Verdi's Aida

Your Expert lecturer

Sandy Burnett is one of the UK’s most authoritative broadcasters in the field of classical music. His broadcasts, interviews, and lectures are all underpinned by the hands-on experience of being a practising musician.

After studying at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge and working as music director for the RSC, National Theatre and in London’s West End, Sandy spent a decade as one of the core team of presenters on BBC Radio 3; his broadcasting work was admired and appreciated by many classical music lovers. His many credits include the flagship breakfast programme Morning on 3, live Proms, concerts from the Edinburgh International Festival, countless studio broadcasts and interviews with classical music’s top artists.

He has broadcast and recorded for RTÉ’s Lyric FM and Radio 1, Wigmore Hall, Linn Records, Intermusica, and the City of London Festival, while live onstage he has lectured and hosted events for many leading music organisations including Wigmore Hall, the Royal Academy of Music, the Royal College of Music, the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, and the London Jazz Festival.

As conductor he masterminded a complete performing cycle of Bach's sacred cantatas, a mammoth enterprise spread over thirteen years; this has led to workshops with St Andrews Voices and an innovative Bach Cantata Discovery Day for the Valletta Baroque Festival. As double bassist he performs chamber music at the annual Burton Bradstock Festival, and plays in the Tuxedo Jazz Orchestra, the Peter Rudeforth Sextet, Blue Harlem, and the Friday night house band at the Chelsea Arts Club in West London.