Clemency Burton-Hill

Author, broadcaster, journalist and musician, Clemency Burton-Hill was born in London and now lives in New York. For a decade she presented Breakfast on BBC Radio 3, as well as the BBC Proms, BBCYoung Musician, The Culture Show and New Generation Artists; she has also hosted numerous television and radio programmes, including BBC Radio 4’s Front Row, the Review Show on BBC 2, and Unreported World on Channel 4. For many years she was the face of the Royal Opera House’s live cinema relays, and in 2020 her popular BBC Sounds podcast Classical Fix – which aims to open up classical music to newcomers – won a British Podcast Award. Elsewhere, she has authored documentaries on women’s rights, the future of technology, and the nature of creativity.

Since 2018, Clemmie has been Creative Director for Music & Arts for New York Public Radio, where she has created such programmes as The Open Ears Project with WNYC Studios, which was recognized by the Webby Awards 2019, as well as co-hosting the Carnegie Hall Live series on WQXR, New York’s leading classical station. She is the author of four books: two novels published by Headline Review, and the much-loved Year of Wonder: Classical Music for Every Day (2017) and Another Year of Wonder (2021). Both volumes speak to Clemmie’s lifelong mission of bringing the joy and wonder of classical music to anyone and everyone, regardless of their background, education or experience. To this end, working closely with international arts or music education charities and non-profits has long been an important aspect of her life and work. She has been a Trustee of Dramatic Need, working with young people in South Africa, and The Choir of London Trust, working with young musicians and singers in conflict-scarred communities in the Middle East.

An award-winning violinist herself, Clemmie studied in London with Helen Brunner and then with Rodney Friend, performing as a soloist, chamber musician and orchestral player. She has performed in some of the world’s greatest concert halls including Milan’s La Scala and Vienna’s Musikverein, under conductors including Robin Ticciati and Daniel Barenboim.

In January 2020, Clemmie underwent a life-altering experience: a catastrophic brain haemorrhage caused by a ruptured ‘AVM’, a previously undetected tangle of arteries and veins. After 17 days in a coma, she was left severely cognitively compromised, unable to form language, and move the right side of her body. Her recovery is ongoing, but she has tackled these formidable challenges with unwavering determination; or as her motto goes: ‘choosing life’.

With music as her constant companion and, as she says, ‘a never-ending source of solace, inspiration and motivation’, Clemmie is deeply honoured to become an Ambassador for Music Masters.