
  • Hubert Parry

    Jerusalem

    Music Arranger: Edward Elgar. Choir: Winchester Cathedral Choir. Orchestra: Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: David Hill.
  • Gregorio Allegri

    Miserere

    Choir: The Sixteen. Conductor: Harry Christophers.
  • Paul Desmond

    Take Five

    Ensemble: The Dave Brubeck Quartet.
  • Max Bruch

    Violin Concerto No 1 (Finale)

    Performer: Jack Liebeck. Orchestra: ѿý Scottish Symphony Orchestra. Conductor: Martyn Brabbins.

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  • Sat 7 Jun 2025 13:00

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