{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"The Variety Show","title":"Scrap Opera Houses? Art, Business & Classical Music’s Clique","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":3827,"description":"To stay updated on future episodes, follow us on:TikTokInstagram YouTube Raffaello Morales is the musical and managing director of the Fidelio Orchestra, a London based organisation reimagining how audiences experience classical music. Originally from Rome, and trained in both music and physics, Raffaello’s journey has taken him from academia to finance and ultimately to Fidelio, where he brings together live performance, hospitality, events and cultural programming to make music feel fresh, social and alive.Episode summary In this episode of Variety, Raffaello Morales joins us to explore the shifting world of classical music, live performance and cultural spaces. The conversation moves through the realities of running Fidelio, the balance between artistic ambition and commercial pressure, and the challenge of making classical music feel more open, relevant and alive.Raffaello also reflects on conducting, audience connection, arts funding, music education and the role culture can play in uncertain times. Along the way, the episode looks at what makes live performance so powerful; not perfection, but presence, risk, communication and the shared experience between performer and audience.In this episode Raffaello’s upbringing in Rome and early musical trainingStudying music and physics side by sideMoving to London for postgraduate study and a PhDWorking in finance before leaving bankingBuilding Fidelio as both an orchestra and events businessThe relationship between music, hospitality and communityWhy technique alone is not enough in performanceThe problem of elitism and access in classical musicArts funding, education and the role of governmentHow classical music can adapt for modern audiencesConducting, score study and interpretationThe importance of eye contact, physicality and leadershipThe beauty of imperfection in live performanceThe future of culture, education and meaningful shared experiences","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/JHRDqil-H1p__PcBxkFKeWgvmzANKXqZzhsKiqUP0gc/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9mODc5/NmZkY2I4Nzk5OWNi/MjFiNDFhNzY5MTNi/NzI1Ni5qcGc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}