It's undeniable that the past five years have changed the game when it comes to the conversation around gender and women's music. More music by women is being recorded and programmed, but fear is still afoot. And anyway, should we strive for gender equality in our programming? Is that realistic or even helpful?

Classical music is often seen as a middle-class, white and privileged profession by its onlookers, but many of the new generation of musicians are challenging this perception. In this talk, we speak with bassoonist and broadcaster Linton Stephens about exploring his identity within classical music as a Black musician, as well as choosing to express your identity fully as a creative with a public platform.